The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) has welcomed the adoption of the UN Human Rights Council resolution requesting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to undertake a comprehensive investigation into serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka during the period covered by Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
In a media release, the ATC said: “We view this resolution as a significant step towards seeking the truth, and bringing justice to the victims of the brutal war in Sri Lanka.
“We are glad that the resolution was passed by a large margin of votes (23 against 12), and countries from all continents supported the resolution by voting and co-sponsoring. In particular, we are grateful to the US, the UK, the EU and Canada for the consistent leadership they have shown in making this a reality.
“In this context, we express our deep disappointment at our government for not co-sponsoring this resolution, whereas Australia was co-sponsor of the previous two resolutions on Sri Lanka. However, we would like to acknowledge that both the major opposition parties and several eminent people who called on our government to support this resolution through motions and speeches in parliament and by public appeals. It is our belief that Australia will change its policy approach towards Sri Lanka on a more principled footing by carefully considering the long-term interests of both Australia and Sri Lanka.”
Published in Indian Magazine, Australia
