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AI tells President to invite UN monitors
Saturday, 16 June 2007 - 6:34 AM SL Time
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Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan yesterday urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take a personal initiative to end the human rights crisis in Sri Lanka by inviting the United Nations to setup a strong human rights field operation in the country.
In the first meeting between President Rajapaksa and Ms. Khan since the launch of the controversial AI campaign `play by the rules` to highlight rights abuses in Sri Lanka, the rights watchdog chief said President Rajapaksa had an opportunity to change the situation in the country.
`The government`s efforts to date have been woefully inadequate. President Rajapaksa has an opportunity to change that,` Ms. Khan told journalists following her meeting with the President in Geneva. Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror learns the government was scheduled to present a strong case at the fifth UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva yesterday to counter allegations of serious human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.
`Four ministers, the Attorney General and two secretaries to ministries were scheduled to hold a briefing at the UN building yesterday afternoon,` sources in Geneva told the Daily Mirror. AI recalled that over the past year, more than 1,000 people are believed to have been `disappeared` and further 1,000 unlawfully killed.
Civilians have been killed by indiscriminate artillery bombardments, LTTE suicide bombings and retaliation killings. Between March and April alone, the number of internally displaced people in Batticaloa doubled, as 80,000 civilians fled their homes.
`A climate of fear dominates Sri Lanka with human rights activists and journalists threatened, attacked, intimidated, harassed and killed.
Even humanitarian workers have not been immune,` said Ms Khan as Amnesty International received reports of an international non-governmental organization volunteer having been shot in Trincomalee.
AI also said the discriminatory forced displacement of Tamils from Colombo on 7 June is illustrative of the lack of protection faced by ordinary Sri Lankans caught in the conflict, who are looking to escape the fighting and abuses committed by the LTTE, including recruitment of children as soldiers.
`The alarming escalation of human rights abuses over the past 18 months clearly shows that existing domestic mechanisms for protecting civilians and delivering justice are wholly inadequate and have failed to deter perpetrators,` said Ms Khan.
Ms. Khan further said the Commission of Inquiry set up by the President last year had failed to reduce impunity and human rights abuses. `In fact, its credibility and effectiveness have been challenged by the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons set up by the President himself.` `In this deteriorating situation, an independent presence to monitor and investigate human rights abuses by all sides is critical.`
Amnesty International urges President Rajapaksa to open an immediate dialogue with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to set up an international field operation that has a mandate to monitor and investigate human rights violations.
`The presence of a significant, independent, transparent and fully-resourced international human rights field operation will help to strengthen national institutions responsible for accountability and justice. It must extend to areas of LTTE control,` said Ms Khan.
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wk4pce
Joined: Jun 2006
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16 Jun 2007 09:42:26 GMT Report for Abuse
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| IIGEP questions the credibility of the COI set by the president. |
alwaysalion
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16 Jun 2007 10:42:36 GMT Report for Abuse
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What a joke? When the UN forces bombed Iraq day and night in civilian areas, no one said a damn thing.Now they want
to catch up the work they couldn't do in Iraq.
AI should be scrapped! |
tigeress19
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16 Jun 2007 12:01:04 GMT Report for Abuse
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Article: AI tells President to invite UN monitors
Saturday, 16 June 2007 - 6:34 AM SL Time
MR must invite the UN monitors ASAP. if not , is MR ready to go to the HAGUE? for the past year alone, more than 2,000 people are believed to have been 'disappeared' and further 1,000 unlawfully killed and 6000 killed in the war?
ICJ (INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE ) asks SL President to establish International Human Rights field operation
Edited By - tigeress19 - 16 Jun 2007 12:39:06 GMT |
saliya
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17 Jun 2007 20:03:15 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Yes, it is true GOSL must stop violating human rights. But the problem is who is monitoring such thing when it happens in LTTE controlled areas. According to police most of criminals live in LTTE controlled areas. They do all sorts of illegal activities and escape to LTTE controlled areas knowing that they will be safe there. I wonder Bil Larden is living LTTE controlled areas. |
tamilcanuck
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17 Jun 2007 20:05:39 GMT Report for Abuse
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Yes, it is true GOSL must stop violating human rights. But the problem is who is monitoring such thing when it happens in LTTE controlled areas. According to police most of criminals live in LTTE controlled areas.
according to the Polics eh. they are one of the biggest criminals in the land!
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Revy
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17 Jun 2007 20:09:52 GMT Report for Abuse
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AI should be scrapped!
Only AI? LOL better get busy then there is a long list of orgs you need to scrap in that case...UN, HRW, ICRC, IIGEP, Co-chairs, EU, etc. etc.
At one point or the other ALL have condemed the lack of human rights in the terrorist state of Sri Lanka. |
nirupam
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17 Jun 2007 20:26:04 GMT Report for Abuse
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No we won't call UN monitors, we do not want our abductions and killings be monitored, we are a law unto ourselves. We invited the facilitator, SLMM and nor international eminent persons to observe our investigations.
They are not grateful to us. Norway and SLMM complain that our govt violates the CFA.
The eminent pwersons compalain that our judicial system and Attorney General's Office are not up th the international standard. We administer laws according to our whims and wishes. We don't want to be told how we rule ourselves.
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