Welcoming the draft of the United States-sponsored resolution that seeks an international probe led by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Tamil National Alliance on Sunday said it looked forward to a resolution with stronger scope after revisions ahead of the voting day at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“We look forward to the co-sponsors effecting revisions to the draft over the following weeks that will clarify and strengthen the scope of the forthcoming investigation,” the TNA said in a statement signed by its leader R. Sampanthan and Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran. The statement went on to say: “We will remain engaged with the international community to this end, and also to ensure that the outcome of the resolution will be overwhelmingly positive for all Sri Lankans, particularly for victims of grave abuses committed during and after the war.”
Observing that the passage of a resolution on the lines of the draft under consideration would be a significant next step by the Human Rights Council toward reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, the TNA said it would continue to urge the international community to move expeditiously towards mandating an international commission of inquiry.
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Citing concerns of the Tamil people, the TNA pointed to militarisation, increasing reports of sexual violence targeting Tamil women in the North and East, attempts to change the demographic composition of the Northern and Eastern provinces and debasing the cultural and linguistic identities of these areas.