Britain reiterated that it will continue to ‘monitor closely civil and political rights as well as land issues in Sri Lanka.’
Answering a question during a debate in UK Parliament Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that his government will continue to underline to the Sri Lankan authorities the need for a long-term political settlement to address these underlying grievances and will continue to monitor these issues.
“We continue to monitor closely civil and political rights as well as land issues in Sri Lanka. We welcomed the Northern Provincial Council elections in Sri Lanka, which took place in September 2013. This was the first provincial council election held in the predominantly Tamil north since the 1987 establishment of provincial councils. The opposition, Tamil National Alliance, won over 80% of the vote. Local election observers noted that elections were“relatively free from violence, though not from intimidation”.
“We have expressed concerns at military involvement in civilian activities in the north and are aware of reports that the military are involved in education.”
“The Prime Minister raised land rights and militarisation in the north of Sri Lanka during his November meeting with the Sri Lankan President Rajapaska. He called for a meaningful political settlement with the north, including de-militarisation and full implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations,” he added.
Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
