Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has become the third leader to announce a boycott of this week’s Commonwealth summit in Colombo over Sri Lanka’s human rights record.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper are also staying away.
Sri Lanka is accused of committing widespread abuses in the final months of its war against Tamil Tiger rebels.
The Sri Lankan government strongly denies the claims.
Mr Ramgoolam told Mauritius’ parliament on Tuesday that he would not attend the meeting and that Mauritius will instead be represented by Foreign Minister Arvin Boolell.
“My information that I have tried to get from different quarters is that the Sri Lankan Government is not doing enough,” Mr Ramgoolam told parliament, referring to Sri Lanka’s human rights record.
“I cannot, with the principle that I have taken all this time I am in politics, attend the summit,” he added.
Mr Boolell told the BBC’s Tamil Service he did not think the decision would adversely affect relations between the two countries.
Menon Murday, a representative of the Tamil community in Mauritius, was quoted as welcoming Mr Ramgoolam’s decision, BBC reports.
