Truce End Shows Need for UN Monitors
Warring Sides Should Better Protect Civilians
The imminent departure of Norwegian-led monitors from Sri Lanka highlights the need for a UN human rights monitoring mission, Human Rights Watch said today. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission is leaving because of the Sri Lankan government’s decision to end the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
“The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission was deeply flawed, but its monitors helped to minimize abuses against civilians,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Now the need for a UN monitoring mission is greater than ever.”
The Sri Lankan government announced its withdrawal from the ceasefire agreement on January 2, 2008, hours after a bomb attack on an army bus in the capital, Colombo, killed one soldier and three civilians, and wounded 28 others, mostly civilians. The ceasefire had largely been ignored by both the government and the armed secessionist LTTE since major new fighting broke out in mid-2006.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission was created under the ceasefire agreement to monitor truce violations, including killings of civilians, by the government and the LTTE. Originally consisting of about 60 monitors from five Nordic countries, the mission was scaled down to 20 monitors from Norway and 10 from Iceland in 2005 after the European Union proscribed the LTTE, which then demanded that Nordic EU members leave the mission. But even at full strength, the mission never had the appropriate mandate or capacity to play a strong protection role. Both the government and the LTTE frequently ignored its recommendations, and its monitors were often denied access to areas where serious incidents had occurred (including, for instance, to Mutur in Trincomalee district, after 17 humanitarian workers were murdered in August 2006.) Nonetheless, individual monitors often showed initiative at the local level that provided some measure of protection for those at risk.
“Civilians caught up in the fighting will have a harder time finding safety once the monitors have withdrawn,” said Pearson.
Human Rights Watch called on both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to immediately implement practical measures to protect civilians from continuing armed hostilities. The government and the LTTE should:
. Agree to the establishment of a United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka;
. Designate demilitarized zones as sanctuaries in conflict areas and pre-position humanitarian relief in known places of refuge;
. Improve humanitarian access to populations at risk, including by ending unnecessary restrictions on humanitarian agencies;
. Whenever possible, provide effective advance warning of military operations, both broadly-through loudspeakers, radio announcements or leaflets-and directly through messages to community leaders; and
. Appoint local civilian liaison officers who are known and accessible to local communities and have sufficient rank to ensure that community concerns are heeded.
A.Rajasingam said,
January 4, 2008 @ 1:07 am
It is very doubtful whether the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE will pay attention to protect the civilians. Past records show that both sides were engaged in killing the supporters or sympathizers of rival sides on suspicion as they are with animal instincts. It is going to be a dark period, unless a UN Sponsored Mission steps in. In a country plagued with communal flames on both warring parties, the presence of a Mediator is necessary to continue with the compromise. The withdrawal from the truce signals the failure of compromise. If there is a failure to compromise, consequences will be disastrous. There is a possibility that leading heads on either side may roll down. We can only pray that Thai Pongal brings some good news.
Singh said,
January 4, 2008 @ 1:43 am
Sri Lanka had lost important human lives after the Norwegian-led monitoring mission. It is a known fact that terrorists have used Ceasefire Agreement in order to strengthen terrorist activities. Will Norwegian Monitoring Mission take responsibility for that?
Can Human Rights or anyother organisation take responsibility when interfearing with other contries security stratergies???????
Gamini said,
January 4, 2008 @ 1:43 am
This Bi-line should read
Truce finally end after 1,500 violations and countless political assasinations by the most ruthless terror organisation in the world.
Ram said,
January 4, 2008 @ 1:48 am
If LTTE can’t adhear with Norwegian recommendations how could they be with Human Rights Watch !!!!!
Sam Thambipillai said,
January 4, 2008 @ 5:15 am
The government of Sri Lanka has unilaterally withdrawn from the Ceasefire agreement of 2002. Officially now it is engaged in war in the North East of the island. Crimes committed by government soldiers will now come under the definition of war crimes.
With the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission leaving the island, the North and East may turn out to be the killing fields of the military sycophants and their allegiances.
There are two important things that the International community would be obliged to do immediately.
Firstly, to stop war crimes, the UN and the International Community should ask the International Criminal Court(ICC) , established in 2002, to investigate Sri Lankan governmental and military leaders for planning, supervising, aiding, abetting and perpetuating the disappearances and the death of many Tamils in the North and East of the island.
The persons who have committed war crimes should be taken to the ICC and charged under ‘continuous violation doctrine’.
