The review of president Maithripala Sirisena’s 100 day work programme titled ‘Minority Rights in Sri Lanka: Progress or blind spot?’ has been issued by the Society for Threatened Peoples, Switzerland – STP.
It says, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has not abolished the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) which allows people to be arrested without charge.
The investigation on disappeared people does not focus on truth and justice but on compensation.
The resettlement process is deceptive because the inhabitants are being subjected to military encampment.
The militarization will remain high because the military troops and camps will not be withdrawn from the North.
Tamil journalists who criticize police and security forces are still being disrupted in their work. Furthermore, access to land and sea is not ensured for the rural community.
9 areas of concern
It deals with nine areas of concern - extra-judicial killings and disappearances, war crimes, minority rights, militarization, land issues, PTA and political prisoners, religious freedom, freedom of expression and livelihood.
Fresh investigations into extra-judicial killings and disappearances have been launched. Civil society groups claim that the investigation relating to missing persons cannot be trusted. The new government has not brought an end to the culture of impunity in the local police forces.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is denying the existence of the detention camps and that most disappeared people have either perished or are outside of the country.There is evidence that secret detention camps exist.
President Maithripala Sirisena approved recommendations made by the Presidential Commission despite the criticism that the commission is more focused on compensation than on truth and justice.
The new Sri Lankan government wants to investigate the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka and United Nations (UN) representatives were able to enter the country. Still it remains unclear how international standards will be implemented in the domestic investigation process.
Sinhala version of ‘No Fire Zone’ dismissed
GoSL dismissed Channel 4’s Sinhala version of “No Fire Zone”. The government has no intention to contact Channel 4 to access the information from the video.
It remains unclear how the international standards will be applied to the dome stic war crimes investigation.
The release of the UN-Report was postponed, even though the GoSL did not say that they will cooperate with the investigation and that Sri Lankans are free to cooperate with the investigation. GoSL also refused to invite the UN-investigation team.
Arrested at airport
Nearly ten Tamils have been arrested after returning from abroad to Sri Lanka since January 2015. Due to the change in government they decided to come back.
According to TNA politician P. Selvarajah 15 people have been unlawfully arrested in Batticaloa alone since the new government came into power.
Nothing has been done for the political solution with Tamils in the last 100 days.
There were only statements about it.
GoSL did not make any announcements about continuing victory monuments for military and the commemorations of deaths of Tamils in May.
Resettlement process is deceptive
The new administration wants to return around 2500 acres of land to its original owners. A lot of land remains illegally occupied and the resettlement process is deceptive.
The release of Balendran Jeyakumari and nine other prisoners of Tamil origin is an important first step step but the overseas travel restrictions are a kind of harassment.
Tamils are still being arrested for political reasons and nearly 300 political prisoners are still incarcerated.
No sign that GoSL will repeal the draconian PTA. Under the PTA an individual can be imprisoned for up to 18 months without charge if they are connected with unlawful activities.
