Sri Lanka: US want Sri Lanka to do more to curb human right violations

Friday, 05 October 2007

The United States on Thursday urged the Sri Lankan government to do more to "bring those to justice who are responsible for human rights violations and to bring an end to disappearances." In a statement released to the media US State Department said that Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns while welcoming the progress in reducing abductions in Colombo raised serious concern over continuing reports on human rights abuses in Jaffna and other parts of the country and ongoing threats to freedom of the press.

Under Secretary Burns met with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Thursday for 45 minutes at the State Department in Washington, D.C.

Burns also urged progress on a power-sharing proposal that will give a political voice to all moderate Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese, the statement said.

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Jay said:

The US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns in his talks with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama at the State Department in Washington, D.C. raised serious concerns over continuing reports on human rights abuses in Jaffna and other parts of the country and ongoing threats to freedom of the press. Some of the immediate Sri Lankan governmentÃ¢â?¬â?¢s reactions:
On 4 Oct 07, Sri Lanka denied the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise ArbourÃ¢â?¬â?¢s visit to Tamil areas in the North to assess the island's human rights abuses. The UN's envoy, Manfred Novak-the Special Rapporteur on torture was denied access to visit Vanni region. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Northern Region officialsÃ¢â?¬â?¢s visit to Ki'linochchi were blocked entry at Oamanthai entry point by the Sri Lanka Army.
On 3.10.07, Sri Lanka called for the expulsion of Mr. Bjarni Vestmann, Minister Councellor at the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs after his visit to Kilinochchi.
On 30.9.07, Sri Lankan military forcefully entered the Jaffna University premises, opened fire and severely attacked the students
On 29.9.07, Sri Lankan military destroyed more than 30 houses in Eechchilampattu in order to expand their military base Ã¢â?¬â?? the families evacuated forced to live in temporary shelters
On 27.9.07, Rev. Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith aged 40, the Mannar district coordinator of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) was killed in a Claymore attack launched by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) while bringing infant milk food and other humanitarian essential supplies to the recently displaced people in Mannar District. His assistant, Christopher Julin, was injured and transferred to Kilinochchi hospital in a serious condition. This killing was the latest in a series of killings of aid workers in the Tamil homeland.
When the UN or the EU or the US dispatches their representatives to assess the actual situation, their visits are denied to the devastated areas and they are not allowed to meet the affected people. The representatives of rights groups or commissions can only meet the ministers, government officials or military personnel and to report on the propagandas fabricated by the government. Viewing the actual situation and making a finding based on the true situation is according to the government is interference with their local investigations. Such actions Ã¢â?¬â?? are they not hoodwinking the international community. Is the US, the EU, the UN and the international community blind to these tactics of the government who behind their backs continue with the atrocities on innocent Tamil people.

2007-10-06 03:55:12

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