India urged to revive Core-Group on Sri Lanka
New
Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights in its latest briefing paper, India: Time for
Multilateralism in Sri Lanka, (http://www.achrweb.org/Review/2008/220-08.html) today urged the government of India to announce its support for and join the Core-Group consisting of the United
States, European Union, Japan and Norway and create a mechanism to
facilitate the end of the hostilities and resume negotiation between the Sri
Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). ACHR also
stated that the presence of a United Nations
Human Rights Mission to protect and prevent further violations of human rights
by both sides to the conflict and providing full access to civil society
organisations and UN humanitarian operations remain indispensable.
“India’s
failure to join the Core-Group was fatal and led to the collapse of the
Norwegian brokered peace process. India sought to be briefed without any
responsibility.” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human
Rights.
“If India
seeks to avoid the accusations from Sri Lanka as a regional bully, it must
abandon its bilateral approach and engage with the West to resolve the Sri
Lankan crisis. India’s bilateral policy on Sri Lanka only provides fuel to the
racist forces led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.” – further added Mr
Chakma.
The Sri Lankan crisis remains the most
grave. Ethnic Tamils are being targeted because of their ethnic origin. All Tamils who had moved to the Western
Province over the last five years are being forced to register at police
stations while hundreds of them have been taken into custody for preventive
detention.
Over 200,000 Tamil civilians are being denied access to humanitarian aid while Sri Lanka continues with aerial bombing that indiscriminately targets the civilians. International interventions are indispensable to ameliorate the suffering of the civilians.
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