ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME Forwarded Urgent Appeal: AHRC-FUA-003-2009
20 May 2009 --------------------------------------------------------------------- SRI LANKA: Plight of the Tamils ISSUES: Human Rights Violations; Massacre; Government; Censorship --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka regarding the conditions and treatment of Tamil civilians in the north of the country. The government is still barring independent monitoring bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it impossible to verify reports of large scale human rights violations. For more information, please contact the organization by e-mail, at [email protected] or take a look at its website: www.ifpsl.org Thank you. Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Send international observers to the 'post-conflict zone' immediately to determine the truth in the reports from religious sources on the ground that the Sri Lanka military have shot captured wounded combatants, LTTE officials, TRO administrators and civilians. 2. Allow immediate access to the ICRC so that they can evacuate the wounded to hospitals. 3. Allow immediate access to the international media, because if the conflict is over the excuse that the journalists face danger is untenable. 4. Allow the civilian population held in internment camps return immediately to their land assisted by ICRC and UNHCR. 5. Three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the country's war zone are detained by the Sri Lankan military in an undisclosed location on accusations they gave false information about the casualties to the media. Free the doctors immediately. 6. We believe that this was a war without any witnesses. Appoint an international independent jury to investigate the crimes against humanity that were committed by the Sri Lankan government. Such an investigation should be carried out with the fullest assurance given to the witnesses about their safety 7. The Forum believes that the present Sri Lanka military onslaught has a clear genocidal intent. This intent has underlined the need for a political settlement that would protect the collective existence of the Tamils. 8. The principles of self determination and parity of esteem need to be respected in any future political arrangement. Prof. Brian Maguire 0868141647 Dr Jude Lal Fernando 0851562980 Dr Iain Atack Dr Longcharo Naro Ms Moya Loughnan Ms Claire De Jong Ms Jenny Haughton Mr John Robinson Ms Sorcha Tormey Mr Sean O Boyle Mr Dominic Thorpe ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUGGESTED ACTION: Please send an email, fax or sms to the relevant Sri Lankan authorities with the following demands. SAMPLE LETTER: Re: The plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka Dear _________, I am deeply concerned about the the conditions and the treatment of Tamil civilians in the north of the country by the Sri Lankan authorities. The government is still barring independent monitoring bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it impossible to verify reports of human rights violations on a large scale. I wish to join the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka--among them Prof. Brian Maguire, Dr Jude Lal Fernando, Dr Iain Atack, Dr Longcharo Naro, Ms Moya Loughnan, Ms Claire De Jong, Ms Jenny Haughton, Mr John Robinson, Ms Sorcha Tormey Mr Sean O Boyle, Mr Dominic Thorpe--in calling for the national government to: 1. Send international observers to the 'post-conflict zone' immediately to determine the truth in the reports from religious sources on the ground that the Sri Lanka military have shot captured wounded combatants, LTTE officials, TRO administrators and civilians. 2. Allow immediate access to the ICRC so that they can evacuate the wounded to hospitals. 3. Allow immediate access to the international media, because if the conflict is over the excuse that the journalists face danger is untenable. 4. Allow the civilian population held in internment camps return immediately to their land assisted by ICRC and UNHCR. 5. Three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the country's war zone are detained by the Sri Lankan military in an undisclosed location on accusations they gave false information about the casualties to the media. Free the doctors immediately. 6. We believe that this was a war without any witnesses. Appoint an international independent jury to investigate the crimes against humanity that were committed by the Sri Lankan government. Such an investigation should be carried out with the fullest assurance given to the witnesses about their safety 7. The Forum believes that the present Sri Lanka military onslaught has a clear genocidal intent. This intent has underlined the need for a political settlement that would protect the collective existence of the Tamils. 8. The principles of self determination and parity of esteem need to be respected in any future political arrangement. Sincerely Yours, ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SEND A FAX OR SMS TO: Professor Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights 2, Wijerama Mawatha Colombo 7 SRI LANKA Fax: +94 11 268 1982 Secretary National Human Rights Commission No. 36, Kynsey Road Colombo 8 SRI LANKA Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470 E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Mr. Mohan Peris Attorney General Attorney General's Department Colombo 12 SRI LANKA Fax: +94 11 2 436421 E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Mr. Jayantha Wickremeratne Inspector General of Police New Secretariat, Police Head Quarters Colombo SRI LANKA Fax: +94 11 2 440440/327877 E-mail: [email protected] ----------------------- Thank you. Urgent Appeals Programme Asian Human Rights Commission ([email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> ) ----------------------------- Asian Human Rights Commission 19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building, 998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R. Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367 -- W A Laskar Freelance Reporter and Human Rights Activist with Barak Human Rights Protection Committee, http://bhrpc.net.googlepages.com 15, Panjabari Road, Darandha, Six Mile, Guwahati-781037, Assam, India Cell: +919401134314 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
