Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has come under criticism for his defence of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his governments' close relationship with the Sri Lankan regime.
Mr Abbott wrote in an essay this week how he was “sure that the Sri Lankan president was pleased that Australia didn’t join the human rights lobby against the tough but probably unavoidable actions taken to end one of the world’s most vicious civil wars”.
The remarks triggered a spate of criticism, reports Guardian Australia.
Australian Tamil Congress national spokesperson Sam Pari said “it is disappointing that rather than upholding human rights, Abbott chose instead to please the Sri Lankan president who failed to protect and promote international human rights law and international humanitarian law”.
Human Rights Watch Australia director, Elaine Pearson, said his comments were “a slap in the face to the tens of thousands of victims of wartime atrocities and their families”.
“The UN has described the final stages of the war as a bloodbath – tens of thousands of people were slaughtered in indiscriminate shelling. To suggest that war crimes are ‘tough but probably unavoidable’ is giving a green light to abusive leaders and armies everywhere,” she added.
Labor also voiced its concerns, with foreign affairs spokesperson Tanya Plibersek, saying “I think it would be a good thing for the foreign affairs minister to have a few words to Abbott about some of these comments”.
Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop already contradicted Mr Abbott's remarks, telling Guardian Australia that the government had “consistently raised human rights issues with the former Sri Lankan government”.
“One of the reasons Australia is so well regarded internationally over the course of our history is because we are a responsible international citizen and part of that means standing up against human rights abuses, whenever they happen,” continued Ms Plibserk. “That’s not lecturing our neighbours, that’s just being a good international citizen that says that we value democracy and we value human rights and we value them not just for Australians but for all people.”
The Tamil Refugee Council convenor Trevor Grant also told Guardian Australia that Mr Abbott's comments were “predictable but despicable”. “For Abbott to say that sort of thing flies in the face of all known facts, put out there not just by Tamil groups but also by independent investigators of the UN,” he added.
See our earlier posts:
Former Australian PM defends relationship with Rajapaksa (28 Mar 2016)
Also see:
Australian PM refuses to rule out paying people smugglers to turn back boats (12 June 2015)
Tamil asylum seekers stranded in Australian waters, Abbott deflects questions (27 June 2014)
‘Appeasement is no answer to war crimes’ – The Age editorial (06 Feb 2014)
‘Abbott falters on crucial leadership test’ – The Age (20 nov 2013)
Abbott's stance on Sri Lanka's human rights is craven and irresponsible (17 Nov 2013)
'Australia's silence on Sri Lanka's rights abuses is craven.’ (13 Nov 2013)
Australia looking the other way on Sri Lanka's abuses - HRW (13 Nov 2013)