Australia: Senator Lee Rhiannon

Senator Lee Rhiannon: Senator Lee Rhiannon urged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to join his Indian and Canadian counterparts in staying away from a British Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka over concerns about the island nation's human rights record, according to Times Colonist. Rhiannon, whose Greens party is not part of Australia's conservative coalition government, described the treatment as "unlawful," given she had an appropriate tourist visa and a letter from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Sri Lankan government explaining her trip and CANBERRA, Australia - An Australian senator accused the Sri Lankan government of trying to hide crimes against humanity and called on her government to boycott an international summit in Colombo after she was detained by authorities there. Rhiannon said she and a New Zealand lawmaker were prevented from holding a press conference on human rights issues in Colombo on Sunday by immigration officials who seized their passports and took them to their hotels for three hours of questioning. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.