Australian newspaper The Age published an editorial today calling upon the Australian government to take meaningful action towards bringing about an international investigation on Sri Lanka, stating that the international community has a duty to act on the reports of war crimes.

Published the day after a report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), which stated genocidal acts may have occurred, the editorial slammed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s “petulant and dangerously insular response” to reports of human rights violations and Australia's "shameful and obsequious brand of appeasement” of Sri Lanka. It went on to note that "Australia risks being marginalised" if it fails to act towards bringing about justice.

Extracts from the article have been reproduced below. See the full piece here.

"When war crimes are committed but not punished because a ruling government ignores or, in the case of Sri Lanka, flatly denies that they occurred, the duty falls to the international community to act. We must not fail to do so even when we fear it may jeopardise bilateral relationships. We have an abiding moral duty to do all we can to ensure justice is done."

"What is particularly concerning, though, is evidence that torture, enforced disappearances, rape and sexual violence have continued since 2009 under the government of President Mahindra Rajapaksa. The PIAC suggests the Rajapaksa government has fostered a ''culture of impunity'' that allows violations of human rights to continue. Is it any wonder that so many Sri Lankans have sought asylum here in recent years?"

"President Rajapaksa says he takes ''grave offence'' at war crimes allegations, which he claims are perpetrated by ''separatists and losers'' wanting to destabilise Sri Lanka. Mr Rajapaksa says they are ''not founded on peace, fair play or justice'', and he has no interest in revisiting events of the past 30 years. ''Bitter memories should be written on sand as they get wiped away,'' he says."

"That is a petulant and dangerously insular response to credible evidence of serious, widespread abuses. It is certainly not the attitude Australia should even appear to embrace. Yet, a year ago, then foreign minister Bob Carr argued that it was better to foster dialogue with a nation rather than isolate it because of its human rights record. And in November, when Tony Abbott, as a newly elected Prime Minister, attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, he said that while the Australian government ''deplores the use of torture, we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen''."

"This is a particularly shameful and obsequious brand of appeasement by Australia. It wrongly elevates the politics of the bilateral relationship over concerns about human rights abuses and the undermining of the rule of law. The US, Britain and Canada are just a few of the nations that have condemned the Rajapaksa government for failing to do anything."

"Australia risks being marginalised. When states refuse to enforce the rule of law, or turn a blind eye, they become complicit in the breach. If we stand by and say nothing, then at the very least we appear to sanction appalling crimes. We hope the Abbott government might champion an international investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka but, sadly, we do not expect that will happen."