09 October 2007
The Sri Lankan government continued its efforts to deny the Liberation Tigers access to the international community last week by preventing two UN envoys from visiting LTTE –held areas and criticizing an Icelandic diplomat who entered LTTE-controlled territory without Colombo’s permission.
Sri Lanka said last Thursday that it would not allow the United Nation's human rights envoy to visit LTTE-held areas, while at the same time the government criticised the ceasefire monitors for meeting with the Liberation Tigers.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, visiting Sri Lanka this week to assess the island's deteriorating rights record, had requested permission to visit the Vanni during her visit.
The Liberation Tiger had also requested that she visit the Vanni to ascertain the living conditions of civilians there.
The Colombo government has imposed a blockade on food and medicine into the Vanni and has been conducting daily air and artillery bombardment of the region.
Ms Arbour made the request citing a desire to get a first hand assessment of the situation in the LTTE controlled areas and also to meet LTTE political head S. P. Tamilselvan, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
Her visit follows close on the heels of the UN's top torture investigator, Manfred Novak, who was in the country last week.
But Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said "neither Novak or Madam Louise Arbour can visit Kilinochchi," reported AFP.
The minister said the Tigers could use the visit for propaganda and that security was a concern.
"Visiting foreign dignitaries are free to travel to other parts of the country to get a first-hand idea of what's happening on the ground," Samarasinghe told reporters.
The decision to block access came after Sri Lanka avoided censure at the United Nations Human Rights Council last month.
The European Union, which was expected to move a motion, put off the decision to do so until after Ms Arbour’s visit, with the result that Sri Lanka’s human rights record was not criticised at the UN.
“The EU has decided to wait till the end of her visit next month and see the outcome before deciding on the next move,” an EU diplomat was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.
Sri Lanka was quick to publicise, and indeed claim credit for, the lack of criticism.
"Many delegations, including India, Japan, South Africa, Indonesia and Bangladesh, in their interventions to the Council were appreciative of the initiatives of Sri Lanka in the promotion and protection of human rights," a press release from the Sri Lankan mission at the UN Office in Geneva said.
"We shall discuss with High Commissioner Louise Arbour when she visits Sri Lanka about how national institutions can be strengthened with the cooperation of the High Commission,” the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UN, Dayan Jayatilleka, said during the UN sitting.
“Whether or not to establish a field presence, is a matter for Sri Lanka,” he added, deflecting calls for an international rights monitoring mission.
Meanwhile, the government Friday accused Nordic truce monitors of violating the terms of the 2002 ceasefire pact by helping a diplomat from Iceland meet the LTTE without its permission.
Iceland apologised last week for a meeting between Bjarni Vestmann, Minister Counsellor of the Foreign Ministry of Iceland, and Mr. Tamilselvan.
Sri Lanka said members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which is charged with overseeing the ceasefire agreement, had helped arrange the meeting.
"The (Sri Lankan foreign) minister strongly protested the action of Mr. Vestmann and requested his immediate recall," a ministry statement said.
"SLMM had misused ceasefire agreement and we are going to check SLMM vehicles at checkpoints if necessary," Defence spokesman minister Keheliya Rambukwella said, contradicting the diplomatic immunity of the SLMM.
Rambukwella described the visit of the Iceland diplomat to LTTE areas as a private visit taking refuge under the SLMM, adding it was very alarming as to how the monitors managed to make a passage for the diplomat under the cover of truce monitoring, the Daily Mirror reported.
“It is a violation of the country’s laws for a diplomat on a diplomatic passport to make such a visit without prior permission from the government or informing relevant authorities,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Days after Vestmann’s visit, other SLMM officials were blocked by the Sri Lanka Army from crossing the Oamanthai entry point.
The monitors turned back after being informed of new routines that involved going through a body check, inspection of vehicles and early enlistment of travellers.
Sri Lanka discourages visits by foreign officials into LTTE-controlled areas, saying it gives legitimacy to the Tigers whom it describes as "terrorists."
"What happens when we allow those visits, the LTTE begins to think that they are also a (separate) country... Our problem is when they (UN officials) go there, they (LTTE) take advantage," said Director General of the government's secretariat for coordinating the peace process, Rajiva Wijesinghe.
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