Press Sri Lanka to honour promises
By The New Indian Express
19th August 2013 07:23 AM
Sri Lankan foreign minister G L Peiris’s visit to India presents New Delhi an opportunity to communicate its serious concerns over recent developments in the island nation, such as the move to dilute provisions of the 13th Amendment ahead of crucial provincial polls, the ongoing crackdown of its security forces on dissent and continuing repression of the minorities. Peiris is scheduled to meet prime minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, when he will hand over a formal invitation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo in November. He will also call on external affairs minister Salman Khurshid.
A three-day visit by Sri Lanka’s main Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe also starts from Monday. The visits come ahead of Sri Lanka’s much-awaited provincial council election in Tamil-dominated northern areas to be held on September 21 after a gap of 25 years. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government has threatened to dilute its provisions. India must take a firm stand and press Colombo to honour its repeated promises to go for a 13th amendment plus formula.
Sri Lankan authorities have continued to dither on past promises at the Human Rights Council or pay heed to the serious concerns raised by the international community. With CHOGM around the corner, the world’s eyes remain on the government’s human rights record. As it signalled at the UN Human Rights Council in March, India must press Colombo for an “independent and credible investigation” into thousands of cases of disappearances and extrajudicial killings during and after the 2009 war. These violations also figure in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. A permanent solution to the conflict between Indian and Sri Lankan fisherfolk is another issue that New Delhi must take up with Colombo. Efforts to work out a new joint-fishing agreement between the two countries should be stepped up to create an amicable atmosphere for sharing the marine wealth.
"Some go to India and utter different things while others go to US and do same," Rajapaksa told a public gathering on Monday in the hill country resort of Nuwara Eliya.
He was referring to the current visit to India by the main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesingheand a delegation of the main Tamil party, TNA who is on a tour of the US.
"I don't want to talk about the Western nations who preach to us about the values," Rajapaksa said.
He said that Sri Lankans must talk to their government to find solutions to issues than confronting them, in an obvious reference to the August 1 incident at Weliweriya.
At least three people were killed while 30 others were injured as the army was called in to quell public protests by villagers clamouring for clean drinking water.
The government came in for local and international criticism for the armed crackdown on the unarmed villagers.
"People must engage with the government in order to look for solutions and not clash with it," the President said.
Meanwhile the main opposition UNP on Monday reiterated its demand for an international investigation into the Weliweriya incident.
"We call upon the government to allow for an international investigation rather than attempting to cover it up," Tissa Attanayake, UNP general secretary said.
