Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue concerning the urgent situation which has arisen in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Vanni province where the Tamil population, comprising civilians and a large number of children, is effectively encircled by Sri Lankan forces who announced that they are on the verge of a military victory in the 25 year conflict which has raged in that country.

There are figures which have already been given in evidence to different bodies. For example, Karen Parker, giving evidence before the sub-committee on near eastern, south and central Asian affairs and the committee for foreign affairs of the United States Senate said that from the beginning of the year to the end of February more than 2,000 people had been killed. The number of people injured numbers in the tens of thousands and the number threatened with displacement is between 100,000 and 300,000. The United Nations figure is approximately 200,000.

These people are facing serious difficulties, such as the Sri Lankan army's announcment that it will achieve a military victory and proposes to relocate the civilian Tamil population to approved places. This was preceded, allegedly, by a registration of all Tamil civilians and is one of the problems in the name of conducting a war on terror. We are seeing the war on terror used as a shield to quench the humanitarian and human rights of civilians, the assumption being that all Tamils are potential supporters of the LTTE.

As a country which has had an interest in areas of disaster and conflict, it is equally important to note that the international media is not allowed to write about or access what is taking place in Vanni. Many humanitarian relief organisations have not been allowed into the region. There is a shortage of food, water and medical supplies. In addition, the argument is academic as to whether - as the Government suggests - the Tamil tigers are effectively using the civilian population as hostages. The only way to establish if that is the case is to allow full access to the region. The issue which arises is that there is now a shortage of food and medicine.

I chose this matter as a foreign affairs priority question and I am grateful to raise it tonight. We will not have questions on foreign affairs before Easter and by then it may be too late. I mentioned the numbers of deaths are in the thousands, the numbers of injured are in the tens of thousands and the those faced with displacement are in the hundreds of thousands. I also mentioned that what is taking place is the complete quenching of the right of a minority of people in a country to be recognised.

What has been put into practice is a form of collective punishment and the international responses to the crisis are to pray and hope for a peaceful resolution. I support that. The difficulty is that what is needed is an immediate ceasefire. What is also required is that such a ceasefire would allow full access and that its principles would be based on a parity of esteem. That would enable a political resolution beyond the immediate point of conflict.

It is ridiculous to suggest that a military conflict by the Sinhalese Government over the Tamils will achieve anything in the long term. What will happen is that those who are participating in the conflict will retreat to the jungle. Twenty-five years ago, in a terrible ambush, about 25 members of the Sinhalese community were murdered. The response led to the killing of about a thousand Tamils. Therefore, the legacy of 25 years of remembered violence will continue after an alleged military victory that will suppress the rights of a minority. It is therefore important that the Minister raise immediately with his European colleagues the issue of a ceasefire and access by the agencies to the area of conflict.

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