From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Date: 07 Sep 92 12:26 PDT
Subject: SRI LANKA: Rebel group invites huma
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700420:000:4783
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Sep  7 12:26:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: SRI LANKA: Rebel group invites huma

/* Written 12:07 am  Sep  1, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: SRI LANKA: Rebel group invites human rights groups to visit


london, aug 29 (ips/moyiga nduru) -- a leading official of the
rebel tiger guerrilla group in sri lanka, is urging international
human rights organisations to visit tamil area in north-east sri
lanka to get a first hand view on how the rebel group operates.

the call to visit the area followed a critical report released
this week by a london-based human rights organisation accusing the
tigers of gross human rights violations.

''you cannot accuse the tigers of human rights violations without
visiting the areas under their control,'' shanthan kumar of the
liberation tigers of tamil eelam (ltte) said in an interview.

article 19, an international organisation which works to promote
the right to freedom of expression and to combat censorship, is
particularly concerned about the plight of the more than 2000
civilians being held by the tigers.

''this is rubbish. why should we hold our own people as
prisoners?'' shanthan kumar of the liberation tigers of tamil
ealam (ltte) asked. ''without the support of the people we
wouldn't have been able to control the area we are operating in
now,'' he explained.

the ltte exercises total control over the jaffna peninsula and
its people. it gained control following renewed clashes with the
majority sinhalese sri lankan government forces, starting in may
1990.

sinhalese make up over 70 percent of the 17 million sri lankan
population, while the tamils who are situated mainly in the
northern and eastern provinces of sri lanka, comprise 20 percent.
the tigers are seeking autonomy.

kumar said tlle is now establishing proper administration,
including the setting up of judiciary system and a new police
force to keep law and order in the area.

but sri lankan groups in london are sceptical about the offer to
human rights groups to visit the tamil areas.

''it may be difficult for the red cross or amnesty international
to gain access to the prisoners because of insecurity in the
area,'' savitri hensnan of the committee for democracy and justice
in sri lanka said. (more/ips)

sri lanka: rebel group invites human rights groups to visit(2-e)

sri lanka: rebel (2)

in march, amnesty international delegates attended a human rights
conference in the capital colombo. then another amnesty delegation
visited in june, but none of them visited the troubled north-east
region.

hensnan believes that human rights situation could only improve
if the international community bear pressure on the ltte.

according to her: ''the situation is bad. tamils live in fear.
there have been reports that the tigers have been executing
suspected opponents publicly. this has eliminated any form of
criticisms among the population.''

already australia, sweden and commonwealth secretary-general
emeka anyouku are reported to have made offers to president
ranasinghe premadasa to mediate in the age-old civil unrest.

ltte leadership, headed by velupillai prabakaran, has called for
unconditional talks with the government to end the civil
war.   kumar, however, stressed that tlle's objective is an
independent state for the minority tamils.
4
''short of that, we can't see a lasting peaceful solution to sri
lanka's problems,'' he added.

kumar charged that the sinhalese, who control government
machinery in colombo including the security forces, have been
engaged in an attempt to smother the tamil language and culture.
this has been going on ever since sri lanka achieved independence
from britain in 1948, he said.

after 40 years without reaching a peaceful solution, the better
educated younger tamil generation decided in 1983 to wage a war of
liberation against the colombo government, kumar said.

but hensnan looked at the issue from a different perspective. she
identified the problem in sri lanka as being that of lack of good
government. with proper democracy, she said, the tamils would have
no reason to fear.   ''what's happening now is that the tamils
regard the ltte as being less evil than the government,'' hensnan
said.

earlier this week, article 19 presented its report to the united
nations human rights sub-committee in geneva about what it termed
''gross'' human rights violations in sri lanka, burma, iran and
kenya.

''the situation in sri lanka is particularly of grave concern.
we're urging the tlle to immediately release the detainees into
the care of the red cross,'' susan hay of the article 19 said.
(end/ips/ip/mn/cpg/92)