Fails to Call for Probe Into Abuses
By Paul Tighe
May 28 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations Human Rights council passed a resolution on Sri Lanka that failed to include calls by European nations for a probe into abuses during the 26- year civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The 47-member body ended a meeting in Geneva yesterday by approving a statement urging Sri Lanka to protect minorities. The resolution was passed by 29 votes to 12 with six abstentions.
The vote is an “absolute endorsement” of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s efforts toward “eradicating terrorism and the protection of human rights,” Mahinda Samarasinghe, the minister for disaster management and human rights, said in a statement. Human Rights Watch described the resolution as “deeply flawed.”
Sri Lanka defeated the last Tamil Tiger forces in a battle more than a week ago, ending their fight for a separate Tamil homeland in the South Asian island nation. Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, two days ago called for an independent investigation, saying there are “strong reasons to believe” that abuses were carried out by both government forces and the LTTE.
The council, an inter-governmental body within the UN system, called on Sri Lanka’s government to “continue strengthening its activities to ensure there was no discrimination against ethnic minorities in the enjoyment of the full range of human rights.”
It also commended Sri Lanka on its efforts to assist the estimated 300,000 people displaced from their homes by the war in the north and called on the international community to help the country rebuild after the conflict.
Bring to Justice
EU nations wanted Sri Lanka to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of human rights violations, Konrad Scharinger, Germany’s delegate, told the council, according to the UN. This wasn’t reflected in the resolution and the EU opposed the draft, he added.
The special session was called by countries wanting to address the plight of civilians trapped in the conflict zone, Dayan Jayatilleka, Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the UN headquarters in Geneva, told the council.
Civilians have now been freed by the army and the war is over so there was no reason for holding the session, he said.
The council’s resolution is a step backward for the body, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
‘Deeply Disappointing’
“It is deeply disappointing that a majority of the Human Rights Council decided to focus on praising a government whose forces have been responsible for the repeated indiscriminate shelling of civilians,” said Juliette de Rivero, the group’s Geneva-based advocacy director. “These states blocked a message to the government that it needs to hear, to ensure access to displaced people and uphold human rights standards. They undermined the very purpose of the council.”
An independent investigation is “crucial to set the record straight regarding the conduct of all parties in the conflict,” Pillay said in a video message to the council two days ago.
Sri Lanka’s future “hinges upon such an in-depth and comprehensive approach,” she said.
The LTTE is accused of preventing civilians from leaving the conflict zone, forcibly conscripting people and using civilians as human shields, Pillay said, according to the UN.
The government is said to have used heavy weapons in a small, densely populated area even though it gave assurance that it would protect civilians, she said.
Sri Lanka’s Jayatilleka, before the meeting, criticized “former colonizers” for pursuing the meeting, accusing them of failing to consult with his country’s neighbors on the issue.
The government has lifted restrictions on aid agency vehicles visiting the main refugee camp in the north, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said yesterday.
Camps need more doctors, health workers, better water supplies and sanitation, it said, according to the UN.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Sri Lanka at the weekend and called on the government to allow aid workers into the north to assist civilians. Access to the conflict zone will be granted once the army completes operations to clear rebels hiding among the civilians, the government said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: May 27, 2009 22:31 EDT
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