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Sri Lanka's Human Rights Minister replies
High Commissioner Louise Arbour
Sri Lanka's stand unshaken
Courtesy : Government Information Department
In a letter dated December 5th, Sri Lanka's Minister for Disaster Management
and Human Rights Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe has re-stated Sri Lanka's
rejection of UN Human Rights High Commissioner Louise Arbour's call
for a fully fledged OHCHR presence in the country and reiterated the
alternative proposal of the Government. "I have reiterated the
consolidated position of the Government in relation to the establishment
of an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on several occasions
commencing with my statement communications thereafter. May I restate
that 13 October and in the written Government of Sri Lanka does not
on perceive the necessity for a "fully-fledged presence of OHCHR
in the country' at present and we hope that our consistently expressed
position will be respected," pointed out the Minister in his letter.
He further stated that the Government does not believe that OHCHER
representative's independence will be adversely affected through close
cooperation and collaboration with national mechanisms.
"I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 30 November in response
to my letters of 5 and 27 November 2007. It was a pleasure to meet you
on 29 November in Geneva and to discuss matters pertaining to the work
of the OHCHR representative in Sri Lanka in supporting the Government's
efforts to address issues relating to the protection of human rights,"
he stated.
Then the Minister expressed that he was pleased that both share common
ground on the need for independent, credible and reliable reporting
on human rights in Sri Lanka.
"The only outstanding issue is: agency or entity should carry
out that exercise - the OHCHR or national entities/structures. As you
noted in your statement of 13 October 2007 on the conclusion of your
visit to Sri Lanka, "Sri Lanka has many of the elements needed
for a strong national protection system." You also pointed out
some deficiencies in national structures which we have identified and
are in the process of addressing," stated the Minister in his letter.
Sri Lanka has voluntarily submitted itself to multiple monitoring and
reporting mechanisms which among others include treaty bodies of al1
core human rights conventions, special procedures and mechanisms of
the former commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council,
Secretary-General of the UN, and visits by high-level UN officials involved
in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.
"In our view, national mechanisms to promote and protect the human
rights of Sri Lanka's citizens in the long-term will be best served
by creating a "strong national protection system" that will
be sustainable and robust," explained the Minister Samarasinghe.
Referring to other matters in relation to the Human Rights Commission
Minister said that they are being looked into by the Government and
we share the belief that a vibrant and independent national human rights
institution is a sine-quan on for Sri Lanka. As demonstrated during
Ms.Arbour's visit, Government is open and willing to provide access
to all areas that can be visited securely by distinguished visitors
such as Ms. Arbour.
Government believes it can continue working with SHRA to achieve common
goals in relation to human rights protection.
'In the event that you brief the Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka
pursuant to your visit, as you have mentioned in your letter, we expect
that you will also inform the Council of the position of the Government
of Sri Lanka as expressed in this letter," concluded the Minister.
Courtesy : Government Information Department
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