The ‘net’ of the ICC should be spread to catch all the war criminals in Sri Lanka, especially the “big fish”, including; the pilots (both foreign and local) who bombed civilian areas killing civilians and destroying property; the soldiers who directed and executed artillery fire at civilian areas, killed people and displaced many; soldiers who abducted civilians, tortured and killed them; the commanders who shot at point blank range the 17 aid workers in Mutur and other similar persons who committed crimes against humanity.
The Serbian General Milosevic was sentenced to 38 years in prison, by the war crimes court in the Hague, during the second week of December last year, for the siege of Sarajevo and indiscriminate shelling and bombing that happened in 1994 and 1995.
The governmental and military leaders should similarly be charged and punished for the siege of the North, created by the closure of A9 road since 2006 and bombing and shelling civilian areas indiscriminately.
Secondly, Britain and the International Community should take immediate steps to decolonise Tamil Eelam and make the people live safely and justly in their sovereign country.
ajit de silva said,
January 4, 2008 @ 6:45 am
ltte should stop using civilians as human shields.
Organisations such as HUman rights watch and Amnesity International have a very detrimental and damaging long term effect on the human rights of the poor in the third world.
Biased, ill educated or ineffective officials at these organisations tend to provide support an protection to banned terrorist organisations such as the ltte.
I THINK IT IS A LOT MORE IMPORTANT TO SEND monitors to afganistan and iraq first, BEFORE Sri Lanka.
subash said,
January 4, 2008 @ 6:57 am
you are absolutley right in saying the above comments however deploying UN was rejected by SL on several occasions but not by LTTE. It is sad to see innocent civillions do get suffer not SL nor LTTE. It makes me wonder that countries like US, UK, EU do know the issues in SLl and turn a blind eye on them
2ndClassTamil said,
January 4, 2008 @ 8:24 am
Come on. We all know that HR organizations are a laughing stock – serving to allay the guilty conscience of the rich countries. They make recommendations as if anyone reads them seriously other than for laughing as a good joke!
victim said,
January 4, 2008 @ 11:02 am
May I ask for contact details of these HR Organizations in Iraq?
Desh said,
January 5, 2008 @ 4:59 am
On February 2002 the Norwegian brokered Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) came into being. How it raised such hopes that negotiations would follow and a solution found that would bring peace to our country. Since then the CFA has been violated by the Tamil Tigers who, as we know now, used it to re-arm and re-group for further conflict. We hoped that with enough goodwill all parties could get around the negotiation table but to no avail. Over these five years we have learnt that the Tamil Tiger Leader Prabhakaran was not interested in a solution but only interested in his own survival – in the meanwhile the Tamils have suffered under him and are fearful of speaking out for fear of reprisals. Even now with the North lost and so too the East they have an opportunity to negotiate but they will not. It was inevitable that with several violations it was only a matter of time that the CFA would be ended as it failed to live up to the expectations and hopes of all Sri Lankans for a lasting solution that would bring about peace.
The Environment and International Development Minister Mr Erik Solheim has been quoted as saying, ‘ending it was a serious step’ and he adds that violence and hostilities will escalate further. May I ask where Norway was when the CFA was constantly violated with such impunity? It failed to exert pressure on the LTTE to keep to the agreement or take it to task. Norway has failed Sri Lanka as facilitator and so too its monitors who have tended to look the other way but point an accusing finger at the armed forces.
With hindsight one is wiser. The Cease Fire Agreement was one sided and we now know the beneficiary was all along the LTTE and not the Tamil People whom it ‘claims’ to represent. Even now I hold a forlorn hope for a negotiated settlement but that is now a distant dream. Norway should have NO further part to play in any negotiated solution and I hope that the government addresses the grievances of all minorities through the All-Party Representative Committee as it now holds the best cards for a lasting solution.
raj said,
January 6, 2008 @ 7:35 pm
Lets balme it on the arrow ( Norway ). We Sri Lankans are very good at playing the man than the ball. That’s us !
Gayan said,
January 11, 2008 @ 7:38 am
How can the UN monitor a war where one party (LTTE) is listed as a terrorist org virtualy by all members of the security council ?.(LTTE terrorists are banned in USA & UK,& Russia,China & France all have taken maximum steps to combat them)
Does the UN monitor AL Qaeeda in Iraq & Afgan?
What would the LTTE do.They will ask all the members of USA,UK,Russia,EU,China,India,Pakistan,Check & all others opposed to them (practically all nations except Norway) to leave as they kickedout the EU members!.
When is the last time UN was successful ?In Africa? Bosnia? Iraq?Lebanon?
Cant blame HRW .Its their job to talk garbage.Otherwise the incomming funds,…the main reason the HRW exist, …might be effected