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NGOs Oppose Sri Lanka’s Bid for UN Human Rights Council Seat May 8th, 2008

The civil was in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate. With the abrogation of the cease-fire in January, 2008, the Sri Lankan government has declared all-out war on Sri Lanka’s Tamil rebels – the LTTE. Thousands have died and tens of thousands have been forced to leave their villages. Often, refugees are forced to move yet again to avoid further conflict. Sri Lanka has known only brief periods of peace and stability in the past two decades.

During a visit to Washington DC on May 6th 2008, Fr. Rohan Silva, OMI from Sri Lanka spoke to the Office of International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference on the ongoing conflict, the worsening living conditions of people as internal refugees and the need to support the resumption of a peace process. The Church in Sri Lanka is accompanying the people and working to give hope to the people.

At the request of Sri Lankan faith groups and NGOs, international groups are demanding that members of the United Nations oppose the Government of Sri Lanka’s bid for membership on the U.N. Human Rights Council on the basis of the serious and widespread human rights violations by government forces.

View NGO statement to the United Nations opposing Sri Lanka’s membership to U.N. Human Rights Council. [05/07/08]

Sri Lanka Groups Decry Human Rights Abuses March 6th, 2008

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.

Download PDF of the NGO submission to the UNHRC for the Universal Periodic Review of Sri Lanka

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

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