Failure of the Sinhala Govt to honour HR commitments abide by the Constitution is the problem..!! Promises for Action Tomorrow is not Convincing...!!!

Action not words required to safeguard Human Rights

According to your correspondent Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has said the government is formulating an action plan on Human Rights aimed at protecting the rights of every citizen irrespective of caste, race, religion and political preference, which is also expected to help Sri Lanka meet its international commitments such as those required by the European Union to be eligible for GSP Plus trade concessions" . Nice words but these are already provided for in the Constitution. It is the failure of the government to honour these commitments and abide by the Constitution, that is the problem. Promises for action tomorrow are unlikely to convince anybody. The intention of the government must be proved by investigating all the abductions and disappearances of people both Sinhala and Tamil that have taken place during the tenure of the present regime. Thirty three journalists are supposed to have been killed but not a single suspect not even that of Lasantha Wickrematunge murder, has been produced in courts. Just last week there are reports that a journalist of the Irudina paper- I think her name is Abheysundera, has been threatened. The UNP is making allegations about incidents in Deniyaya. Doesn’t a State which fails to uphold the human rights of the people fall within the UN definition of a failed state? We need not action plans we need action Mr Minister.


R.M.B Senanayake

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