A Northern Tamil political leader has raised concerns with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the ‘arsenal’ used by the Sri Lankan state and its military to undermine Tamil nationalism in the post-war period.
“Even after the war, the Tamil homeland remains heavily militarized. Land acquisition, demographic changes, economic marginalization, and cultural erosion continue to be employed as the arsenal by the state and its military to demolish Tamil nationalism,” read a statement by Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Parliamentary Group Leader, Sivagnanam Sridharan.
The ITAK leader raised the issue in a letter addressed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visiting Sri Lanka. The letter was handed over during Volker Türk’s meeting with parliamentary party leaders. Even under the current administration, no meaningful action has been taken to halt or reverse these repressive measures, Sridharan noted.
“I would like to highlight that a series of resolutions, including Human Rights Council Resolutions 30/1 (2015) and 46/1 (2021), have been passed, yet they fall short of addressing the aspirations of the oppressed Tamil people and the gravity of the serious crimes committed against them,” the MP stated.
Leader of the House Bimal Ratnayake, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and representatives from several political parties in Parliament participated in the high-level discussion with the UN top official.
The visiting UN envoy was accompanied by Sri Lanka’s UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche, Asia-Pacific Regional Head of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rory Mungoven, and a delegation of UN representatives, according to a statement issued by the Communications Department of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
During the meeting, Member of Parliament Sivagnanam Sridharan submitted a letter to High Commissioner Türk, stressing that despite the Human Rights Council having passed several resolutions aimed at securing justice for war victims, no concrete action has been taken regarding the crimes committed against the Tamil people.
The MP also reminded the visiting United Nations envoy that the current government has obstructed the work of the OSLAP (OHCHR Sri Lanka Accountability Project), established in 2021 by the UN to collect evidence for the potential exercise of universal jurisdiction in relation to alleged war crimes and human rights violations in the country.
“At the same time, the Sri Lankan government continues to deny unhindered access to the OHCHR’s OSLAP project. It actively impedes international efforts to gather evidence of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” the MP added.
The Sri Lankan government, which has voiced strong opposition to the OSLAP initiative, maintains that the domestic judicial system is totally capable of taking appropriate steps to ensure accountability.
Meanwhile, the Tamil political representative has called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish an international justice mechanism specifically aimed at addressing the issue of the Tamil Genocide.
“I urge you to implement an international justice mechanism with the express goal of bringing the issue of the Tamil Genocide before the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, and the International Criminal Court,” the representative stated.
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Parliamentary Group Leader Shivagnanam Sridharan has urged United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to recognize that delays in delivering justice could further endanger the future of the Eelam Tamil people.
“Delaying the path to justice will only embolden the Sri Lankan government and the perpetrators of the Tamil genocide to escape accountability, while accelerating the destruction of the Eelam Tamils as a nation within their homeland. Your principled leadership must ensure that justice, truth, and accountability are not postponed,” Sridharan emphasized during their meeting.
According to a statement issued by the Communications Directorate of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Volker Türk, who is currently on a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka, also met with Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne at the Parliament premises on June 24.
Leave a comment