Lanka welcomes

Censure of non-state actors

Sri Lanka welcomes the forthright condemnation by the working group on Disappearances of the activities of the non state sectors, said Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, participating in the General Debate on the Reports of Special Rapporteurs and the Working Group on Disappearances at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 10.

Prof. Wijesinha said that even though it was mentioned that Sri Lanka had seen a reduction in disappearances a few years back it was simply because there had been little reporting to Geneva of the murders and enforced disappearances perpetrated by the LTTE or other Tamil groups during the ceasefire period. The names of those who were lost then were available and if the mandate of the Working Group was expanded Sri Lanka hoped that justice would be done to those democratic pluralist Tamils who were decimated whenever the LTTE claimed it was entering into negotiations.

Prof. Wijesinha said another complication caused by the terms of the Working Group's mandate was that anyone who wished to complain to the Group felt that they had to throw suspicion on the State. This was evident when the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights took on the responsibility to follow up on reputed cases

when there were significant differences between what was reported to the Police and what was reported to Geneva.

Sri Lanka would therefore urge the working group to investigate the anomalies in such cases.

Prof. Wijesinha said Sri Lanka would also urge circumspection with regard to sources.

Textual analysis suggested the same source for several complaints with regard to Sri Lanka.

While involvement of certain State actors could not be ruled out, recent investigations suggested that criminal elements take advantage of the miasma of suspicion that has been thrown upon the country to hold people to ransom.

Prof. Wijesinha said Sri Lanka was grateful to the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on Torture for assisting it with Police training in some areas.

Sri Lanka had been asking some countries raising complaints to assist it practically, but except for Sweden which helped professionally once, there had been a deafening silence to further requests for aid.

Prof. Wijesinha said Tuesday's terrorist attack at a mosque proved that the Police had enormous ever expanding responsibilities and that was why they needed support and strengthening.

Prof. Wijesinha said his Ministry had sent responses to 32 urgent cases reported in the first eight months of last year. A further report had been prepared on cases reported more recently.