The Global Tamil Forum

This is the official blog by the Global Tamil Forum, a group established by a number of world wide, grassroots Tamil organisations. Here we hope to keep you updated with our quest to secure a lasting peace in Sri Lanka based on justice, reconciliation and a negotiated political statement that all Sri Lankans can support.

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Human Rights Watch Warns Governments Against Attending Sri Lankan Military Conference

International NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged countries to avoid attending the upcoming military conference in Sri Lanka entitled "Seminar on Defeating Terrorism: The Sri Lankan Experience" due to the serious concerns regarding the conduct of the final months of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Tens of thousands of civilians died from January to May 2009.
In an article on the HRW website, Brad Adams HRW Asia Director has stated:

"Sri Lanka’s self-proclaimed ‘model’ of counterinsurgency included repeatedly shelling civilians, targeting hospitals, and trying to prevent the world from finding out about it [...] This conference is nothing more than a public relations exercise to whitewash abuses. No professional, law-abiding military should take part in this farce."

The article highlights the findings of the UN Panel of Experts report which concluded that there were violations of rights and welfare on both sides of the Sri Lankan civil war and that conflict was a "grave assault on the entire regime of international law".
Many of those invited to the conference have declined to attend, with Lanka Business Online reporting that all western nations have announced they will not be at the seminar.

Posted by The Official Global Tamil Forum Blogger at 07:01

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