SA SOLIDARITY GROUP BOYCOTTS SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT DELEGATION OVER OPPRESSION OF TAMILS

SOUTH AFRICAN SOLDIARITY GROUPS CALLS FOR JUSTICE FOR TAMILS IN SRI LANKA

By Subry Govender

The South African Solidarity Group for Peace and Justoce in Sri Lanka(SGPJ) has refused to hold discussions with a Sri Lankan Government delegation that visited the country this week. The SGPJ, which was established by the late Minister Roy Padaychie to promote in South Africa the rights of Eelam Tamils, turned down an invitation by the Sri Lankan High Commission to meet the Sri Lankan Government delegation. The delegation was headed by Mr Nimal Siripala de Silva, leader of the Sri Lankan Parliament and Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, visited the country on February 20 and 21 to mainly discuss the issue of setting up a South African-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) in an apparent attempt to reconcile the majority Singalese and minority Tamil communities.

President Jacob Zuma made this offer to Sri Lanka during the Commonwealth Conference in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, late last year after Britain and Canada called for the establishment of an independent and international investigation into the violation of human rights in the island country during the last stages of the civil war in 2009. During his state of the nation address just over a week ago, Zuma announced that the ANC deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, would help Sri Lanka and South Sudan.

Mr Solly Pillay, PRO OF SGPJ "We believe that the establishment of a TRC in Sri Lanka will not help because the situation in Sri Lanka today is totally different to the situation that prevailed in South Africa," said Mr Solly Pillay, PRO of the SGPJ. "The proposed TRC has been rejected outright by Tamil diaspora organisations throughout the world because we don't have any faith in the Sri Lankan Government. Between 70 000 and 100 000 Tamils were slaughtered during the last days of the civil war in that country in 2009 and there are allegations that the Sri Lankan armed forces are still continuing with human rights abuses of the Tamil people in their homeland in the North and East of Sri Lanka. "We support the establishment of an international and indepenent commission under the auspices of the United Nations so that those responsible for the genocide could be brought to justice by the International Court of Justice. "The visit by the Sri Lankan delegation is just an attempt to white-wash the alleged genocide that has taken place against the Tamil people," said Mr Pillay.

Massacres committed allegedly by Sri Lankan forces The allegations of the genocide against the Tamils and the continuing violations of their human rights will be the main issue during the next session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva early next month. The United States will support Britain, Canada and other countries in calling for strong action against the perpetrators of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Ms Navi Pillay, UN Human Rights High Commissioner The UN HR Council will discuss a damning 20-page report compiled by South African-born UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay. Ms Pillay and her team compiled the report after conducting a week-long in loco investigation in Sri Lanka last year. The report, which has already been submitted to the Sri Lankan Government, among other things, finds that gross human rights violations had taken place in the final stages of the war against the Tamil Tigers. She declared: "I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction." Ms Pillay makes a number of proposals to the Sri Lankan Government to investigate the truth and establish a peaceful society for all Sri Lankans.

The proposals include: (i) Finalise laws dealing with incitement to hatred, witness and victim protection, the right to information, the criminalization of enforced disappearances, in line with international standards, and revise existing laws to bring them into line with International Human Rights Law; (ii) Arrest, prosecute and punish alleged perpetrators of attacks on minority communities, media and human rights defenders, and ensure protection of victims; and (iii) Take further steps in demilitarization, and initiate a meaningful and transparent reduction of the military presence to peacetime levels, which would require a clear timeline for demobilisation, disarmament and disengagement from activities that are meant to be civilian. Mr Pillay said the South African Government had always supported the struggles of the oppressed Tamils in Sri Lanka and they hoped that it would express this support during the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva next month.

"What we would like to see is the Government supporting the establishment of an independent and international commission of inquiry into the alleged genocide of the Tamils and the continuing allegations of gross violations of human rights in the Tamil areas in the North and East of the island by Sri Lankan Government soldiers. "The Sri Lankan Government has been accused of colonising the Tamil areas by the deployment of their soldiers. "We cannot allow the continued oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka," he said. ends - sg/dbn