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Sri Lanka
Civil Society Groups Decry Deteriorating Human Rights Situation
The
government of Sri Lanka unilaterally withdrew from the Ceasefire
Agreement with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) on January 8, 2008. The cease
fire had been violated on both sides, but at least provided a platform
for negotiation. At the moment, the government appears to be seeking a
military end to the 20+ year civil war. The consequences are tragic for
civilians on both sides. The humanitarian situation in the Tamil areas
of the north is particularly grim. Sri Lankan Oblates have been
reporting on the violence and the need for alternative solutions,
including the importance of a UN human rights monitoring presence.
(Click here for the official NGO submission to the UNHRC for the
Universal Periodic Review of Sri Lanka (pdf)
For a good
overview of the situation, please see
SRI LANKA: A Country in Search of its Identity, (pdf) by Oswald
Firth, OMI, Assistant General, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate |
