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English.news.cn 2013-02-28
20:31:53
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COLOMBO,
Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government renewed a call for the main Tamil
party to join a parliamentary select committee to discuss minority issues on
Thursday amid the island' s human rights record being criticized at the United
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions.
"We
have invited the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to participate in a
Parliamentary Select Committee comprised of all political parties belonging to
different ethnicities to discuss an inclusive power sharing mechanism but they
have so far refused to do so. We are prepared for discussions so all we can do
is ask them to participate again," said government spokesman and Media
Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.
The
call comes as the United States prepares to pass a second resolution on Sri
Lanka at the on-going UNHRC sessions in Geneva.
The
main reason given by the United States is that the government has not done
enough to promote human rights and foster reconciliation with the Tamil
minority.
Rambukwella
rejected criticism voiced by United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi
Pillay on Monday in Geneva that the government had not pushed ahead with
finding a political solution despite the end of a three decade war in 2009.
He
also vehemently rejected a Human Rights Watch report accusing the military of
using sexual violence against the Tamil minority.
In
a 141-page report titled "We Will Teach You a Lesson: Sexual Violence
against Tamils by Sri Lankan Security Forces," the New york-based Human
Rights Watch details the personal accounts of 75 alleged cases of rapes and
assaults occurred since 2006.
The
report says the politically motivated violence occurred in both official and
secret detention centres throughout country with the participation of police,
army and paramilitary groups.
"This
is a blatant lie. We have asked Human Rights Watch to release evidence to prove
these allegations but they have refused to do so. The government is attempting
to do the responsible thing to clear its reputation but we are not being
allowed to do so. Therefore we completely reject these unsubstantiated
allegations."
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Editor: Fu Peng
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