Article published on the 2009-10-23 Latest update 2009-10-23 14:12 TU
The inquiry call came after the publication of a report by the US State Department which claims to have “credible” claims of atrocities committed by both the military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Talil Eelam (LTTE).
“Ultimately, as appropriate [they should] bring to justice those who are found guilty,” said Ian Kelly, a State Department spokesperson.
The Sri Lankan government immediately dismissed the report. A statement from the Foreign Ministry said that, “allegations against Sri Lanka […] appear unsubstantiated and devoid of corroborative evidence”.
“The document relates to a period when the Security Forces of Sri Lanka were engaged in a humanitarian mission,” said the statement, “to free the members of the Tamil community and the members of other communities living in those areas, from the clutches of the terror of the LTTE."
Although the US report states that Sri Lanka has an, “inherent right to defend itself from armed attacks, including those by non-state actors such as terrorist groups”, it details a number of different incidents, including attacks on civilians in the No Fire Zone, attacks on surrendered combatants, the disappearance of Tamil civilians and poor humanitarian conditions.
It claims the LTTE recruited child soldiers as young as 12 and used civilians fleeing conflct as human shields.
It says the contents of the investigation was compiled using both primary and secondary sources, including experts from the State Department, foreign governments, international organisations, media reports, non-governmental organisations and eyewitnesses.
Meanwhile, rights organisations believe this should encourage the government to hold a full inquiry.
“Anybody who reads the report would come away with the impression that war crimes were committed,” Brad Adams, from Human Rights Watch, told RFI. “I think individual responsibility would not be hard to assign if there was serious judicial inquiry.
"They didn’t call for any specific action which is very unlike the US," said HRW's Asia director. "I think that’s because the US doesn’t want to pay for any international justice mechanisms.
“The Sri Lankan government’s reaction suggests that they care deeply about this. The US is not the biggest donor, but Sri Lankans know that to have a successful foreign policy they need to keep the US on side.
"I think this can be used as leverage on other issues, for example the detention camps where 200,000 people are still held. There can be a connection between the US pressure on this and the Sri Lankan government’s willingness to release people from the detention camps, because the Sri Lankan government have to feel more and more isolated as reports like this come out," said Adams.
2009-09-10 15:42 TU
2009-09-07 14:25 TU
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