25 September 2007
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| Sri Lanka’s security forces enjoy a ‘climate of impunity’ human rights groups protest. Photo TamilNet |
The Sri Lankan government this week warned the European Union (EU) that any action against it at the United Nations Human Rights Council will adversely affect its ‘constructive engagement’ with the UN human rights mechanisms.
In note to the Resident Representative of the EU in Sri Lanka Dominick Chilcott, also the British Ambassador, on Thursday September 20, the Sri Lankan government said any action would be ‘counter productive’ and ‘negatively impact’ future engagement.
"Such action will go against the letter and spirit in which Sri Lanka has been cooperating with UN human rights mechanisms. This is also a counter productive measure as it would negatively impact on the government of Sri Lanka's position aimed at maintaining a constructive engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms,” read the memoir.
Earlier the European Union called for the setting up of a United Nations human rights monitoring group in Sri Lanka and proposed a resolution against the country in the Human Right Council in session now.
In addition to the EU number of human rights activists are calling for UN presence in Sri Lanka to stop abuses. Activists say UN could act as a neutral body to record and look into complaints of kidnappings, disappearances and other abuses in the civil war.
"The national mechanisms don't work," Sunila Abeysekera, executive director of the Sri Lankan rights group INFORM, told a Geneva news conference.
Criticizing the "culture of impunity" in Sri Lanka Abeysekera said it was impossible to report a human rights abuse to police or other authorities there without fearing for one's safety.
"We desperately need some outside mechanism that has the agreement of all parties," she said, adding that the government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would need to accept the office's presence for it to work well.
In the past the LTTE has welcomed the proposition of UN monitoring in the island to curb human rights violation.
Speaking the UNHCR session on September 20, Portugal which holds the EU presidency said Sri Lanka should invite UN human rights monitors to record and report on serious HR violations taking place in the country as a result of the fresh offensives between government troops and the LTTE.
Reacting to the Portugal’s call, Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Geneva Dayan Jayatillake stated that Sri Lanka was open to the idea of a field presence in the country in the form of a regional office but insisted Sri Lanka would not give in to outside pressure.
He further cited President Rajapaksa’s invitation earlier this year to Human Rights High Commissioner Louise Arbour to visit the country as a spirit of respect for human rights.
According to reports Bogollagama who met Ambassador Chilcott to handover the memoir outlined the steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to address human rights issues and asserted that there had been a positive improvement in the rights situation.
In an attempt to stave off any action against the island state, Bogollagama is reported to have offered to subject Sri Lanka to the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council.
The Sri Lankan letter protested that any action against Sri Lanka would be ‘abused by the LTTE for its own propaganda purposes’ and appealed to international agencies to avoid providing the terrorist organisation a lifeline at a time when it had come under pressure.
"In view of the above, it is the position of the Government of Sri Lanka that there is no rationale for the EU to initiate any action on Sri Lanka within the context of the HR Council, at this stage," said Bogollagama.
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