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UN Human Rights Council recently expressed its concern over the escalation
of violence in Sri Lanka and the freedom of movement of humanitarian aid
intended as relief for its suffering people. The killing fields of the
north and east have raised many eyebrows, and the international community
is taking serious note of the human-rights violations that have occurred
recently on an unprecedented scale in this country. The abduction and
killing of civilians, the harassment of Internally Displaced People (IDPs)
and the escalating prices of essential food items are all exerting a
stranglehold on the people.
So, the government is requested to
uphold the human rights of all its citizens with immediate effect.
In the past – before the advent of UN
agencies and other international conventions, as well as in public
speeches all over Sri Lanka – it was pronounced boastfully that Sri Lanka
has a proud history of being a signatory to many UN conventions. But the
present time is, perhaps, the most crucial and difficult moment in terms
of international diplomacy for Sri Lanka on its many unresolved
human-rights issues.
The country’s present stance on UN
conventions is already creating complex problems for the co-chairs of the
Sri Lankan peace process vis-ŕ-vis providing aid to the country. Further
assistance to Sri Lanka is subject to the assessment of tangible measures
that are taken to improve the human-rights situation in the country. If
such an exercise is not imminent, the co-chairs will be compelled to take
a sterner view when considering the ramifications of Sri Lanka’s inability
to meet its international obligations as regards human rights.
But all is not lost…
Benny
Fernandez,
Colombo 5.
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