The draft UNHRC resolution was a "bit of diplomatic fudge" said the director of 'No Fire Zone: Sri Lanka's Killing Fields', Callum Macrae in an interview with Channel 4 news. Speaking on the news programme following the emergence of more video evidence of Sri Lankan soldiers committing sexual violence against Tamil female fighters, Mr. Macrae said, "An earlier draft [of the resolution] has leaked, which is a little bit of a diplomatic fudge really. It doesn't call for the setting up of an independent mechanism or commission as many people hoped."
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, slammed India's Central government for not addressing the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu fishermen. Highlighting Congress’ training of Sri Lankan military amidst allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, she said , “What did the Congress government to do on the Sri Lankan Tamils Issue? It gave military training and weapons to Lankan government. It was responsible for the killing of Tamils there.“
The draft UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka, tabled at the Council last Monday, was " deeply dismaying ", said the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) in a statement released yesterday. Criticising the resolution's failure to ensure a meaningful international inquiry, immediate relief from the on-going oppression faced by the Tamil people, and a meaningful political solution to the ethnic conflict, the TNPF called on fellow Tamils in the diaspora and on Tamils in Tamil Nadu, to work towards pushing for a stronger resolution.
The Sri Lankan British Union is holding a protest on Saturday condemning Britain's 'policy of assuring rights to terrorists' through its support for a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on accountability for mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, Colombopage reports. A poster for the event circulating in press, urges: "Come and show your support to Lanka Matha ... in a peaceful demonstration challenging the resolution against Sri Lanka." Another poster circulated via Facebook says: "Our Motherland Sri Lanka is facing a moment of crisis in Geneva. "We Srilankans living here in the United Kingdom...
Marking International Women's Day, Global Tamil Forum (GTF) called for an international inquiry, to provide justice and accountability for Tamil women for the widespread sexual violence faced during and after the final stages of the armed conflict, and the on-going " sustained assault " endured by them in the North-East. Pointing to the "militarisation of Tamil areas in Sri Lanka since the end of the war in 2009, by state security forces who are almost entirely ethnically Sinhalese" the GTF outlined the on-going sexually violence and insecurity faced by Tamil women at the hands of the Sri Lankan military. " A culture of impunity exists and many women are afraid to report cases of intimidation and ill-treatment to the authorities." The GTF celebrated the "courage and resolve" of women in the North-East who are acting as agents of change, highlighting the work done by Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthi Sasitharan and the Women's Action Network (WAN) in the North-East.
Marking International Women's Day, the Sinhala women's group - Lakmawa Diyaniyo - held a protest outside the US Embassy in Colombo, demonstrating against the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay and the resolution tabled on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week.
The Sri Lankan permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, speaking at an informal discussion event on the draft resolution on reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, rejected the draft resolution tabled against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), alleging ‘sinister motives’ behind the ‘unjustified’ resolution. Aryasinha further described the resolution as an intrusive politicised 'obsession', based on “ sinister motives in relentlessly targeting Sri Lanka, mainly to appease pro-LTTE Tamil constituencies, for collateral electoral political gain .”
OHCHR led inquiry inadequate, CoI needed as step towards criminal prosecutions - Tamil civil society
Criticising the current draft UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka, K. Guruparan, of the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF), a network of Tamil civil society activists in the North-East, said stressed that " if there is to be a proper international investigation, it must involve criminal prosecutions " and a " Commission of Inquiry is needed as an important part of the process " towards that. Speaking to journalists at the Jaffna Press Club (JPC) the day after the draft resolution was released this week, Mr. Guruparan said, " there is a difference between the UN Human Rights Council being asked to undertake a report [following an inquiry] and Navi Pillay's office being asked to undertake it, " and added that the Government would simply reject any OHCHR report, whilst one mandated by the UNHRC would carry the sway needed to lead to a criminal investigation.
India’s National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said that Sri Lanka had expressed concern about Mauritius co-sponsoring the UNHRC resolution. “ Sri Lanka expressed concern that Mauritius had co-sponsored the resolution ” Menon told media in New Delhi, speaking after the third Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation, between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Mauritius is set to join the maritime security group, prompting Sri Lanka to say that trust needed to be built between neighbours.
The British government has urged Sri Lanka to sign the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Daily Mirror reported on Friday. The UK High Commissioner in Colombo John Rankin said in a statement to mark International Women’s Day tomorrow, that Britain “strongly encouraged” Sri Lanka to sign the declaration. “We strongly encourage the Sri Lankan government to sign the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and join our international campaign, which is making encouraging progress worldwide,” he said.