SRI LANKA (No. 2)

Early day motion 935, tabled 2 March 2009 by Virendra Sharma (Labour). Signed by 62 members.

That this House notes with grave concern the deepening crisis in Sri Lanka, in which more than 2,000 lives have been lost since January alone; laments the dearth of coverage in the Western media of the crisis and thus the failure of the media to tell the world what is happening in Sri Lanka; further notes the extensive and appropriate coverage of the conflict in Gaza in which estimates suggest 1,300 lives were lost; highlights the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in London on Wednesday 4 March; and calls on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth until a ceasefire has been established and its government grants a UN monitoring mission unfettered access to the country, allows international aid agencies access to the Vanni region and resumes peace negotiations.

Signatures by party: Labour 46, Liberal Democrat 5, Conservative 3, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, Independent 2, Plaid Cymru 2, Scottish National Party 1.