Examine SL’s human rights situation on ground realities, Govt. tells UPR in Geneva

Sri Lanka’s human rights situation could not be assessed in isolation and should be examined in the context of the realities on the ground, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.

“We are ready, prepared and equipped to brief the Working Group and to engage in a cordial and productive dialogue, in a spirit of candour and openness, as to the promotion and protection of human rights in Sri Lanka. We will also engage with the Working Group on our plans and expectations to achieve incremental improvements in the human rights situation in the context of post-conflict peace-building, reconciliation and the achievement of normality for all our people,” he said, addressing the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sri Lanka in Geneva on Thursday.

Delivering the opening statement at UPR President’s Special Envoy for Human Rights Minister Samarasinghe said it is Sri Lanka’s consistent stand that the UPR provides the best opportunity to raise questions and seek clarifications about the present situation in the country.

He said Sri Lanka is prepared to answer the questions some 99 countries are expected to raise on the developments the country made during the last four years following the first review in 2008 and expressed hope to forge a greater understanding of realities in Sri Lanka through the interactive dialogue.

Speaking of the National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NHRAP) put forward by the Government last year based on the recommendations made in 2008 UPR, the Minister said the plan addresses eight areas – civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, children rights, labour rights, migrant worker rights, the prevention of torture, women’s rights, and the rights of the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons).

Explaining the developments in each area, the Minister noted that 2008 UPR took place at a critical juncture in the history of the country and within a year a ‘sea-change’ occurred with the rescue of nearly 300,000 civilians in May 2009.

Pointing out that Sri Lanka, like any post-conflict polity, faced challenges of truly daunting magnitude and scope, Minister Samarasinghe said Sri Lanka was not complacent but tried “our utmost to prevent and forestall acts of destabilisation” from within and outside the country.

He told the assembly that there are still some elements that support the LTTE’s cause of “dismemberment and separation” of the country and promised to defeat them by the ongoing strategy of democratisation, reconciliation, reconstruction and development.

“Conflict touches the lives of everyone. When armed conflict continues for as long as 30 years – as it did in Sri Lanka – it affects generations of people,” the Minister said.

“It is for this reason that the Government has placed such primacy on non-repetition of the mistakes of the past and on genuine reconciliation. We are aware that reconciliation is not an easy exercise, nor is it one that can be achieved overnight,” the Minister pointed out.

Addressing the issue of military presence in the conflict-affected north, the Minister stressed that there has been a significant reduction of the military strength in the north since the end of the conflict.

“There is no intrusive military presence impacting civilian life – in Jaffna or Wanni. On the contrary the military has successfully completed a great deal of work to assist civilians return to their normal lives in the aftermath of the conflict,” he said.

He said the Government has expended an enormous amount of resources, time and effort in restoring normality to the conflict affected areas by developing infrastructure, providing basic needs of such as water, sanitation, and electricity, and restoring livelihoods by reviving the fishing industry and agriculture.

The Minister emphasised that economic development must now seamlessly follow the humanitarian assistance and early recovery phases and expected the international community extend their understanding and cooperation to Sri Lanka’s efforts in developing a stable and prosperous country.