The Democratic representative for Illinois, Mr Danny Davis commemorated the Mullivaikkal remembrance day in the US congress on May 18, speaking on the Sri Lankan government's failure to win the peace, seven years after the end of the armed conflict.
Rep Davis said the "ambitious promises" made by the government need to be turned into concrete action, calling on the US to assist and support the processes, while keeping conditions on the military and other aid in place until there is real reform.
"The government of Sri Lanka has made commitments on transitional justice and accountability, a political settlement of the ethnic problem, security sector reform, the return of land, the release of Tamil political prisoners, actions to end human rights violations and other ambitious reforms. Unfortunately, not enough improvement has yet been seen by the Tamils, Christians and Muslims who feel marginalized and discriminated against. Courageous leadership is needed to gain trust if reconciliation is the goal, not just promises. Now is the time for real action."
See full address below:
Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the end of the war in Sri Lanka.
The Government of Sri Lanka won the war to keep the Sinhalese and Tamil communities within one country, but has not yet won the peace. A new president and a new government in 2015 have led to hopes that a different path will be trod towards a plural state in which all religions and ethnicities may live with dignity and security.
The leaders of the new government have made many ambitious promises to advance toward the goal of a stable and prosperous future for all. Now is the time to turn those promises into concrete action. The US, must assist and support in any way we can, but we must also keep incentives in place such as conditions on military and other aid until the government has accomplished real reform.
The government of Sri Lanka has made commitments on transitional justice and accountability, a political settlement of the ethnic problem, security sector reform, the return of land, the release of Tamil political prisoners, actions to end human rights violations and other ambitious reforms. Unfortunately, not enough improvement has yet been seen by the Tamils, Christians and Muslims who feel marginalized and discriminated against. Courageous leadership is needed to gain trust if reconciliation is the goal, not just promises. Now is the time for real action.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
