British Government's damning report card on Sri Lanka

Hi All,

We generally try to reserve comment on the local security situation on our Blog, as its main purpose is to update our friends and family about our family. However, I'm making an exception in this case. Without giving any view one way or the other in this public domain, I thought some of you would want to see a summary of Tony Blair's advisorty note to MEPs regarding Sri Lanka.

When you've read it, for a bit of light relief, check out the Crazy Lanka website, that I've added a link to over on the right. It's a very amusing satirical look at Sri Lanka, just to make sure they're not taking themselves too seriously!

British Government's damning report card on Sri Lanka.
Sunday Leader 10/6/07.
Blair tells SL the war is unwinnable. Briefing note to British MEPs.
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=60&id=5017


Highlights:

The British Government in a devastating note to its members in the European Parliament has focused attention on the situation in Sri Lanka. The note raises serious concern over the deteriorating security situation in Sri Lanka and the serious erosion of human rights. The note also states that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has written to President Mahinda Rajapakse, outlining the British Government's concern over the situation in Sri Lanka.

• The UK expresses deep concern to the government about their military action to defeat the LTTE, which brings an immense human cost, damages Sri Lanka's international standing; and ultimately will not work. The Defence Secretary (President Rajapakse's brother) continues to talk publicly of needing two to three years to finish off the LTTE. Both sides need to do more to ensure that the civilian population is protected better, through the supply of essential supplies, access for humanitarian agencies and by avoiding causing civilian casualties. The forced return-of internally displaced persons, and extra judicial killings by security forces is not acceptable. Sri Lanka's standing in the international community is being seriously damaged.
• The UK has also expressed concern at reports that Government of Sri Lanka forces have been complicit in child recruitment by paramilitaries (operating in the east)
• There's a growing case for introducing international human rights monitors to SL. The Government of Sri Lanka strongly contest this.
• In September 2006, following international alarm over the deaths of 17 local employees of the French NGO Action Contre la Faim in Muttur, the government announced it would hold a Presidential Commission to investigate the 12 most high profile human rights cases. This was established, but has a narrow remit and the process is too slow. The Attorney General's Department role undermines the commission's independence and there is inadequate witness protection. The Commission of Inquiry cannot be used as a reason to avoid addressing current human rights abuses.
• A UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka has been on the table since autumn 2006. Sri Lanka currently has the Chair of the Asia Group, influencing voting in that group. They have prevented the resolution from being tabled. NGOs are lobbying for an EU-US, and possibly India co-sponsored resolution.

NGO concerns and statistics

• There are 100,000+ displaced people in Batticaloa in the east. They face threats of violence and abductions by the LTTE and pro-government armed groups. Some displaced persons have been forcibly returned to Vaharai.
• The Karuna Group abducts and uses children as soldiers, with complicity of the Sri Lankan forces. Armed Karuna cadres roam the streets in Batticaloa District in sight of/alongside security forces.
• There are 700+ recorded cases of missing people in the Jaffna peninsular since December 2005.
• There have been 50+ abductions in and around Colombo over the last year.
• Emergency regulations give security forces wide powers of search, seizure of property, arrests without warrants and unacknowledged detention of individuals for up to 12 months.
• There has been an increase in anonymous death threats against NGO workers (in 2006 according to OCHA).
• Recently nine NGO workers died, and no one was charged. There has been Karuna Group death threats to some distributors of Tamil-language newspapers.
• There are over 600,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sri Lanka created by the current fighting, the tsunami and legacy IDPs from the 1980s and 1990s. Over 300,000 have been created in the last year, causing pressure on delivery systems. Threats to people's safety, human rights violations, widespread displacement and the destruction of livelihoods contribute to the humanitarian situation. A major concern is the diminishing humanitarian space as fighting intensifies and attitudes harden towards humanitarian agencies. There are frequent reports of forced displacement, abductions and targeted killings. The humanitarian co-ordination system, led by the UN, is characterised by systems and forums developed during the co-operative period of immediate response to the Asian tsunami.

Published: Jun 11, 2007 16:03:08 GMT