Six months after fighting ended in the oldest conflict in Asia, the population of Sri Lanka is suffering the consequences of this dreadful war on a daily basis.
As the monsoon season approaches, we welcome the Sri Lankan authorities’ decision to speed up the return of displaced persons to their homes or to host families.
Nevertheless, tens of thousands of people are still being held prisoner in camps and kept under the control of armed forces. Health conditions in these camps are worrying. Access to the camps
by humanitarian personnel is still difficult.
That is why I asked Human Rights Ambassador François Zimeray to go to Sri Lanka from November 5 to 7 in order to gather from the authorities, the NGOs and the population information, evidence and proposals that will allow us to help Sri Lanka speed up the voluntary return of the refugees and, more generally, to strengthen the rule of law.
It is vital that the Sri Lankan authorities’ commitment to ensure the voluntary return of all displaced persons is implemented immediately. The camps must now be permanently dismantled and the humanitarian organizations must be able to provide assistance and protection without any restriction to the displaced populations. The violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict must be subject to independent and impartial inquiries. Further efforts are required in order to ensure regular progress in the political process that will lead to national reconciliation.
Several months after the end of the armed conflict, we are waiting for the Sri Lankan authorities to take resolute action to dispense justice to compensate the pain of all the victims of this conflict and to strive for truth, reconciliation and reconstruction in their country.
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