Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Enforced Disappearances Bill should be enacted forthwith as a step for reconciliation

 
2017-07-12

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for the Jaffna District M.A. Sumanthiran, in an interview with the Daily Mirror stressed the point that the bill to give effect to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance should be enacted.
He said enforced disappearance of persons is a crime to be dealt with locally.   
Excerpts:  

  • Those responsible for disappearances even at command level should be dealt with locally 
  • There is no provision to extradite them to another country for prosecution  
  • What is obnoxious is opposing action against disappearances 
  • New Constitution needed for reconciliation in full
  • Not against Buddhism being given foremost place  
  • Yet, it is against principles of equality
  • Buddhism should be given foremost place without compromising equal rights of other faiths 
  • Ready to engage with all once Interim report on new constitution is released  
  • Sri Lanka should be ashamed that there are 100,000 disappearances
  • TNA disappointed that Govt. has no political will to do some of the things