Britain will be pressing Sri Lanka’s hardline government for greater access for senior UN officials and would join European allies in taking a stronger position against Colombo over human rights abuses.
In a meeting with Tamil Diaspora representatives at the British Foreign Office on February 25, Foreign Minister Lord Malloch-Brown said he would personally be attending the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva to press the point.
At the UN a few days later Lord Malloch-Brown strongly criticized the Colombo regime, saying “international concern had not made an impact [on it]”.
Saying Britain accepted Sri Lanka “facing considerable terrorist threat”, the minister told the UNHRC: “The international community condemned terrorism, but countering terrorism required respect for human rights.”
In response, Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe slammed Britain’s criticism, saying “it was difficult for some countries to let go of their colonial possessions.”
“Sri Lanka was proud of its records for combating terrorism, while minimizing harm to civilians,” Mr. Samarasinghe said, adding his country did not need to be told that countering terrorism required full respect for human rights.
“Sri Lanka was strengthening democracy and pluralism in a manner that had proved difficult in the past,” he asserted.
Speaking at a meeting with expatriate Tamils at the British Foreign Office on Feb 25, Lord Malloch-Brown said the government of President Rajapakse had “made political process secondary to military process.”
The British Tamil Forum (BTF), a Diaspora advocacy group which attended the meeting, quoted Lord Malloch-Brown as saying that there are two key issues with regards to Sri Lanka’s conduct: prosecution of war and failure to enter into serious negotiation, and human rights issues.
“I have told the [Sri Lankan] President, Foreign Minister and visiting delegation that we do not find the political process credible or serious. We feel that we really sought to push for a political negotiation as a way forward. There is no military solution to this problem,” Lord Malloch-Brown said.
“We are going to go on pushing hard to put the political negotiation back on track,” he said adding this will not be done from a bilateral position but by working closely with Europe, UN and the Commonwealth.
The UK will be demanding and pressing hard for wider access by Sir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, he said.
The UK will also demand that all recommendations made by Louise Arbour, Head of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Ms. Coomarasamy be implemented in full.
The purpose of the meeting called on Monday by the FCO was to engage with the Tamil Diaspora and understand their perspective to the conflict in Sri Lanka, the BTF statement said.
It was attended by Parliamentarians from Britain’s three major parties and members from the House of Lords heard views were made by different Diaspora representatives.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Gajan Ponnambalam was also present and spoke as part of the Tamil community.
Britain will support political solution with major devolution of power to the Tamil areas, Lord Malloch-Brown said, adding that Britain could not support independence for Tamils.
The BTF argued that UK and the rest of the international community “must explicitly make their support for Sri Lanka unity and territorial integrity conditional on the Tamil people collectively being satisfied with the state’s sharing of power and its governance.”
“Tamils safety and political future can only be guaranteed if the Sri Lankan state is restrained by international law,” the BTF told the meeting, adding that the international community must, on this basis, support the Tamils’ claim for independence, just as it had supported the Kosovars’.
“At independence in 1948 Sri Lankan State was entrusted with all minorities’ rights,” BTF spoksman Suren Surendiran told the meeting. “They have abused the trust against Tamils, human rights, free speech, pluralism and denounce the demand for statehood.”
He pointed out that in the 1977 elections, long before the armed conflict began, the overwhelming majority of Tamils voted for an Independent State as the only way to escape state repression.
TNA MP Ponnambalam noted that “even though I am an elected member of parliament I cannot espouse the wishes of the vast majority [of the Tamil] due to the 6th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution [which outlaws advocacy of independence].”
Mr. Ponnambalam reiterated the position adopted by the TNA when it met Lord Malloch-Brown last summer, arguing that UK should make its development assistance conditional on human rights, progress in the political negotiations and implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
The UK should seriously consider trade and travel bans on Sri Lanka and the international community must take up the position that if the right to internal self determination of the Tamil people is denied any further, the right to external self determination of the Tamil people will have to be inevitably recognised, he said.
Whilst Lord Naseby, an advocate of the Sri Lankan government’s stance had denounced the BTF and its views, sources at the meeting said. However the organisation had been praised by Parliamentarians and the Foreign Minister had also welcomed their engagement with the British government.
“It is extremely important and absolutely correct for you as British citizens to organise and demand sympathy and support for your objectives from your local MPs. This is how the British democracy works,” Lord Malloch-Brown was quoted as telling the meeting.
“I wish the Sri Lankan democracy also worked that way. I want to register that point.”
Noting that “the British Tamils Forum has been labeled ‘terrorists’ and there had been some smear campaigns,” he observed: “I can draw parallel to my own experience. I have lived in the US for 21years. My wife is Irish American. We have been in the same position as you are. How do we support the change that we want in Northern Ireland while making sure that one doesn’t actually support violent acts against the British or the British Army?”
