Kevin Rudd urged by Tamils to reject Sri Lanka envoy following war crimes allegations

May 19, 2011 11:55AM
THE Tamil community has called on Kevin Rudd to reject the credentials of Sri Lanka's new high commissioner and warned the Foreign Minister's silence on UN war crimes allegations will worsen Australia's asylum-seeker problem.
Confirmation Canberra has accepted Vice-Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe's credentials has “shocked” the Tamil community, spokeswoman Dr Sam Pari said.
In 2009, Admiral Samarasinghe held a command role when Red Cross evacuation ships and UN safe havens were shelled by navy warships, Dr Pari told The Australian Online.
Asked to respond to the allegations, Sri Lanka's acting high commissioner yesterday declined to comment.
But the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the new diplomatic appointment.
In April, a damning report by a UN Panel of Experts claimed Sinhalese government forces carried out widespread shelling of civilian enclaves in the final phase of the 26-year civil war - actions which killed as many as 40,000 non-combatants, mostly Tamil civilians.
But the report also found credible allegations Tamil Tiger rebels used civilians as human shields and that atrocities were committed by both sides.
Dr Pari said Mr Rudd's silence on the report's call for a war crimes probe was worrying.
“Sri Lanka is using diplomatic posts to sanitise their image after the war.
“The influx of asylum-seekers into Australia will only be perpetuated by Mr Rudd's silence on the issue of war crimes in Sri Lanka.
“If his (Rudd) silence reflects Australia's asylum policy, it will only exacerbate the refugee crisis,” she said.
Diplomatic analysts say Canberra's silence on the UN war crimes claims is not surprising given its engagement with Sri Lanka's Rajapakse government in an effort to stem the flow of asylum-seekers to Australia.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, Julie Bishop, said claims of war crimes need to be investigated.
“The UN report raises very serious allegations about the conduct of both the Sri Lankan government forces and the Tamil Tigers in 2009.
“The Gillard government should be raising concerns about the events in 2009 and urging all parties to fully cooperate with any investigation.”