First draft resolution on Lanka at UNHRC

Ada Derana

A first draft of the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council calling for an investigation into alleged abuses by both parties to the conflict to be led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Navi Pillay has been tabled.

The draft resolution which was reportedly tabled yesterday titled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka” has been submitted by the United States, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Montenegro, FYR of Macedonia, and Mauritius

It requested the Office of the High Commissioner to assess progress toward accountability and reconciliation, monitor relevant national processes and to investigate alleged violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka.

The Resolution HRC 25/1 welcomes and acknowledges the progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka in rebuilding, infrastructure, demining and resettling the majority of internally displaced persons.

However, the resolution notes that considerable work lies ahead in the areas of justice, reconciliation, demilitarization, and the resumption of livelihoods, and stressing the importance of the full participation of local populations, including representatives of civil society and minorities in the efforts.

The resolution expressed alarm at the rapid rise in violence and discrimination on the basis of religion or belief, particularly against members of religious minority groups.

It called upon the government to fulfill its public commitments, including the devolution of political authority which is integral to reconciliation and the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of population.

The resolution reiterated that the national plan of action established to implement recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) does not adequately address all of the findings and recommendations of the LLRC asked the government to broaden the scope of the plan.

It called upon the Sri Lankan government to cooperate with the Office of the High Commissioner concerning the implementation of the resolution.

LBO

COLOMBO, March 4, 2014 (AFP) - A US-led resolution calling for an international probe into allegations that 40,000 civilians were killed at the end of Sri Lanka's separatist war has been filed with the UN's top rights body.

In a draft resolution posted on the Human Rights Commission's website on Tuesday, the United States endorses UN human rights chief Navi Pillay's recommendation for an external investigation into alleged war crimes in the final stages of Sri Lanka's Tamil civil war in May 2009.
The draft welcomed Pillay's recommendation following her visit to Sri Lanka in August that there should be an "independent and credible investigation in the absence of a credible national process with tangible results".

International rights groups as well as UN experts have said there are "credible allegations" that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed after government forces had ordered them into a no-fire zone.

The US draft noted progress in de-mining, reconstruction and re-settling war victims and effectively gave Sri Lanka another year to show results on accountability. The US draft was backed by Britain, Montenegro, Macedonia and Mauritius.

It asked Pillay to report back on progress with an oral submission to the 27th session of the council in March next year and provide a written report by September 2015.

The draft resolution also called on Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of military excesses and expressed "serious concern" over continuing reports of human rights violations five years after the end of the decades-long separatist war.
It said that "sexual and gender-based violence, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture and violations of the rights to freedom of expression" were continuing in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has already rejected Pillay's call for an international probe as an "unwarranted interference", and President Mahinda Rajapakse has accused Washington of treating Colombo like Muhammad Ali's "punching bag".

At least 100,000 people were killed in the 37-year conflict before Rajapakse's troops crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Looks like that we have got another one year extension . Why should CSE investors worry about UNHRC now on .So many things could happen in between .

Strong punch pushes the punching bag forth & back. Powerful westerners can hold it at anytime before swaying back. Until investors are well convinced the time period of back & forth, entry to the market is a formidable challenge for them. It is conceivable that normalcy will be back after Geneva talks.

Friends, no need be worry as the heat is on between the US orchestrated West and the Russian Republic over the Crimea standoff in Ukraine, the UN has some other priorities than Sri Lanka now. That South African Tamil woman including TN Chief Minister woman can wait until next time .. We, Sri Lanka, move forward ..

Pro-Eelam Tamil Group slams 'insubstantial' US resolution on Sri Lanka
Tue, Mar 4, 2014, 11:55 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.


Mar 04, Colombo: A separatist Tamil nationalist diaspora group in UK today slammed the 'insubstantial' US-sponsored draft resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at the United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva Monday.

The draft resolution co-sponsored by the UK called for an international probe into Sri Lanka's alleged rights abuses during the war with Tamil Tiger Terrorists.

The Tamil diaspora group called British Tamil Forum (BTF) said the "insubstantial" draft resolution on Sri Lanka has greatly disappointed and shocked the Tamil people, who are the primary victims of the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka.

The BTF said the resolution calls for another update from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a year's time and makes another call on Sri Lanka to launch a credible domestic inquiry despite the Human Rights Commissioner herself declaring that Sri Lanka has no political will to investigate itself.

"Five years on from the terrible massacres of 2009, the Tamil people have been told to put up with another year of lost land, lost people, further curtailment of rights, physical and sexual abuse," the BTF said.

A state that is moving in an "increasingly authoritarian direction", according to the Human Rights High Commissioner, has inexplicably been given yet more time and space, the group added.

The BTF says the resolution allows more time for the Sri Lankan state to complete its programme of destroying evidence and eliminating witnesses to the crimes committed.

The group noted that the two previous resolutions at the UNHRC, in 2012 and 2013, though fell far short of the Tamils' demand for truth and justice, rekindled some faith among the Tamil people that the international community would eventually deliver them justice but the draft resolution tabled yesterday completely shattered that hope.

"The draft text released yesterday is a painful slap in the face of all those victims who still await justice and a kick in the back for the weary Tamils of North and East Sri Lanka, who are trying to get on with their everyday lives in the face of escalating colonisation and militarisation of their lands," the group said.

The BTF said the UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his government have given them strong reassurances that they will ensure an international independent investigation takes place in Sri Lanka.

Also, the UN High Commissioner, President of the International Crisis Group, Ms Louise Arbour, several NGOs and the Christian churches in the North and East of Sri Lanka have called for an immediate independent international investigation.

The group slammed the resolution saying that undoubtedly such a "meaningless" resolution would undermine the Tamil people's belief that engagement with the international community can serve any purpose in their decades-long struggle for peace, freedom and rights on Sri Lanka.

The British Tamils Forumurged the UK government to heed the repeated requests of the Human Rights High Commissioner and to honor UK Prime Minister's promise to the British Tamil community by ensuring that a robust and independent international investigation mechanism is announced in the resolution text ahead of voting on 26 March 2014.

The BTF is reportedly a leading Tamil separatist organization which had links to the internationally designated Tamil Tiger terrorist group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).