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Sri Lanka's rights situation: Government fires back  

26 Jun 2021

  • Urges Bachelet to provide credible info against appointees 

  • Questions Core Group’s motives over UNHRC Resolution delays 

  • Calls EU statements disingenuous and bullying 

  • Says proposed GSP+ withdrawal unrelated to labour situ 

By Aazam Ameen    The Government of Sri Lanka called on the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) Michelle Bachelet to handover credible information for the allegations made by her office concerning recent appointments to the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and the Office for Reparations in order to commence a local probe, whilst also questioning the motives of the UN Core Group on Sri Lanka in taking the country to task for delays in implementing the recent UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution.   The Government also criticised the content of the recent European Union (EU) Parliament Resolution calling for the withdrawal of the Generalised Scheme/System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade concessions for Sri Lanka as having no bearing to labour-related matters, and therefore being akin to holding an elected government to ransom.  The Government will, however, continue to engage with the UNHRC in an effort to ensure that justice prevails in the country, The Sunday Morning learnt.   Speaking further, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told The Sunday Morning, however, that the Government will not stand for being pushed around.   “We are trying to sort out certain issues because of our obligations. The Government has also recognised that certain areas need to be worked on. We are not carrying out such duties because of the mounting pressure. Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation and will not want to be pushed around,” Rambukwella clarified.  Commenting on how the Government’s relationship with the UNHRC had reached this point, Rambukwella pointed out that in the past, this was not the case.   “Back in 2010 to 2012, we had established the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) along with various other mechanisms which were put in place. Unfortunately, things have taken a different turn. I feel as if it was a deliberate attempt by the previous United National Front (UNF)-led Government’s Foreign Minister to sabotage this relationship. That Minister accepted certain things even though it was not the case. This resulted in Sri Lanka being subjected to an investigation, even though there was no credible evidence against us,” he claimed.  When queried about Bachelet’s recent concerns surrounding the appointments to the OMP and the Office for Reparations, and steps to discourage investigations into past crimes which were expressed during the opening day of the 47th Session of the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland, recently, Rambukwella alleged that her information is not credible.   “I don’t know where she gathers this information from. It has no credibility at all and some of the information is far from the truth. As far as the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is concerned, if she (Bachelet) has any concerns over these appointments, she must give us specific reasons,” he further claimed.   However, Rambukwella expressed that if specific concerns are pointed out, the GoSL will look into such matters.   “If they give us details and lists of names explaining that the individuals concerned have a criminal history or that the persons are against the Tamil community, and if it is something that can be proven and established, we will look into it,” Rambukwella assured.  Meanwhile, on 22 June, the UN Core Group on Sri Lanka expressed its regrets in terms of the lack of Sri Lanka’s progress with regard to the UNHRC Resolution 46/1 which called upon the GoSL to address the harmful legacies of the war and to protect human rights, including for those from religious minorities. Responding to these statements, Rambukwella said that the GoSL is unable to work on issues as per the timeline expectations of the Core Group.   “They need to understand that the current circumstances are different. Given the Covid-19 pandemic, they must understand that we will not be able to carry out certain tasks when they expect us to do so. If they cannot understand this, then I don’t know what their motives are,” he added.  In terms of how the Government plans to ensure the retention of the EU’s GSP+ trade concessions, which were outlined to be at risk of withdrawal in the recent EU Parliament Resolution, Rambukwella noted that the concerns raised in the Resolution have no relation to GSP+ in any form.   “GSP+ particularly relates to labour activities. If their concerns relate to issues such as child labour, harassment, or the lack of proper law and order in terms of labour, then I can understand. In this case, the EU Parliament is asking Sri Lanka to amend our Constitution and is urging certain sections to be eliminated. This can be compared to holding the elected GoSL to ransom,” he opined.  Rambukwella also pointed out that the Resolution does not have the right to cause interference to the judicial system of Sri Lanka. “If they interfere with the judicial system of a sovereign nation, it certainly shows a lot,” he explained.   When queried as to whether the recent release of former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekara is a sign of giving into the demands of the Resolution, Rambukwella dismissed these assumptions. He explained that the order to release Abeysekara was given by a court of law.  Rambukwella also claimed that the pressure exerted on Sri Lanka by foreign powers such as the EU is a sign of bullying. “Their statements are not genuine, and they have a strong diaspora backing as well,” he alleged.  Despite The Sunday Morning’s repeated attempts to contact Justice Minister Ali Sabry PC with regard to Bachelet’s concerns over recent counterterrorism regulations – which include the listing and/or prohibition of more than 300 Tamil and Muslim groups and individuals for the alleged support of terrorism, regulations which permit the arbitrary administrative detention of people for up to two years without trial for the purposes of de-radicalisation, and the continuing series of deaths in Police custody in the context of Police encounters with alleged criminal gangs – proved to be futile.   The Sunday Morning also made attempts to contact Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardena with regard to Sri Lanka’s relationship with the EU post-parliamentary resolution and the measures being taken to ensure that the GSP+-related privileges are maintained. However, these attempts were also unsuccessful.   


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