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As we mourn this week the genocide of the Tamils that took place in Mullivaikal, we note levitra bayer uk buy also that despite the end of the war in 2009, the war drums still continue to beat in Sri Lanka with the object of ensuring the continued imposition of fear on the people of the North and East. The finding of a bomb jacket, obviously planted in pursuance of a plot and the arrest of former insurgents who had been released after rehabilitation indicate the continuing desire to keep the Tamil population in the clutches of fear. This situation ensures that the conditions that lead to Tamil genocide are kept alive in Sri Lanka by successive governments. The Government of Maithripala Sirisena keeps up the semblance of progress towards establishment of good governance with the intention of deluding the international community that there is progress. Indeed, such progress may exist in the South of Sri Lanka but it is not matched by the events in the North and East where there is an attenuated continuation of suppression that had existed in the previous administration of President Rajapakse. The Centre for Genocide takes the position that the same structural conditions that led to the genocide of the Tamils in the past continues in the present despite protestations to the contrary made by the Government of Sri Lanka.

It brings to the attention of the international community the following factors that attest to the above statements.

  1. The armed forces are in occupation of significant parts of the North and East. Their continued presence is not justifiable in terms of national security as the Government itself claims that the security threat has ceased. The continued occupation of civilian territory by the armed forces is contrary to several principles of international law. The Geneva Conventions require restoration of civilian property to its previous owners and compensation be paid for any damage done to such property.
  2. The Government of Sri Lanka has been duplicitous in agreeing to implement the Resolution of the Human Rights Council of which it cosponsored. The President has already declared that international judges shall not serve on any court that tries war crimes associated with Mullivaikal. The Paranagam Commission on Disappearances continues to whitewash the issues involved issuing a series of lukewarm and palpably false statements that accentuate the anxiety of the relatives of the disappeared persons.
  3. Torture continues to be practiced in Sri Lanka. The UN envoy Juan Mendez, after his visit to Sri Lanka in May, 2016 observed that the most horrific incidents of torture taking place after the end of the war in 2009 had been brought to his notice. They were recent instances. He described the disappearances as the “torture of the most horrifying kind”. “The current legal framework and the lack of reform within the structures of the armed forces, police, attorney-general’s office and the judiciary perpetuate the real risk that the practice of torture will continue,” the UN rapporteur warned. The present structure of Sri Lanka is geared to the perpetuation of genocidal conditions for the Tamils. Prospect of change seem extremely remote as there is no instance of torture ever having been prosecuted in the country. The practice of torture against persons of ethnic cialis generique group clearly would amount to genocide if a killing results from the torture.
  4. Disconcerting instances of rape and sexual violence committed by the armed forces in continued occupation of the North and East are frequent occurrences. The continuations of such instances have been recorded by several independent bodies including the ICCPG. These are evidence of the existence of structural genocide of the Tamils. The existence of over 60,000 hapless war widows in an area occupied by hostile armed forces is an unhappy situation that is fraught with great danger to these women. The only way in which this situation can be terminated is through the ending of the occupation of the North and East by the armed forces and the punishment of the miscreants. So far, there has been no investigation of the several incidents of sexual violence that has been reported.
  1. The Government of Sri Lanka will not fulfil the obligation to hold war crimes trials as required by the Human Rights Council’s Resolution. The President has already ruled out international judges, thereby excluding the possibility of even a hybrid tribunal. The Sri Lankan judiciary is noted for its incompetence if not its corruption.
  2. The recent arrest of young persons suspected of reviving the LTTE without conforming to the basic rules of the law indicates that there is a return to the culture of “white vans” when suspects were simply abducted without the observance of the process of law. These arrests are for nakedly political purpose of ensuring the continued subjection of the Tamil people.

The Centre believes that the Sri Lankan Government is not inclined to cooperate with the Human Rights Commission and its Resolution which it had jointly sponsored. In many instances, there have been outright statements made by responsible officials including the President that points in the Resolution like the trial of suspected war criminals be tried by hybrid tribunals will be given effect to. The Sri Lankan Government hopes that with its measures of eyewash and procrastination, time will erase the enormity of the crimes that had been committed against the Tamil people. This hope will not be realized as the international community is now aware of the well-worn tactics of the Sri Lankan Government. Its practice of duplicity cannot go on for ever. It is time that more direct means of ensuring accountability through an international mechanism is brought about. At the moment, this could only be done through the Security Council. It is incumbent on the Security Council to act so that the movement for human rights is not frustrated by the continuous recalcitrance of one Government.

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The International Centre for Prevention and Prosecution of Genocide (ICPPG) is an International Non- Governmental Organisation and an Independent Legal Body, one of our primary objectives is to collect evidence against perpetrators of genocide and work towards justice, peace cialis vs viagra en espanol and reconciliation.

Further contact

Prof. M Sornarajah/ Miss A Seevaratnam e.mail: icppguk@gmail.com

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