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Tamil diaspora to push for war crime probe at UNHRC

11 Sep 2022

  • Global Tamil Forum and British Tamil Forum explain Geneva plan
BY Mirudhula Thambiah    While urging for a stronger Resolution at the 51st United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Sessions commencing today (12), representatives of the Tamil diaspora said yesterday (11) that they would push for an international mechanism to investigate the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, ensuring accountability, and serving justice to the aggrieved parties. Global Tamil Forum (GTF) Spokesperson Suren Surendiran yesterday (11) told The Morning that investigation, gathering of evidence, accountability, and serving of justice for breaches of international human rights and humanitarian laws on war crimes and crimes against humanity must all be delivered through an international mechanism or court. He further said, 13 years after the end of war, successive governments have fooled the victims and the international community by promising local mechanisms.  “Instead of punishing war criminals, in Sri Lanka they are regarded as war heroes, and are being promoted or given high posts in State institutions. In rare occasions where courts convict these criminals, they have evidently been pardoned by successive presidents of Sri Lanka.” “The resolution must demand, as part of transitional justice, a non-recurrence of similar events, and a political solution for the root causes of the issues that resulted in an internal civil war. This should mean Sri Lanka’s governance structure and the constitution has to be revised to allow maximum devolution to the provinces. It should not only be limited to the Northern and Eastern provinces, but the rest of the seven provinces as well,” he added. Surendiran noted that the GTF would urge for a stronger resolution that encompasses key points raised in previously passed resolutions, namely 30/1 of October 2015 and 46/1 of March 2021, and to go beyond the recommendations made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in her recent report on Sri Lanka be passed at the 51st session. Meanwhile, British Tamil Forum (BTF) General Secretary V. Ravi Kumar said, it is vital to refer the perpetrators of atrocity crimes in Sri Lanka such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, to an appropriate international justice mechanism and bring justice to the Tamil victims. He further noted that the BTF would request UN member countries with competent jurisdictions, to take effective, and independent criminal and other proceedings in their courts of law. Enhance and strengthen the already established evidence collection, analysis, and recommendation mechanisms against human rights violations in Sri Lanka (resolution A/HRC/RES/46/1). “We would urge the North and East of Sri Lanka to be acknowledged as a war-affected region torn apart by 30 years of civil war, and neglected by all the Sri Lankan governments before and after the war,” he added. The BTF would also urge the establishment a special interim authority to implement rehabilitation, and resettlement, including the return of occupied land, dispossession of land in the traditional homeland, reconstruction, and, specific development projects to bring up the human and development indicators to the levels found in the rest of Sri Lanka. Such an Interim authority must be drawn from elected Tamil representatives. Within this interim period, mechanisms should be evolved to find a political solution by an international arbitration process led by the US, India, and a core group of countries comprising the European Union and the UK.  As the elected Tamil representatives in the Northern and Eastern provinces requested, any political solution to be based on the recognition of the inherent right to self-determination and the principles of federalism would be suitable, he said. Early this week, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) noted that it was conducting bilateral dialogues with UNHRC Member States in regard to moving a fresh Resolution concerning Sri Lanka. Commenting on this move, Surendiran said: “Any representatives, elected or otherwise demanding, I believe, will be widely supported not just by GTF but by Tamils and Muslims generally, and now by a large section of the Sinhalese as well.”  While BTF’s Ravikumar commenting on the same said: “We have already lost 13 years on this agenda, and we keep on losing invaluable witnesses due to their ageing and ill-health. Unless it is inevitable to prolong the matter further, subject to a new proposal consented by the TNA, which is not detrimental or contradictory to our proposals, we will have no hesitation in backing them.” Meanwhile, a team headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC and Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC will represent the Sri Lankan Government at the UNHRC.  The 51st UNHRC sessions will be held from 12 September to 7 October 2022, and the newly appointed High Commissioner to lead the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Türk is scheduled to make a presentation on Sri Lanka.

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