The All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT) in collaboration with the British Tamils Forum (BTF) held an exhibition on 31st January 2012, at the UK Parliament building. The exhibition highlighted the current situation of the Tamils in Sri Lanka; and why, the Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report recently published by the Sri Lankan Government will not deliver justice to the Tamil civilians for the crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces during the final stages of the war in 2009.
The event in portcullis house was well attended by MPs from all the major parties, Members of European parliament, Peers from the House of Lords and diplomats from various foreign missions in London and journalists.
Photos, books, publications, documentaries and videos were on display. There were also key eyewitnesses to the bloody war in Sri Lanka present at the event. Over one hundred invited honourable guests attended the event and were given information pack containing reports, documents and photographs. A printed version of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) response to the LLRC was also given to the visitors.
This BTF coordinated effort was used as a launching pad for the March 2012 UN Human Rights Council session to push for political will in the UK and also coincides with the so-called Independence Day remembrance of Sri Lanka.
The exhibition is part of the project ENLIGHTEN, which was started in Nov 2007 and continues to publish informative materials.
British Tamils Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Holland Tamil Forum (HTF), UK Tamils Youth Organisation (TYO UK) and Tamil Information Centre (TIC) helped in research and fact compilation for this exhibition. Read More
All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils has released a press statement after the successfull exhibition and situvation update event in the parliament. Full text attached.
The All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT) in collaboration with the British Tamils Forum (BTF) hosted an exhibition and situation update event in Westminster on 31 January 2012. The event was held to inform UK Parliamentarians, members of the House of Lords and diplomats from various countries about atrocities that were committed during the war and on the current situation in Sri Lanka.
Several photos, books, publications, documentaries and videos were on display. There were also key eyewitnesses to the bloody war in Sri Lanka present at the event. Over 100 people attended the event and were given packs of information on leaving.
The UN expert panel called for an international mechanism to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sri Lanka.
The much-awaited Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report was released recently by the government of Sri Lanka. The LLRC commission has neither investigated nor dealt with the war crimes charges nor the charges of crimes against humanity.
The whereabouts of the children less than 5 years old who survived the war is still unknown and no information has been provided to date about those who were arrested with alleged connection to the LTTE.
Some of the photographic exhibits in the exhibition provide evidence that some of these people have been killed after being taken into custody.
All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils has released a statement on LLRC and highlighted the fact that the Sri Lankan Government has deflected calls for an international independent investigation. Also noted that the war report (LLRC) failed to address issue relating to International humanitarian laws or accountability.
Full text of the Statement:
The long awaited report from Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was finally made public on Friday 16 December.
The Government of Sri Lanka has long deflected calls for an international independent investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity stating that the LLRC would fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian laws (IHL) to address accountability. .
Although the report appears to offer a more realistic view of the post-war situation and provide some positive recommendations to address the current human rights concerns in Sri Lanka, the LLRC’s conclusions on the prosecution of the conflict contradict many of the findings of the United Nations Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka. Read More
Mullivaikal, Mullaithevu war zone on the final days
Immediate international action is what necessary to protect Tamils in the Island of Sri Lanka and to establish Justice and Accountability for the War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity committed by all parties involved during the final phase of the war, British Tamils Forum has released its position after a careful consideration and detail study of the report submitted to the Sri Lankan Parliament by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission on Friday 16th December 2011.
Full text of the Press release:
Much awaited Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report was released recently by the government of Sri Lanka appointed commission. As expected the commission has neither investigated nor dealt with the war crimes charges or the charges of crimes against humanity. Instead of addressing the accountability issues as promised to and requested by the UN secretary general, it has attempted to exonerate the Sri Lankan military from all charges even without carrying out an investigation. The report has focused on discrediting the evidence based findings of the UN panel of experts report on Sri Lanka instead of using the evidence to further an impartial investigation.
As highlighted by the Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty international, from its inception, the LLRC lacked the mandate, structure, independence and resources to investigate the serious charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. There was no witness protection scheme in place as required by the international standards of investigation. To the contrary, several witnesses were threatened and intimidated by the Sri Lankan security apparatus. Read More
A special undercover investigation by Bureau of Investigative Journalism exposed Bell Pottinger a leading Public Relations firm in the UK employed by the Sri Lankan state to cover-up it crimes against humanity.
Bell Pottinger executives caught on camera boasting of employing ‘dark arts’ to burnish reputations of countries accused of human rights violations, and were accused of “reputation laundering” using contacts in high levels of the British Government.
The Independent newspaper reporting on the investigation also revealed that Bell Pottinger wrote the UN’s speech for Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse, and quoted a senior executive saying that “[the speech] went a long way taking the country [accused of rights violations] where it needed to go.”
I join the thousands of British Tamils who are remembering the death of their loved ones today. Today, 27th of November, is an important day in the British Tamil calendar.
