U.N. official urges Sri Lanka to take stronger measures to protect minorities
By Shihar Aneez-Thu Oct 20, 2016
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's
government must "clearly demonstrate" its political will and commitment
to better protect the Indian Ocean island's minorities by taking urgent
steps to resolve post-war issues, a United Nations rights expert said on
Thursday.
Since the end of a 26-year war in May 2009, successive Sri Lankan
governments have yet to take strong action to ensure minority rights.
Several religious places were attacked during the tenure of former
leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, defeated in a January 2015 election by
President Maithripala Sirisena.
Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party, once Rajapaksa's power base, now
governs in coalition with the United National Party (UNP), led by Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
A visit by Rita Izsak-Ndiaye, the UN special rapporteur on minority
issues, comes amid complaints of rights violations by ethnic minority
Tamils and Muslims.
They say the situation in former war zones in Sri Lanka's north and east
has hardly changed, despite the new government's promises to take
action immediately to remedy the problems.
"The government must put in place some urgent, important and concrete
measures to clearly demonstrate its political will and commitment to
better protect the dignity, identity, equality," of minorities,
Izsak-Ndiaye told reporters.
She called for government efforts to return to its owners land occupied
by the military, either charge or release those detained over security
matters, and "visible steps" to transfer military powers to civilian
authorities, among other measures.
"In all my discussions, demilitarization, release of prisoners, and
issues of land returns frequently and prominently featured," she said in
the capital, Colombo, after wrapping up a 10-day official visit.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in September urged Sri Lanka to do
more to redress wrongs committed during the war with Tamil rebels,
including restoring the accountability of the judiciary and security
services.
Although Sri Lanka, under Rajapaksa, crushed the separatist Tamil Tiger
rebels in 2009, the United Nations accuses the military of killing
thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, during the final weeks of the
war.
Through a U.N. resolution, Sri Lanka agreed last year to tackle war
crimes and make efforts toward reconciliation. The Tamil Tigers were
also accused of violating human rights during the conflict.
Sri Lanka's population of 21 million is predominantly Buddhist, but
ethnic Tamils, who are mostly Hindu, make up 18 percent, and Muslims
account for 7 percent.
(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
