Facing criticism from parties in Tamil Nadu that his
government is seeking to bail out Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights
Council, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought to explain that he favours a
way forward on accountability and reconciliation issues without creating
mistrust and confrontation.
In a letter to DMK President Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, released
to the media in Chennai by the Party on March 13, Dr. Singh stated: “With
regard to the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council, we are engaged with
all parties in an effort to achieve an outcome that is forward-looking and that
ensures that, rather than deepening confrontation and mistrust between the
concerned parties, a way forward is found on issues related to accountability
and confrontation.”
The text of the letter is given below:
I write with reference to your letter of March 9, 2012
regarding consideration of a Resolution on Sri Lanka by the UN Human Rights
Council.
As you know, India
attaches high priority to the safety, prosperity and well-being of the Tamil
community in Sri Lanka.
Following the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka in 2009, the Government
of India has consistently drawn the attention of the Government of Sri Lanka to
the need for a political settlement that will taken into account the legitimate
interests of the Tamil community. In our engagement with the Government of Sri
Lanka, we have urged it to put in place the process of resettlement, rehabilitation
and reconstruction, including early return of all internally displaced persons
to their respective habitats, early withdrawal of emergency regulations, investigations
into allegations of human rights violations, restoration of normalcy in
affected areas and redress of humanitarian concerns of all affected families.
We have ordered our technical, economic and financial assistance
to aid this process, I would like to underline that it is as a result of our
engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka and our considerable assistance
programme that the modicum of normalcy is beginning to return to the Tamil
areas in Sri Lanka.
The Government of India has implemented and continues to implement a wide range
of projects covering housing, education, health, vocational training, agriculture
and reconstruction of infrastructure. There has also been progress in the areas
of withdrawal of emergency regulations and the conduct of elections to local
bodies in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. We intend to remain engaged with
the Government of Sri Lanka in order to take this process forward.
The Government of India has also emphasized to the
Government of Sri Lanka the importance of a genuine process of reconciliation
to address the grievances of the Tamil community. In this connection, we have
welcomed the Report of the Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
Commission (LLRC). We believe that the implementation of the recommendations
contained in this report would contribute to the process of reconciliation. We
have also emphasized the need for an independent and credible mechanism to
investigate allegations of human rights violations in a time-bound manner, which
has also been recommended by the LLRC. Our focus on these issues with the
Government of Sri Lanka will continue.
With regard to the resolution in the UN Human Rights
Council, we are engaged with all parties in an effort to achieve an outcome
that is forward-looking and that ensures that rather than deepening
confrontation and mis-trust between the concerned parties, a way forward is
found on issues related to accountability and reconciliation. Our objective, as
always, remains the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that
is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect.
No comments:
Post a Comment