UN Must Intervene in Sri Lanka

Ash Kandasamy, The Times April 23, 2009

Imagine a place not much bigger than Central Park in New York, crammed full of people - tens of thousands of them. People wounded, people starving, people without medical care - people held at gunpoint as artillery and shells rain on them. When they try to escape, rebels shoot at them. They were told one place was safe, but government forces fire there too. There is no escape.

This is happening now. In a region of northern Sri Lanka known as the Wanni, Tamil civilians are trapped between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, separatists who have been fighting for more than 25 years. This conflict has long been inaccurately described as a war between minority Tamils and majority Sinhalese. But while ethnic tensions play a role, this has become more truly a war of the armed against the unarmed.

This has never been more apparent than now, as the unarmed civilians suffer fire from both sides. Their alleged representatives the Tigers' leadership, use them as human shields, which has not prevented the Government from shelling and firing heavy artillery, even into the no-fire zone. Casualties have hit catastrophic levels, with at least 10,000 sick and injured patients evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and untold more killed and wounded, including children.

The Sri Lankan Government's priority - indeed, its moral obligation - should be to protect all its citizens, including the Tamils being held by the Tigers. The Government has effectively won this war - so why rush forward when the next offensive could be a civilian bloodbath? The Tigers' unwillingness to release the civilians does not justify the Government's offensive into a densely populated area. One more civilian life lost is as unbearable as it is unnecessary and inexcusable.

International organisations must move swiftly and decisively before there is even more carnage. The ICRC and the UN should have unrestricted access to the no-fire zone, and should negotiate the release of the civilians and the Tigers' surrender.

The Tamil diaspora, too, should use its influence to pressure the Tigers. For years the rebel movement has drawn much of its support from Tamils abroad. But those who have successfully fled the no-fire zone share chilling details not only of people killed by government shells, but also of Tiger cadres shooting those trying to escape.

This is hardly the only evidence of human rights abuses by the Tigers. They cannot claim to be the last line of defence for the Tamils when they are complicit in civilian slaughter. Still, protests by the Tamil diaspora ignore the Tigers' intolerable brutality. Just as government war propaganda makes Tamils feel that they are second-class citizens, the Tamil diaspora's demonisation of the Sinhala community also polarises Sri Lanka, making the necessary work of reconciliation that much harder.

The Sinhalese community in its turn must acknowledge the grievances of minorities. Tamil citizens have faced discrimination in Sri Lanka for decades. Throughout this long war, they have also been harassed, abducted, tortured and killed with impunity by state-linked forces, in government-controlled areas. The current Government, led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, has an atrocious human rights record, characterised by attacks on journalists, disappearances and extrajudicial killings that have become part of a dirty war paralleling the conventional war. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism has risen; criticism of the government has been spun as support for terrorism.

Despite its failure to keep its own citizens safe, the Government is opposed to any watchdogs overseeing what it does. It has announced its intention to keep in so-called “welfare camps” the Tamil civilians who were in Tiger territory. Occupants of these camps are not permitted to leave, and visits from relatives are either not allowed or seriously limited; timetables for resettlement have been vague. Given the trauma and fear among civilians who have already suffered under the Tigers, as well as ongoing rights violations in government-controlled areas, detaining these people in government-run camps is unacceptable.

These facilities should be run not by the Sri Lankan Government, but by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with the support of the ICRC. The refugees should be resettled swiftly, and under the eyes of UN agencies. After years of abuses, Tamils are understandably sceptical of the Government's interest in their welfare. Opening these camps - and this region of the country - to international organisations will serve as a sign of good faith from a government that needs to prove its trustworthiness.

Sri Lanka has gone through horrible decades of violence. As the war comes to an end, the Government can only achieve legitimacy by respecting the rights of all its citizens equally - and rebuilding a country that is truly pluralist and just. That must begin in the no-fire zone, and the world must hold all to account.

The author, whose name has been changed for security reasons, is a journalist of Tamil descent living in North America

Error: Incorrect captcha

Error: "+errorString+"

Can someone name me the date, time & place where the UN has been effective in brokering a lasting Peace?????

Larry C, Rochester , usa

may be its the international presure put on sri lanka makeing them rush things after all the the army pushed the tigers from 15000 kmsq 6kmsq stop now and all that effert will be in vain.

donnie, london, uk

Donnie, Racist war to subjugate tamils and to deny their right to SELF-DETERMINATION needs to be stopped anytime all the time by right thinking and liberal citizens of the world. Accordingly, Western nations should impose sanctions on GOSL till it accept for an UN referendum in Tamil areas for secession.

Ramesh, Chennai, India

Jimmy R, Highlands, Scotland

may be its the international presure put on sri lanka makeing them rush things.dont think any amount of presure make the GOSL stop the offence this late of the conflict.after 25 years of negotiations and 3 years of war hope is in site.

donnie, london, uk

Please note the maximum number of characters is 300.

