The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns the bombings at Konduwattuvan, Ampara on April 2 and Mailambaveli, Eravur on April 1 which have killed and injured many innocent civilians. The government has blamed the killings on the LTTE who, according to a BBC report have denied responsibility. Such accusations and denials also unfortunately are part of the daily experience in Sri Lanka.
The killing of civilians is a heinous violation of all the basic laws, norms and standards of international law and anyone who engages in such action needs to be brought to justice. A serious investigation with a view to bringing all the perpetrators of these two incidents to justice is an obligation of the Sri Lankan state. The AHRC therefore urges the government to go beyond mere condemnation of these atrocities and ensure a complete investigation into the matter as speedily as possible and to bring into action the machinery of law to deal with this situation.
However, the call to bring the perpetrators of such actions to justice is likely to be treated with cynicism by some elements in Sri Lanka. Over the years there has developed an almost automatic response to all atrocities on civilians, alleged to be done either by the LTTE, the government or by other armed groups to the effect that justice is not possible in such instances. Instead what usually happens is some form of physical retaliation by means of counterattacks that only put more civilians at risk. The former president J.R. Jayawardene characterized such actions and counteractions as a killing match.
The issue that bothers Sri Lankans, as well as other concerned persons over the issue of the Sri Lankan crisis, as to whether they can merely stand by and watch the continuous carnage that goes on month after month and year after year. It is obvious to everyone that the government in Sri Lanka has not been able to find a solution to this issue despite of the protracted nature of the suffering enforced on the people over such a long period of time.
The simple question in the face of such carnage is not as to whether it should be stopped but how. Unfortunately there has not yet been an answer to that question that is intelligible and reasonable. Just to keep on hoping for some solution has proved to be like waiting for Godot. The very fact that more atrocities are taking place makes such waiting unconscionable.
It is under these circumstances that all parties to the conflict, the LTTE, other armed groups and the government should be compelled to heed the law and norms and standards of civilized human conduct. As this position is not likely to happen without international assistance there is no alternative now but to find a way to enable international support as it happened in . The heightened level of violence that prevailed in these countries was brought to an end by international intervention under the guidance of the United Nations. Such interventions are not a solution to all the problems but they can bring the violence to an end and provide opportunities for local people to find solutions to their problems without the threat of atrocities hanging over them.
Strangely, in Sri Lanka the LTTE, the militant armed groups and the government are all opposed to international assistance to deal with the violence. While the LTTE fears that their claim for a separate state and their hegemony over other Tamil groups may be lost due to such international intervention, the government of Sri Lanka and its many right-wing backers fear that international intervention will only help the LTTE to achieve its ends. All such fears have no basis in fact but sometimes in intense conflicts perceived fears have greater influence than rational considerations based on actual realities. However, to allow such perceived fears to dominate is to succumb to a continuous carnage, mostly of innocent civilians. The Asian Human Rights Commission urges both the local opinion makers and the international community to take a more proactive stance to enable a more enlightened discourse to bring about an end to the violence in Sri Lanka.
