Over the past three decades, and last few months in particular, hundreds of thousands of people in Sri Lanka have been caught up in fighting between the LTTE and government forces. The United Nations has reported that 6,500 civilians have been killed and 14,000 wounded in the fighting from January to the end of April this year. Over 200,000 Tamils have been forced to flee their homes and are currently living in temporary camps.
Innocent people have lost their lives and lost loved ones, been maimed or injured and have witnessed dreadful scenes of horror, violence and destruction. My deepest sympathies go to all those who have been affected by this devastating conflict that has blighted so many families and communities.
Around a quarter of a million Tamil people are now living in camps in Northern Sri Lanka and some are being detained by the army as the government claims it must still weed out suspected terrorists. It is unclear when those held will be released.
I support calls from the EU this week for an independent inquiry into the alleged human rights violations resulting from the conflict and, if found guilty, those responsible must be brought to justice.
Humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, must now be given full access to help the survivors as a matter of urgency.
I also urge the Sri Lankan government to allow national and international independent observers in to monitor the situation and prevent further ill-treatment of civilians, including torture and arbitrary detention. Other measures to protect those displaced must be put in place too, including a proper registration process, to safeguard against abuses such as enforced disappearances.
While the EU has condemned the actions of both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, it has come to light that some states have profited from the conflict by arming the Sri Lankan authorities, in breach of the EU’s code of conduct on arms exports. According to the EU’s latest report on arms export licences, published in December, nine EU governments authorised arm sales licences to Sri Lanka to the value of €4.09 million in 2007, the same year that Colombo launched its final offensive against the Tamil rebels.
Despite serious concerns about the internal conflict, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK, France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland have continued to arm the Sri Lankan government since the election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005.
The scale of the trade has not been on the same level as other world powers, but given the risks to the Sri Lankan people, this trading was highly irresponsible and immoral. The EU needs to address this urgently and have a clear and binding policy on arms trading for its own moral integrity.