British Tamil Conservatives lobby for travel bans & assets seizure

January 4, 2014, 6:47 pm 

British Tamil Conservatives (BTC) are urging the UK government to adopt a policy mix including travel bans and foreign asset seizures of Sri Lankans alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, Arujuna Sivananthan of BTC said last week.

He said they are fully affiliated to the Conservatives and claimed to be ``the driving force behind Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Jaffna’’ during CHOGM meeting.

Tamils were recognized by the Conservative Party as being a separate group and it is the first time in its history (that an) ethnic group has been granted affiliation, Sivananthan said. "All other groups are associated countries."

He said they are focusing attention that must follow the UNHRC session in March this year as it is apparent that Sri Lanka Government will not have a credible independent inquiry of its own ahead of the Geneva meeting. Nor is it likely to comply with any resolution passed there.

"This is why BTC is lobbying for travel bans and asset seizures of those alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity," he said.

BTC rejected the idea of a Trust and Reconciliation Commission "in its entirety."

"It is an attempt to circumvent future war crime prosecutions in the International Criminal Court," it said.