UN urges SL to protect minorities

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka´s government must "clearly demonstrate" its political will and commitment to better protect the Indian Ocean island´s minorities by taking urgent steps to resolve post-war issues, a United Nations rights expert said on Thursday.

Since the end of a 26-year war in May 2009, successive Sri Lankan governments have yet to take strong action to ensure minority rights.

Several religious places were attacked during the tenure of former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, defeated in a January 2015 election by President Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena´s Sri Lanka Freedom Party, once Rajapaksa´s power base, now governs in coalition with the United National Party (UNP), led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. A visit by Rita Izsak-Ndiaye, the UN special rapporteur on minority issues, comes amid complaints of rights violations by ethnic minority Tamils and Muslims.

They say the situation in former war zones in Sri Lanka´s north and east has hardly changed, despite the new government´s promises to take action immediately to remedy the problems.

"The government must put in place some urgent, important and concrete measures to clearly demonstrate its political will and commitment to better protect the dignity, identity, equality," of minorities, Izsak-Ndiaye told reporters.

She called for government efforts to return to its owners land occupied by the military, either charge or release those detained over security matters, and "visible steps" to transfer military powers to civilian authorities, among other measures.

Meanwhile, a UN rights expert on Thursday reiterated calls for Sri Lanka to step up reconciliation efforts and reduce the military´s presence in former war zones seven years after the end of fighting.

UN minority rights expert Rita Izsak-Ndiaye urged the government to press ahead with healing the wounds of the conflict, after coming to power last year promising reforms and reconciliation.