PRESS STATEMENT BY MALAYSIAN PARLIAMENT CAUCUS ON SRI LANKA dated 27.3.2014
Members of the Caucus wish to inform the press and public that yesterday we have issued letters to the member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council ( UNHRC ), currently in session in Geneva, Switzerland, calling upon them to support a resolution on Sri Lanka which will be voted on by the UNHRC tomorrow Friday 28thMarch 2014.
We have sent the letter to the following countries:
Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Brazil
Chile, China, Cuba, Chez Republic,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan,
Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania,
Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America,
Venezuela, Vietnam
A copy of the said letter which is self explanatory is attached herewith.
The members of the Malaysian Parliament Caucus on Sri Lanka are as follows:
Chairman: Johari bin Abdul
Secretary: Kasthuri Patto
Members: Sivarasa Rasiah (SUBANG) Kulasegaran (IPOH BARAT) V Sivakumar (BATU GAJAH)
Dr Siti Mariah (KOTA RAJA) Hanipa Maidin (SEPANG) Charles Santiago (KLANG)
Kamaruddin Jaffar (TUMPAT) Takiyuddin Hassan (KOTA BAHRU)
Dr Nik Mazian (PASIR PUTEH) Dr Jeyakumar (Sg SIPUT)
Laksamana Mohd Imran (LUMUT) Gooi Hsiao Leung (ALOR SETAR)
Gobind Singh (PUCHONG) Manivanan (KAPAR) Raja Kamarul (K TERENGGANU)
Jimmy Wong (KOTA KINABALU) Er Tech Hwa (BAKRI) Md Idris Jusi (BATU PAHAT)
Alice Lau (LANANG) Azman Ismail (KUALA KEDAH)
Your Excellency
Ambassador of
Member of the 25th Session of the UNHR Council 23 March 2014
Dear Excellency,
INVESTIGATING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SRI LANKA
Greetings from Malaysia,
The undersigned are all members of the Malaysian Parliament and are also members of the Caucus on Sri Lanka in the Malaysian House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat).
The Caucus was set up about two years ago and has been monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka. We observe that Sri Lanka has failed to implement the resolutions from their own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, including the two resolutions passed by the UNHR Council in March 2012 and in 2013. We are also aware that a third resolution for an independent international investigation is expected to be voted on this coming Friday 28thMarch 2014 at the UNHRC 25th Session in Geneva.
We note with much regret and concern that serious violations of international law, widespread allegations of extra-judicial killings, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, continued militarization of the North East of Sri Lanka, land grabbing, failure to reach political solution, torture and violations of freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly all continue to be inflicted against Tamils particularly in the north and north east Sri Lanka. All these contravene the recommendations of both the UNHRC resolutions.
We are informed that the plights of the Tamils are getting from bad to worse. People are living in fear of rape, torture, abduction and many are leaving by boat as refugees. Even elected Tamil representatives are harassed.
The international community has the right, and carries also the responsibility, to establish responsibility for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mullaivakkal War of May 2009, resulting in huge numbers of widows, orphans, tens of thousands still unaccounted for, and investigate why still tens of thousands are prevented from returning to their own homes and lands. In this context, credible allegations of a planned genocide of the Tamil community by the government of Sri Lanka persist and need investigation and clarification.
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INVESTIGATING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SRI LANKA
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In the light of the above, we call upon your government as a member of the UNHRC to support the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka to be voted on Friday 28th March 2014 which calls for,
inter alia, a comprehensive independent investigation into serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes in Sri Lanka during the period covered by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission with a view to establishing the facts and ensuring accountability for such crimes and avoiding impunity.
Yours sincerely,
...............................................
Kasthuri Patto
Secretary
Caucus on Sri Lanka
Parliament of Malaysia
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