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SL will fudge HR issues due to weak political will: UK Forum
Participants at a London seminar on ‘Sri Lanka and the challenges facing it’, claimed that the President Maithripala Sirisena government lacked the political will to implement some of the worthwhile and progressive recommendations to emerge from Commissions inquiring into Human Rights (HR) issues arising from the ethnic conflict.
It was also claimed that, though the new government co-sponsored the US initiated Resolution passed by the UNHR Council last September, the government was likely to make only symbolic gestures to be seen to be meeting its obligations to satisfy the Council.
Some pointed out that President Sirisena’s rejection of the participation of foreign judges and prosecutors in the judicial mechanism to be established to inquire into possible HR abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, was an indication that its commitments under the UNHRC Resolution would not be fulfilled.
The seminar was held last week at the London University’s prestigious School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) on the subject “New Government, Persistent Challenges in Sri Lanka.”
Among the main speakers was M.C.M. Iqbal, a former secretary to four presidential Commissions in Sri Lanka, who spoke on the theme of enforced disappearances of persons, the legacy inherited by the new government and the ongoing challenges.
Other speakers included Ingrid Massage, a former Sri Lanka researcher for Amnesty International and Fred Carver, Campaign Director, Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice.
The discussant was Chandra Lekha Sriram, Prof. International Law & International Relations, Director, Centre of HR in Conflict, University of East London.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Lutz Oette of the Centre of HR Law of SOAS.
Most speakers from the platform and from the audience were negative about Sri Lanka’s genuineness in the reconciliation process, and the people of the north and east had no faith in the government’s commitment to improve HR.
However, Amal Abeyawardene struck a very different note, pointing out there had been very positive steps taken in the last 16 months with regard to dealing with HR issues. He pointed to the recently released 2015 annual statement of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which refers favourably on Sri Lanka, indicating the government was taking definitive steps to address issues of the past.