Minister
Samarasinghe tells UPR sessions:
No military intrusion in Northern people's lives
There has been a significant reduction of military strength in
the North since the conflict and there is no intrusive military presence
impacting on civilian lives in Jaffna or the Vanni, Plantation Industries
Minister and Special Presidential Envoy on Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe
said.
He was addressing the 14th session of the Universal Periodic
Review Meeting of the UNHRC in Geneva yesterday.
"One concern that seems to have drawn the attention of our
friends is the question of military presence in the former theatre of conflict.
Here, I must categorically state that there has been a significant reduction of
the military strength in the North since the end of the conflict.
There is no intrusive military presence impacting on civilian
life - in Jaffna or in the Vanni. On the contrary, the military has successfully
completed a great deal of work to assist civilians return to their normal lives
in the aftermath of the conflict," Minister Samarasinghe said.
The minister said from May 2009 to October 2012, the Army
constructed 4,652 permanent new houses, 6,171 semi-permanent houses and
renovated 7,454 houses, through their initiative and efforts.
It constructed 73 schools, renovated nearly 500 old school
buildings and constructed 23 school playgrounds. The Army has made a significant
contribution to the improvement of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. The
Army contributed to the socio-cultural needs of the people by building/restoring
nearly 250 places of religious worship belonging to all faiths in the North and
East.
Moreover, it contributed to the repair of 11 main roads and 43
minor roads during this period, he said. "It is my privilege and pleasure to
share with the 14th session of the UPR Working Group, information and
perspectives on the action taken to promote and protect human rights in Sri
Lanka in the period since our first review in 2008. It has been our consistently
articulated position that, in the particular circumstances and context of the
Sri Lankan situation, the UPR process provides the best opportunity to raise
questions and seek clarifications about the evolving situation in the country,"
the minister said.
"Some of our friends by way of questions posed have indicated a
desire to see a more comprehensive approach taken with regard to the allegedly
disappeared.
The UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance
(WGEID) has long engaged with successive governments to clear a longstanding
backlog of 5,679 cases. I must note that many of these cases (over 4,000) date
back over 20 years to the pre-1990 period. A further 1,089 date back to the 1991
to 2005 period. The remaining number lays to rest the canard of an increasing
trend in disappearance in the recent past," he said.
"We are working to establish a cross agency national mechanism
to clear this backlog. A working committee has been established to respond to
cases of disappearances and a Deputy Inspector General of Police appointed to
conduct ground verifications of such cases to ascertain the present status.
A special piece of legislation to enable the issuance of death
certificates to next of kin was put in place and next of kin can claim monies
due to them and obtain secure a substantial degree of closure," Minister
Samarasinghe said.
"As a part of implementing our responsibilities, the government
submitted its response on 59 cases of disappearances recently brought to its
attention by the Working Group. Another set of 100 cases referred by the Working
Group has been verified and submitted.
Initial investigations have revealed that nearly 50 percent of
the cases have not been complained of to law enforcement. Further investigations
are being conducted on the remaining allegations communicated by the Group.
I must note that a comprehensive addressing of this challenge
would be greatly facilitated if countries that have received thousands of asylum
seekers would cooperate with us by giving us the names of such persons of Sri
Lankan origin so that a proper comparison with the allegedly missing can be
done," he said.
Courtesy : Daily News
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