COLOMBO: The US led Western criticism of Sri Lanka on Tuesday after pro-government activists broke up a meeting of US diplomats and ethnic Tamils who lost loved ones in the island’s separatist war.

The US Embassy said activists led by Buddhist monks stormed the meeting in a Catholic Church compound in Colombo on Monday and “behaved threateningly toward the families.”

The embassy said police appeared to support the mob, which halted the meeting of foreign diplomats.

“The United States strongly urges the government of Sri Lanka to enforce the rule of law and permit all citizens to exercise their most basic human rights, including freedom of speech,” the embassy said in a statement.

“We also call on the government of Sri Lanka to take all possible steps to ensure the safety of families who had traveled from the north (the former war zone) to attend this meeting, both in Colombo and upon their return home,” the embassy added.