Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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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.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó hUigínn as ucht an cheist tábhachtach seo a ardú.

My colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin - who apologises for his absence - has repeatedly deplored the horrific humanitarian situation which exists in parts of war-torn northern Sri Lanka, including the Vanni region. It is clear from reports that the situation in Vanni has become intolerable. The most recent estimates from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN, covering the period from 26 March to 2 April, suggest that between 150,000 and 200,000 people are still trapped in the region. Conditions for civilians have continued to deteriorate, with credible reports of an intensification of shelling in the Government-declared no-fire zone, resulting in an average of 60 to 70 deaths per day.

The combat zone has continued to shrink as Government forces have pressed forward with heavy artillery, air strikes and mortar exchanges. The UN places the numbers of killed and wounded well into the thousands, as Deputy Higgins has said, with the vast majority of casualties occurring inside the densely-packed no-fire zone. As the hold by Government forces on Vanni has tightened, more reports are emerging of pressure from the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam, LTTE, on the civilian population. These include the forced recruitment of men and women and even of children as young as 12 years old; at least one mass execution of civilians; mass corporal punishment; retribution against civilians who try to prevent forced recruitment; the blocking of corridors for civilians trying to leave the combat area; the placing of weapons in areas of civilian concentration; and the diversion and possible withholding of humanitarian aid from civilians.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Government have been following the situation in Sri Lanka with grave concern. In a statement issued on 8 February and in reply to parliamentary questions on 10 and 12 February and 24 March, the Minister called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and full access for humanitarian relief. European Union foreign ministers have also expressed their deep concern about the humanitarian crisis, including the vast number of internally displaced people trapped by the fighting, as well as the continuing reports of high civilian casualties. In particular, they have stressed the need for both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to comply with the provisions of international humanitarian law and the principles of the laws of war and have called for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate full and unrestricted access to the conflict area, allowing humanitarian aid to be safely delivered and civilians to leave.

These points were made directly by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Sri Lankan Ambassador during a meeting in Dublin on 23 February last. The Minister mentioned in particular our deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in the country - which is affecting not only Tamil civilians but the entire population - as well as the importance of addressing the underlying causes of the conflict through a comprehensive negotiated political settlement. These concerns were repeated yesterday by our Ambassador in New Delhi, who is accredited to Sri Lanka, when he spoke to the Sri Lankan Ambassador there.

We continue to take the firm view that there can be no military solution to Sri Lanka's political difficulties. A lasting peace settlement will require reconciliation and a political process aimed at protecting the interests of all the citizens of Sri Lanka and enshrining the principle of parity of esteem among its divided communities. Ireland would welcome further activity by the international community, particularly by the UN Security Council, to bring about a swift resolution to the conflict. Should the relevant parties seek our advice with regard to a negotiated peace process, we would give consideration as to how we could best help.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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The Sri Lankan Government is resisting that.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I appreciate the Deputy's insights.

With regard to emergency assistance, since 2005 the Government has provided more than €5.3 million for humanitarian and development activities in Sri Lanka. More than $12 million was allocated to Sri Lanka in 2008 from the UN's central emergency response fund, to which Ireland is currently the seventh largest donor. The Red Cross, one of the key organisations at the centre of the response to the humanitarian crisis, also receives regular non-earmarked funding from Irish Aid. In view of the perilous situation in the Vanni region, a decision was taken earlier this week to offer additional funding of €170,000 from the Irish Aid emergency humanitarian assistance fund to Médecins sans Frontières, which is currently providing support to the hospital in Vavuniya and which is treating large numbers of civilians affected by the conflict, both internally displaced persons and the host population. In addition to the medical and nutritional needs identified, there is a heightened need for mental health care arising from the high levels of trauma manifested by civilians escaping the combat zone. The Government will continue to monitor closely the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka, and the possible provision of additional emergency funding is being kept under review.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State.