Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the purported persecution of the Tamil population in northern Sri Lanka.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Sri Lanka is a UK human rights priority country. The UK has led, with the Core Group on Sri Lanka, international efforts to promote human rights for all communities, including through UNHRC resolution 51/1. We recommended addressing issues around the expropriation of land in the North and East during Sri Lanka's Universal Periodic Review. The UK encourages establishment of a meaningful Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Whilst visiting Sri Lanka from 10-13 October I raised issues over progress on human rights and accountability mechanisms with the government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). We welcome the GoSL commitment to address longstanding grievances of minority communities through the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Jul. 13 2023
Source Page: Human Rights and Democracy Report 2022Found: disrupt Tamil commemorative events for victims of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, and arbitrarily accused Tamils
Mentions:
1: Lisa Nandy (LAB - Wigan) For the Rohingya in Myanmar, for the Tamils in Sri Lanka and for countless others, the concern is that - Speech Link
2: John McDonnell (LAB - Hayes and Harlington) inside.I have campaigned against the Sri Lankan Administration owing to their genocidal attack on the Tamils - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Andrew Mitchell (CON - Sutton Coldfield) Member for Richmond Park spoke about the North Koreans, Tamils and Iranians in her constituency and underlined - Speech Link
Asked by: Lord Mann (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the UN Human Rights Council about the situation of Tamil communities in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK, alongside our partners in the Core Group, have led international efforts to promote human rights for all communities in Sri Lanka, including through resolution 51/1 at the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution renewed the mandate of the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on Sri Lanka and to protect and preserve evidence of past human rights abuses to use in future accountability processes. We have made our stance clear in statements to the Council, most recently on 7 March. The UK also made recommendations including on the need to address issues around the expropriation of land in the North and East during Sri Lanka's Universal Periodic Review in February.
Mentions:
1: Lord Anderson of Swansea (LAB - Life peer) conference at which I looked across at the Indian delegation, saw the remarkable diversity—from the Tamils - Speech Link
An honour to speak with many colleagues in support of Tamils in Sri Lanka. https://t.co/4j6RLfvRfm