‘SL marching forward with post-conflict development’
The full text of the opening statement
delivered by Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations in
Geneva Manisha Gunasekera at the 20th session of the Human Rights
Council under Agenda item 2 in the General Debate on Monday.
We take note of the High Commissioner's Report, and in keeping with
Sri Lanka's policy of continuous engagement, I take this opportunity to
inform the Council of the developments taking place in Sri Lanka at this
juncture of its post conflict phase.
With regard to the resettlement of IDPs, those that remain to be
resettled have reduced further to 6,022 from the original number of over
290,000 in May 2009. This resettlement process is envisaged to be
completed in the near future, as demining progresses.
The demining of former conflict-affected areas is progressing apace,
and of the estimated 2,061.53 Sq.kms contaminated with landmines and
UXOs, 1,936.80 Sq.KMs, of the area has been cleared. About 70 percent of
this demining work was carried out by the Sri Lanka Army and less than
124 Sq.kms remain to be cleared, This we believe is a remarkable
achievement in any post-conflict situation. Priority has been given to
clearing residential areas in villages identified for resettlement and
livelihood purposes.
With regard to the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-combatants,
from approximately 12,000, at present 10,949 have been reintegrated into
society, while 629 are undergoing rehabilitation and 403 are under legal
procedure or remand. This includes 594 LTTE child soldiers, who were
rehabilitated and returned to their families within a year. The
Government of Sri Lanka adhered to a policy of treating all these
children as victims and not perpetrators, therefore, all possible
efforts have been taken to look into their welfare and future.
I am pleased to inform this Council that Sri Lanka has now been
delisted by the UN Secretary-General from Annex II of the UN Security
Council Resolution 1612, on Children and Armed Conflict. This is the
result of the sincere efforts taken by the GOSL inter alia to
investigate several cases on child recruitment and comply with the
recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and
Armed Conflict and the UNSG's Special Representative.
Our investments in the welfare of our children today, are the best
guarantee of a better and peaceful future for the nation. Therefore, it
is gratifying to note the acknowledgment by the President and members of
the UNICEF Executive Board, upon concluding an assessment Mission to Sri
Lanka early this year. They observed that Sri Lanka has made rapid
strides since the end of the conflict, and progress can be attributed to
its sustained efforts on behalf of children. In this context, the
President of the UNICEF Executive Board Ambassador Kamau of Kenya said
and I quote, What was amazing to some of us was that during that civil
war, the Government of Sri Lanka remained committed and made great
efforts at continuing to support children. They still sent money for
vaccinations, for support to basic education and so forth, which was
really a remarkable thing.
If you look at the basic indicators of Sri Lanka today, despite the –
as I said – very difficult history of the last 30-odd years, Sri Lanka
has clearly some of the best child health indicators in their region,
and this is a remarkable achievement. There are lessons to be learnt
here. Unquote.
There has been a continued chorus from a section of the international
community alleging excessive presence of the military in the North.
However, I wish to state that with the termination of military
operations the strength of the military in the North has been reduced
considerably. The present level in the Jaffna Peninsula is approximately
20,000. Further rationalization of this presence would be considered in
line with national security interests. It may be noted that the role of
the military in the North today is confined to security related matters.
Further, considered efforts have been taken as part of the post war
re-deployment strategy in line with the national reconciliation process
which has therefore resulted in the reduction of the High Security Zones
by 40 percent.
At present, 1,133 officials of Tamil ethnicity are serving in the Sri
Lanka Police Department and 436 of these officers have been assigned to
the North, while 377 serve in the East. A database containing details of
arrested suspects including detainees has been established to facilitate
their Next of Kin (NoK) to obtain details. Wide publicity has been given
in all three languages regarding access to the database by the NoK and
2,582 inquiries have been processed to date.
As informed to the Council during the previous session, the National
Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NHRAP),
approved in September 2011, is being implemented and monitored by a
national committee of implementing agencies. This Action Plan was
developed through a consultative process involving civil society and
government.
As part of the re-democratization of the North, Civil administration
has been established at the grassroots level after local government
elections were held and local bodies elected. The census in the Northern
Province has been completed, and Provincial Council elections for the
North will follow. The census is essential for ascertaining the status
of the population in that region, and was conducted by the Department of
Census and Statistics using Tamil government officers serving in the
Northern Province.
I wish to point out that the action presently detailed was
undertaken, within the rubric of reconciliation, and well before the
adoption of the ill-conceived Resolution on Sri Lanka at the 19th
session. Therefore, Sri Lanka continues to believe that this Resolution
was completely unnecessary and unwarranted. It does not add any value to
the ongoing domestic efforts. On the contrary, this action has caused
mistrust about international processes among the people of Sri Lanka and
runs counter to our domestic efforts. We are mindful of these concerns
of our people, and will therefore resolutely pursue a home grown
solution on reconciliation which has their endorsement. Considering the
gamut of changes that the country has undergone in the post-conflict
scenario, it is paramount that Sri Lanka is provided time and space to
overcome its own challenges.
As informed to this very Council in March this year, Sri Lanka
remains committed to pursuing the implementation of the recommendations
of its domestic reconciliation mechanism, the LLRC. Indeed, as we have
already indicated, some of the recommendations are already in a stage of
implementation.
To expedite implementation, this process is directed by the
Presidential Secretariat under the purview of the Secretary to the
President. There are 135 main recommendations, with sub areas, thereby
totaling 285. For ease of processing implementation, the Government's
approach has been to designate them under four categories, namely those
recommendations relating to national policy; the final phase of the
conflict, human rights and security issues; and on resettlement,
development and humanitarian issues. Furthermore, while some
recommendations would be implemented through the Parliamentary Select
Committee (PSC) others would be by the relevant institutions. The
recommendations are dealt with under short, medium and long terms, and
will be implemented in a structured manner through prioritization
determined by the interests of the country and its people, in order to
achieve sustainable peace and reconciliation through its domestic
process.
With regard to the workings of the Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka is
of the view that country specific action in the Council, such as the
Resolution on Sri Lanka at the 19th Session, is a highly selective and
arbitrary process not governed by objective norms or criteria of any
kind. We are also conscious of the very real danger of such action
setting a precedent which enables ad hoc intervention by some countries
in the internal affairs of other nations. It is our firm belief that it
is vitally important for the structures and procedures of multilateral
organizations to be uniform and consistent and devoid of discrimination.
In addition to this, the mechanisms of the Council should be utilized
with greater transparency.
Despite these setbacks, Sri Lanka will continue to proactively and
voluntarily engage with UN mechanisms including Special Procedures,
Treaty Bodies and the UPR, as we have done in the past, to provide the
international community with a comprehensive update on related
developments.
We are hopeful that the invitation extended in April 2011 to the High
Commissioner to visit Sri Lanka, will be availed, of, to ascertain first
hand the many positive developments on the ground, following the end of
the terrorist conflict.
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