IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1338 

Calling on the United States Government and the international community 

to support a transition to sustainable peace in Sri Lanka by encouraging 

an international human rights monitoring presence, protecting the work 

of civil society and media, facilitating access of humanitarian operations, 

and retaining democratic principles in which rule of law and justice 

pervades. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 10, 2008 

Mr. SHERMAN (for himself, Mr. PALLONE, and Mr. WELLER of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling on the United States Government and the international community to support a transition to sustainable 

peace in Sri Lanka by encouraging an international 

human rights monitoring presence, protecting the work 

of civil society and media, facilitating access of humanitarian operations, and retaining democratic principles in 

which rule of law and justice pervades. 

Whereas beginning on July 23, 1983, Sri Lanka experienced 

10 days of brutal violence known as ‘‘Black July’’ during 

which an attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 

(LTTE) killed 13 Sri Lankan Army soldiers and the 

Government of Sri Lanka failed to stop mobs that killed 


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•HRES 1338 IH 

a reported 3,000 or more ethnic Tamils and destroyed an 

estimated $300,000,000 worth of property; 

Whereas the conflict of the last 25 years has seen the deaths 

of over 75,000 primarily Tamil people and the emigration 

of as many as 1,500,000 civilians, who were forced to flee 

the fighting; 

Whereas a ceasefire agreement was reached in February 

2002 between the LTTE and the Government of Sri 

Lanka; 

Whereas the breakdown of the 2002 ceasefire has resulted in 

the killing of hundreds of civilians and internal displacement of over 200,000 people since mid-2006; 

Whereas the LTTE has been responsible for reprehensible 

acts of violence against civilians of all ethnicities, including the forcible eviction of as many as 80,000 Muslims 

from the Northern Province in 1990, the killing of hundreds of people since 2006, as well as suicide bombings, 

and other violent actions that have obstructed the peace 

process; 

Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has pursued a military solution to the conflict, which has led to increased 

numbers of disappearances and been used to justify severe restrictions on humanitarian aid workers, which 

have severely undermined the chances of a renewed peace 

process; 

Whereas neither the Government of Sri Lanka nor the LTTE 

are actively engaged in pursuing a political solution to 

the conflict; 

Whereas the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a 

paramilitary group now formally allied with the GovernVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:57 Jul 10, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1338.IH HR1338

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•HRES 1338 IH 

ment of Sri Lanka, continues to commit serious human 

rights violations and criminal acts with impunity; 

Whereas both the LTTE and the government-supported 

TMVP have been documented to use and recruit child 

soldiers, and this practice, despite recent releases by the 

TMVP, remains a significant concern to the United 

States and the international community; and 

Whereas numerous other human rights violations have been 

committed by all sides in the conflict and continue to be 

reported, including extrajudicial killings, shelling and 

bombing of civilian areas, unnecessary prevention of the 

delivery of humanitarian aid, undue restrictions on the 

freedom of movement of internally displaced persons, and 

widespread impunity for serious human rights violations: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the 25th anniversary of ‘‘Black 

3 July’’ and mourns its victims and the victims of the 

4 ongoing violence in Sri Lanka that has followed; 

5 (2) expresses concern for the human rights and 

6 humanitarian crises that are still occurring in Sri 

7 Lanka and condemns the denial of adequate human8 itarian aid to the civilian population and attacks on 

9 the media with impunity; 

10 (3) condemns the continued attacks on civilian 

11 populations by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 

12 (LTTE) and urges the immediate cessation of vio13 lence; 


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•HRES 1338 IH 

1 (4) urges the LTTE and the Tamil Makkal 

2 Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) to immediately end all 

3 recruitment of children as soldiers and to release all 

4 child soldiers currently in their ranks; 

5 (5) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to pur6 sue a political resolution, rather than a military so7 lution, to the conflict, to allow all necessary relief 

8 supplies to reach the Northern Province unhindered, 

9 to investigate and prosecute the numerous dis10 appearances and attacks on humanitarian workers 

11 and the media, to take immediate steps to address 

12 the legitimate grievances of the Muslim, Tamil, and 

13 all other minority communities and to provide safe 

14 living conditions for internally displaced people; 

15 (6) calls upon the President to publicly urge Sri 

16 Lanka to accept an international human rights mon17 itoring presence on the island, which would deter, 

18 monitor, investigate, and report attacks; and 

19 (7) supports United States efforts to work with 

20 the Government of Sri Lanka, other relevant stake21 holders to the conflict, and the international commu22 nity to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian op23 erations, hold accountable violators of human rights 

24 and international humanitarian law, and promote 

25 conditions for a lasting peace through political diaVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:57 Jul 10, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1338.IH HR1338

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•HRES 1338 IH 

1 logue that respects the rights of all ethnic and reli2 gious groups in Sri Lanka. 

Æ 


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