A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Sri Lankan Government Fails on Promises – Oakland Institute
The following press communique issued by the Oakland Institute
(March 21, 2017, Boston, Sri Lanka Guardian) As
the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meets to discuss
transitional justice and human rights in post-war Sri Lanka, a new
report from the Oakland Institute, Justice Denied, exposes the many
issues that continue to plague land release and resettlement in the
country, and the failure of the Sri Lankan government to fulfill its
international commitments to transitional justice. The Sri Lankan
military continues to occupy large quantities of land; land released by
the government is often of poor quality, hindering the ability of many
to rebuild their livelihoods; there is a vast and unmet need for housing
and infrastructure for those displaced during the civil war; and
ever-changing timelines for resettlement have bred mistrust in the
government.
Although the war ended in 2009, the country’s military budget has more
than doubled since then, raising serious doubt about the government’s
intent to demilitarize the North and East. “It has been nearly eight
years since the end of the civil war, but tens of thousands remain
displaced in the country and there are still over 100,000 Tamil refugees
in India,” commented Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland
Institute.
“In these conditions, it is appalling that the military continues to
occupy land for army camps and to run business ventures and luxury
tourist resorts in the North and East.” Justice Denied also examines the
actions of the Sri Lankan government over the past 16 months to fulfill
its commitments to transitional justice made under UNHRC Resolution
30/1.
The Resolution was an attempt to initiate a process that would bring
justice for war crimes – including numerous alleged cases of rape,
torture, kidnapping, and the mass killing of civilians, prisoners, and
relief workers – that have gone unpunished and unaddressed by the
justice system. It also addressed the issue of the tens of thousands of
civilians who remain unaccounted for or missing years after the end of
the war. “This examination paints a dismal picture of justice denied and
highlights the culture of impunity in the country. The government has
back-tracked on its promise to include international legal experts in a
war crimes court, and even threatened with legal action anyone alleging
war crimes by the military. Meanwhile, the Prevention of Terrorism Act
is still in force,” continued Mittal. “This is not progress towards
transitional justice. The attitude of the Sirisena administration makes a
mockery of its international commitments. It is imperative that the
international community hold the Sri Lankan government accountable to
ensure that justice is delivered.”
Justice Denied is the Oakland Institute’s fourth report examining land issues and human rights abuses in post-war Sri Lanka.
Full report reproduced below;
justice-denied_oakland_report.pdf by Thavam Ratna on Scribd