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‘International actions for justice essential as Sri Lanka makes no effort for accountability’: HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that as long as Sri Lanka makes no effort to attain accountability, international measures to seek justice over alleged human rights abuses and war crimes, during Sri Lanka’s military operations against the LTTE, are essential.
Issuing a statement on the recent decision by the UK government to impose sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as ‘Karuna Amman’, Human Rights Watch stated that foreign governments should continue to impose targeted sanctions and use evidence that the UN has gathered to prosecute ‘Sri Lankan war crimes suspects’.
Furthermore, HRW, an International Non-Governmental Organisation, claimed that the United Kingdom government has advanced accountability in Sri Lanka by imposing sanctions on “four men implicated in atrocities during the country’s civil war”.
On Monday (24), the UK government has imposed sanctions on the former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as ‘Karuna Amman’ alleging them of being responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations during the Sri Lanka civil war.
Responding to the decision, the Sri Lankan government said that this is a “unilateral action” taken by the UK government and that such unilateral actions by countries do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka.
In the meantime, the then-President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa also expressed displeasure over the UK government’s decision that the action comes over ‘unproven allegations of human rights violations’ during the war with the LTTE.
Rajapaksa also alleged that imposing sanctions on Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan also known as ‘Karuna Amman,’ who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 and later entered democratic politics, is a clear case of penalising anti-LTTE Tamils so as to placate the dominant segment of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.
Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 22.07.2024 to publish the draft bill of State Assets Management Act in the government gazette notification and thereby present it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
However, the draft bill couldn’t be passed in Parliament as a result of the Parliament being dissolved in the month of October 2024.
Thereafter, the draft bill was subject to further inspection by a
committee appointed which comprised of officials and authorities on the subject.
The said Committee has recognized the amendments to be made and a fundamental draft has been prepared including the proposed amendments.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to suspend further activities regarding the draft bill of State Assets Management Act published in the extraordinary gazette of 02.08.2024, and to direct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the fundamental draft prepared by the subject specialists’ committee.
Considering the compliance of the Cooperative Societies’ operations with the concurrent socio – economic circumstances as well as the changes in the common law, the requirement of amending the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 of 1972 has been recognized.
A fundamental draft including proposed amendments based on the experience gained by that Commission as well as the opinions and proposals of Cooperative societies, their director board members, cooperative employees and other interested parties has been prepared.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative development to provide instructions to the Legal draftsman to prepare a draft bill to amend the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 0f 1972, based on the said fundamental draft.
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