Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Sri Lankan Tamilians need justice' that was published in Newsband

Sri Lankan Tamilians need justice

United Nations raised serious concerns about the delay in addressing allegations of war crimes and in meeting other promises Colombo made when it co-sponsored a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in 2015. UN also alleges that cases of excessive use of force, torture and arbitrary arrests still continue in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government has made some slow progress in addressing the issue of reconciliation.

The latest UN report comes at a time when over a hundred displaced Tamil families are protesting at administrative offices in the north and east asking for their lands to be returned. The Sri Lankan government is either not serious in changing the way the police system works or is incapable of doing so.

How could the present Sri Lankan regime disgracefully ignore its obligation to enhance the image of the nation to address the war-time crimes? The Maithripada Sirisena government came to power with so much fanfare for undoing all injustices done on the ethnic Tamil Community and simultaneously investigates into the atrocities committed by the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa government. PM Sirisena had agreed in principle to the U.N Human Rights Council in October 2015 which called for Special Tribunals and reparations to all victims of war. There is no progress in addressing the issues like the private land of ethnic Tamil people occupied by military.

U.N had urged the government to establish hybrid courts and invite the Human Rights office to have a presence in the nation. The Sri Lankan government has totally deviated from its commitments to the world forum.

Though the Lankan forces almost eliminated the main political outfit LTTE, the problem of autonomy to Tamils as well as displaced Tamils’ problems still remains. Most of the people driven out are living as refugees in South India. Government of Sri Lanka should step up rehabilitation measures

United Nation’s intervention has given some hope to Tamilians in Sri Lanka. New Delhi should show some enthusiasm to end plight of Sri Lankan Tamilians. They had enough of turmoil.

It is highly unfortunate to note that the Sri Lankan Government is still using excessive forces and torture to the Lankan Tamil even though the Sreesena government assured all the safety measures and reforms to them who are drubbed in the war and the genocide by Mahinda is still green in the minds of the Lankan Tamils and the mega war crime will have everlasting memory in the history of Lankan Tamils. In spite of the warnings from global forums on Lanka's indifferent attitude on dealing with war crimes and treating Tamils, it is not rendering curative measures and is keeping them in incessant distress.