Remembrance events are taking place in various venues in London. I am very mindful of the long wait of the Tamil community’s quest for justice – they cannot wait any longer. In the summer this year, our Foreign Minister said that all options remain open for the international community if the Government of Sri Lanka fails to address the accountability issues, cited in the UN special panel report, in a credible manner and in line with internationally acceptable standards… In the coming weeks I will be working with Labour and Liberal Democrat colleagues in Parliament to ensure our Government act on our Foreign Minister’s words. Justice will prevail and everybody will be able to live freely in peace and harmony. My thoughts and prayers today are with all Tamils who are mourning the death of their loved ones. I will not rest until justice is done and the perpetrators of war crimes in Sri Lanka are held accountable for their actions.
Freedom from Torture and Human Rights Watch screened channel 4′s Killing fields of Sri Lanka at Conservative Party Conference. Freedom from Torture’s Keith Best and Human Rights Watch’s David Mepham were this time joined on the panel by Callum Macrae, director of Channel 4’s acclaimed documentary Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields – a man who, in the course of making the programme, has watched hour after hour after hour of mobile phone footage documenting torture and executions in Sri Lanka – and Conservative MP for Gloucester, Richard Graham. Graham is one of the 2010 parliamentary intake but enjoyed a long diplomatic career before he ventured into parliamentary politics, giving him a valuable perspective on UK foreign policy.
Briefing document by Freedom from Torture – Torture in Sri Lanka ‘after the killing fields’
Freedom from Torture, formerly the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, is a UK-based human rights organisation and one of the world’s largest torture treatment centres. Since our foundation 25 years ago, more than 50,000 people have been referred to us for rehabilitation and other forms of care and practical assistance. Freedom from Torture has centres in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, and Glasgow. Freedom from Torture evidence of ongoing torture in Sri Lanka
Freedom from Torture received 199 referrals for clinical services for Sri Lankans in 2010. Half of these were for medico-legal reports (MLRs). The rate of referrals for Sri Lankans in 2011 is similar. We are in the process of reviewing MLRs prepared for Sri Lankan clients who were tortured after the cessation of the civil war in May 2009 with a view to providing evidence to the UN Committee Against Torture for its forthcoming examination of Sri Lanka in November (Sri Lanka acceded to UN Convention Against Torture in 1994). Read More
Labour Party calls for an international commission of inquiry into war crimes allegations in Sri Lanka. Rt. Hon Douglas Alexander MP, the British Shadow Foreign Secretary, has given the Labour Party’s full support for the establishment of an international commission to investigate the “acts of unconscionable violence” perpetrated in the final months of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict in 2009.
Speaking to a packed Tamils for Labour fringe event at the Labour Party Conference on Wednesday 28th September, Mr Alexander stated that an investigation held under international auspices was essential given that there are “profound concerns” regarding the independence, accountability and witness protection capacity of Sri Lanka’s domestic inquiry, the ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’. “I feel it is right, and after discussions with my shadow frontbench team, to say we are not convinced that this Commission can do its work even with international participation and there does need to be an international commission that looks into the evidence.” Read More
Lee Scott MP Ilford North Chair All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils, Robert Halfon MP Harlow, member of APPG for Tamils and APPG Genocide and colleagues from the British Tamils Forums Human Rights Team went to the recent 18th UN Human Rights Session in Geneva. Whilst there they met up with delegates from more than 20 countries and discussed the desire for the recent UN report to be investigated.
Lee Scott MP said “We have had a very fruitful visit here. Our meetings have left us feeling optimistic that the report will be investigated. We will return to future sessions to meet up with other delegates and continue discussions.”
In a Tamil National Alliance press release, the Parliamentary Leader R Sampanthan has accused the Government Minister Maninda Samarasinghe of deformation on his 12th September address to the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.
The statement further stated much particular exception to his claim that the government’s approach to reconciliation has been predicated on building trust and amity between communities. The experience of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka does not support this claim.
Full press release by the Tamil National Alliance:
TNA Statement
The TNA is surprised to learn of the contents of the September 12 address to the UN Human Rights Council by Hon. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, Head of the Sri Lanka Delegation. We take particular exception to his claim that the government’s approach to reconciliation has been predicated on building trust and amity between communities. The experience of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka does not support this claim.
The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission [LLRC] of the government was appointed in May 2010. This flawed Commission with a limited mandate made very modest interim recommendations to the government, which included the following:
Publish a list of names of those in detention.
Expedite prosecution or discharge of detainees.
Issue a clear statement of policy by the government that private lands would not be utilized for settlements by any government agency.
Disarm illegal armed groups in the North and East.
Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe claimed that measures have been taken to implement these recommendations ‘without delay’. Significantly, this claim comes exactly one year since the interim recommendations were made on 13 September 2010. Yet, not one of the above recommendations has been implemented, in whole or in part. The government, however, has been engaged in a constant flow of misinformation to the international community; for example, the Minister for Read More
