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Leading News from Sri Lanka ::
Nov 06, Colombo: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has decided to send a special Human Rights Ambassador to Sri Lanka in order to gather from the authorities, the NGOs and the population information, evidence and proposals that will allow France to help Sri Lanka speed up the voluntary return of refugees and strengthen the rule of law.
Issuing a special statement French Foreign Minister said that Human Rights Ambassador François Zimeray is visiting Sri Lanka from November 5 to 7.
Kouchner accused the Sri Lankan authorities of holding tens of thousands of people prisoner in camps and keeping under the control of armed forces.
"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," his statement said.
The French FM said the health conditions in these camps are worrying and 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, he said.
Recent humanitarian authorities visited the camps however have said the conditions are satisfactory and the health care and other facilities in the camps are adequate.
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, Kouchner added.
Kouchner urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure the voluntary return of all displaced persons immediately and permanently dismantle the camps.
Sri Lankan government Wednesday reported that about 157,000 conflict-displaced people have been released from the 280,000 IDPs housed in the camps.
Zola Dowell, head of U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Reuters on Wednesday that from August to the end of October around 90,000 people moved back to their areas of origin, with 30,000 returning just in the last 10 days.
However, due to the ongoing mine risks, many IDPs were not able to immediately go back to their actual homes, the UN official has said.
The French FM demanded the Sri Lankan authorities to allow humanitarian organizations to provide assistance and protection without any restriction to the displaced populations and independent and impartial inquiries on violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict.
"Further efforts are required in order to ensure regular progress in the political process that will lead to national reconciliation," he said.
"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," Kouchner added.
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