* Name

* Email

* Town

Country

* Required

Remember me

Terms and conditions PrintEmailPost to del.icio.us Post to FarkPost to Yahoo!Post to DiggAlso in Guest contributors The Englishman who doth bestride the narrow world like a ColossusJacob Zuma - a question of competence not conscience The sad truth about MPs' second homes Also in Columnists How the Last Night of the Proms has been hijackedFiona McCade: Face it, the Jacobites weren’t quite all thereTell children they'll fail and they will Times Recommends A fight the Tories cannot afford to duck The idea that torture works is fiction Innocence crushed by two guilty forces

OUR COLUMNISTS

Columnists

SelectDavid AaronovitchAnjana AhujaChris AyresJoan BakewellSimon BarnesCherie BlairCamilla CavendishJeremy ClarksonRobert CramptonDaniel FinkelsteinMichael GoveSimon JenkinsRachel JohnsonAnatole KaletskyIndia KnightDominic LawsonRod LiddleMagnus LinklaterBen MacIntyreBronwen MaddoxMinette MarrinCarol MidgleyAlice MilesCaitlin MoranRichard MorrisonMatthew ParrisMichael PortilloLibby PurvesWilliam Rees-MoggMelanie ReidPeter RiddellHugo RifkindSathnam SangheraGraham StewartAndrew SullivanRachel SylvesterJanice TurnerGuest contributors

Blogs

Select Alpha MummyArchive BlogDavid AaronovitchAsia ExileBaby BaristaBlockbuster BuzzGerard BakerCharles BremnerBig BrotherMary BeardComment CentralConsumer CentralCricket BlogEco WorrierFaith CentralFashionFormula OneRuth GledhillInside IraqAriel LeveIndia KnightMoneyRafael NadalNews Blog William Rees-MoggRugbySinofileMick SmithSports CommentaryIrwin StelzerPeter StothardSurf NationTechnologyTravelUrban dirtVideoWimbledon

Camilla Cavendish wins award for family justice campaign

Columns urging greater openness in family courts win Paul Foot Award

Cartoon More cartoons Peter Stothard

The Editor of the TLS writes on books, people and politics

A Don's Life

Mary Beard of Cambridge and the TLS on culture ancient and modern

Would you call your child Marijuana?

The strangest name around

Comment Central Award-winning Iraq coverage from Deborah Haynes

A series on the plight of Iraqi interpreters took the Tony Bevins Prize for investigative journalism

MOST READMOST COMMENTEDMOST CURIOUS Most ReadSkip Most ReadTodayWoman burnt to death after setting her own...The Rolling Maul: Ian McGeechan’s...Red all over: Chancellor reads last rites...Beauty of democracy as Silvio Berlusconi... MOST COMMENTEDSkip Editor's PickTodayMPs to get extra £150 a day for turning...Ryanair's flying 'fat tax' moves closer to...Even a Budget for jobs can't subsidise...Civil Service will lose thousands of jobs in... MOST CURIOUSSkip Most CuriousToday Apple pulls 'baby shaker' game after outrage Missing link fossil shows how seals got... Beauty of democracy as Silvio Berlusconi... Why Lod, the other land of St George, isn't... Focus ZoneBusiness Solutions:

Risk, resilience and embracing new technology

Need to Know:

Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast

Business Wisdom:

Discover the collective power of smart thinking. Submit a solution and be in with a chance to win a £500 Selfridges voucher

Social Entrepreneurs:

The inside track on current trends in the charity, not for profit and social enterprise sectors

Business Travel:

Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip

More reports:

Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more

Business SolutionsNeed to KnowBusiness WisdomSocial EntrepreneursBusiness TravelMore reports Births, deaths, marriages

Place your announcement

Find a Lawyer

Cut your legal costs

Free CV Review

Sell yourself! Have your CV reviewed by experts

Crossword Club

Announcements

Search The Times Births, Marriages & Deaths

Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles

Classifieds CarsJobsPropertyTravel CarsSkip Cars of the WeekAudi A5 Diesel Coupe 30 Tdi Quattro Sport 2dr Tip Auto

2009 46,276

Maserati Granturismo Coupe V8 S 2dr Auto Q7 3.0 TDi QUATTRO S line Automatic

2008 79500

Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG

2009 84,995

Car insurance

Great car insurance deals online

Search for more cars and bikes JobsSkip Jobs of the WeekCommercial Director

£150 k Mark Spiers and Associates UK

IT Commercial Director

Six Figure Package Lafosse Central London

Area Manager (Wales)

£63,000 + benefits Environment Agency Wales

IT Director

Attractive six figure salary Lafosse Northampton

Search more Jobs PropertiesLooking to Buy? Looking to Sell? Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

Completely London

Rushmore Condo's

Luxury Condo's in Manhattan with NYC views

South Africa - Cape Town

World Cup Investment Opp - 2 bed gated apartment

Diversity Works For London

Going For Gold? How to achieve the gold standard

Search for more propertiesHolidays Skip Travel of the WeekSave on your Spring & Summer

break to one of our favourite USA Cities!

Exclusive 5-Star Malta Hotels

Excellent Deals on Luxury Holidays in Malta and Gozo From Chevron, The Malta Specialists

From sunshine-drenched adventures in South America

to exploring the Arctic landscape see Noble Caledonia

Travel insurance

Great travel insurance deals online .

Search for more holidays Place your advert now

Search Ad Reference:

Where am I?

HomeCommentColumnistsGuest contributors Contact usBack to topNewsCommentBusinessMoneySportLife & StyleTravelDrivingArts & EntsArchive OUR COLUMNISTS