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
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Thursday, April 19, 2018
Photograph: Yardstick Films |
Police Scotland has come out in defence of a contract with the Sri
Lanka, which included training of Sri Lanka’s notorious Special Task
Force, despite continued concerns over the use of torture by security
forces.
In response to a freedom of information request submitted by The Ferret,
Superintendent Shaun McKillop, head of Police Scotland’s International
Development and Innovation Unit, defended the relationship with Sri
Lankan security forces, that has reportedly stretched back to nearly 10
years.
“The British High Commission review our training on a regular basis, as
well as our own monitoring,” said Superintendent McKillop. “Sri Lanka
remains one of the key places for the UK government, so we continue to
work for them through the conflict, stability and security fund.
In December, undercover footage provided by Yardstick films revealed
deep ties between Scotland’s police force and Sri Lanka’s Special Task
Force – a paramilitary unit that has been accused of directly carrying
out war crimes.
Ann Hannah Acting Director of Policy and Advocacy at Freedom from
Torture (FfT),an organisation that works with Tamil torture survivors
from Sri Lanka, commented that there was a “lack of focus on human
rights issues, especially torture prevention”.
“Recent public threats by the Sri Lankan defence attaché in London
suggest that there is a culture of impunity that remains unchallenged,”
she added. “Without reforming the structures that have allowed torture
to continue and signalling publicly that this is an essential pillar of
engagement, this sends a message to perpetrators that they can continue
to act without consequence.”
Superintendent McKillop meanwhile acknowledged that concerns had been
raised regarding Sri Lanka’s human rights record and torture, but
continued to defend engagement with its security forces.
“I understand the concerns,” he said. “We absolutely understand the
concerns, and have regular conversation with the British High Commission
and Sri Lankan Police about these concerns.”
“Because we are working with them, we are able to have these
conversations with them. It’s not ideal but we will continue to work and
do what we can to improve that situation.”
See more from The Ferret here.
Related Articles:
09 October 2016 : Scottish, Sri Lankan police strengthen ties
03 August 2014 : Scotland criticised over training of Sri Lankan police
07 September 2013 : Scottish training for Sri Lankan police criticised