“There is always a case for freedom struggle and self determination,” the British Foreign Minister said.
In a meeting with Tamil Diaspora representatives at the British Foreign Office on February 25, Foreign Minister Lord Malloch-Brown said he would personally be attending the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva to press the point.
At the UN a few days later Lord Malloch-Brown strongly criticized the Colombo regime, saying “international concern had not made an impact [on it]”.
Saying Britain accepted Sri Lanka “facing considerable terrorist threat”, the minister told the UNHRC: “The international community condemned terrorism, but countering terrorism required respect for human rights.”
In response, Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe slammed Britain’s criticism, saying “it was difficult for some countries to let go of their colonial possessions.”
“Sri Lanka was proud of its records for combating terrorism, while minimizing harm to civilians,” Mr. Samarasinghe said, adding his country did not need to be told that countering terrorism required full respect for human rights.
“Sri Lanka was strengthening democracy and pluralism in a manner that had proved difficult in the past,” he asserted.
Speaking at a meeting with expatriate Tamils at the British Foreign Office on Feb 25, Lord Malloch-Brown said the government of President Rajapakse had “made political process secondary to military process.”
The British Tamil Forum (BTF), a Diaspora advocacy group which attended the meeting, quoted Lord Malloch-Brown as saying that there are two key issues with regards to Sri Lanka’s conduct: prosecution of war and failure to enter into serious negotiation, and human rights issues.
“I have told the [Sri Lankan] President, Foreign Minister and visiting delegation that we do not find the political process credible or serious. We feel that we really sought to push for a political negotiation as a way forward. There is no military solution to this problem,” Lord Malloch-Brown said.
“We are going to go on pushing hard to put the political negotiation back on track,” he said adding this will not be done from a bilateral position but by working closely with Europe, UN and the Commonwealth.
The UK will be demanding and pressing hard for wider access by Sir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, he said.
The UK will also demand that all recommendations made by Louise Arbour, Head of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Ms. Coomarasamy be implemented in full.
The purpose of the meeting called on Monday by the FCO was to engage with the Tamil Diaspora and understand their perspective to the conflict in Sri Lanka, the BTF statement said.
It was attended by Parliamentarians from Britain’s three major parties and members from the House of Lords heard views were made by different Diaspora representatives.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Gajan Ponnambalam was also present and spoke as part of the Tamil community.
Britain will support political solution with major devolution of power to the Tamil areas, Lord Malloch-Brown said, adding that Britain could not support independence for Tamils.
The BTF argued that UK and the rest of the international community “must explicitly make their support for Sri Lanka unity and territorial integrity conditional on the Tamil people collectively being satisfied with the state’s sharing of power and its governance.”
“Tamils safety and political future can only be guaranteed if the Sri Lankan state is restrained by international law,” the BTF told the meeting, adding that the international community must, on this basis, support the Tamils’ claim for independence, just as it had supported the Kosovars’.
“At independence in 1948 Sri Lankan State was entrusted with all minorities’ rights,” BTF spoksman Suren Surendiran told the meeting. “They have abused the trust against Tamils, human rights, free speech, pluralism and denounce the demand for statehood.”
He pointed out that in the 1977 elections, long before the armed conflict began, the overwhelming majority of Tamils voted for an Independent State as the only way to escape state repression.
TNA MP Ponnambalam noted that “even though I am an elected member of parliament I cannot espouse the wishes of the vast majority [of the Tamil] due to the 6th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution [which outlaws advocacy of independence].”
Mr. Ponnambalam reiterated the position adopted by the TNA when it met Lord Malloch-Brown last summer, arguing that UK should make its development assistance conditional on human rights, progress in the political negotiations and implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
The UK should seriously consider trade and travel bans on Sri Lanka and the international community must take up the position that if the right to internal self determination of the Tamil people is denied any further, the right to external self determination of the Tamil people will have to be inevitably recognised, he said.
Whilst Lord Naseby, an advocate of the Sri Lankan government’s stance had denounced the BTF and its views, sources at the meeting said. However the organisation had been praised by Parliamentarians and the Foreign Minister had also welcomed their engagement with the British government.
“It is extremely important and absolutely correct for you as British citizens to organise and demand sympathy and support for your objectives from your local MPs. This is how the British democracy works,” Lord Malloch-Brown was quoted as telling the meeting.
“I wish the Sri Lankan democracy also worked that way. I want to register that point.”
Noting that “the British Tamils Forum has been labeled ‘terrorists’ and there had been some smear campaigns,” he observed: “I can draw parallel to my own experience. I have lived in the US for 21years. My wife is Irish American. We have been in the same position as you are. How do we support the change that we want in Northern Ireland while making sure that one doesn’t actually support violent acts against the British or the British Army?”
“There is always a case for freedom struggle and self determination,” the British Foreign Minister said.
