Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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93. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that the Sri Lankan Government continues to refuse co-operation with international investigations into alleged war crimes committed by their military, that there is ongoing persecution of the Tamil persons in Sri Lanka and that a significant military presence remains in the northern and eastern provinces of the state; and if he will raise these concerns with his Sri Lankan counterpart. [28660/15]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I tabled this question as I firmly believe that the international community is ignoring the plight of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Is the Minister aware of their plight? Is he aware that the Sri Lankan Government continues to refuse to co-operate with international investigations into alleged war crimes committed by its military during the war which ended in 2009? Is he aware of the ongoing persecution of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, in particular in the northern and eastern provinces? What can be done?

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Three decades of civil war in Sri Lanka, which ended in 2009, caused the internal displacement of tens of thousands of Sri Lankans, many of whom are members of the Tamil population. This remains an issue to the present day. There has been a change in government in Sri Lanka following the presidential election in January 2015, and I welcome the stated commitments by the new President to re-establish democracy, freedom, good governance and respect for human rights.

Our ambassador to Sri Lanka, who is based in New Delhi, maintains regular contact with the Sri Lankan authorities and regularly visits the area for discussions there. Our embassy in New Delhi monitors developments in Sri Lanka on an ongoing basis. Through the embassy, we are in regular contact with the EU delegation in Colombo which reports that the new government has already taken some positive steps to deal with resettlement issues, including returning some military land used for commercial purposes, the nomination of a civilian governor in the northern province, cancelling the foreign travel restrictions in the north and welcoming Tamil refugees from India.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council session in March 2014, Ireland voted in favour of a resolution promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. One aspect of that resolution was a request for an investigation by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights, and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka. A report of that investigation is due to be presented at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2015. I and officials from my Department will closely monitor developments on this at the United Nations, and examine this report in detail on its publication.

At the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels on 9 February 2015, which I attended, the Council agreed a number of conclusions on European Union priorities at UN Human Rights Fora in 2015. With regard to Sri Lanka, the Council welcomed the commitments by the new government on rule of law and reconciliation, while encouraging the new government to work with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Council to address ongoing human rights concerns and make credible domestic progress on reconciliation.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

A meeting of the EU-Sri Lanka joint commission took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 2 April 2015. The joint commission, which oversees the EU-Sri Lanka Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development, which has been in place for 20 years, deals with a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest. At this meeting it was agreed in principle to establish a new working group on governance, rule of law and human rights, to allow for a dialogue on these issues.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome members of the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka, who are present in the Visitors Gallery today. I thank them for their vital work in continuing to keep us abreast of the horrific conditions in Sri Lanka and international developments.

In 2009 the Sri Lankan Government defeated the Tamils with much brutality. That brutality has continued since then through the occupation by 160,000 Sinhalese soldiers in the northern province which has only 1 million inhabitants. I believe this shows that in some ways the war continues.

Is the Minister aware that since the end of the war there have been widespread reports of violence, physical and sexual, against women by soldiers in some of the occupied areas and also throughout the rest of Sri Lanka, the destruction of Hindu temples and land grabs?

The Minister acknowledged a new government and a supposed new approach. Will he raise, or has he raised, concerns regarding those issues with the Sri Lankan Government and the Sri Lankan ambassador to Ireland?

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that we are keeping a very close eye on the situation on the ground in Sri Lanka. We are very concerned at some of the instances of violence that persist. We are ensuring that not only we but also our colleagues in the European Union play a most active role in assisting in the very challenging and difficult situation that persists.

As well as Ireland’s engagement at EU and UN level, Ireland provides funding to the situation in Sri Lanka. Under Irish Aid’s funding to non-governmental organisations, NGOs, just over €300,000 has been allocated in Sri Lanka in 2012 and 2013. Included among those receiving funding is UPR Info, a civil society organisation based in Geneva which works to build the capacity of civil society organisations and to engage with the United Nations Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review process. Irish Aid funds missionary orders, through Misean Cara, which allocates funding through grants to missionary congregations for their development work in the region. Between 2012 and 2014, Irish missionaries working in Sri Lanka received almost €290,000 in Irish Aid funding which was disbursed through Misean Cara. I acknowledge the very strong and positive action taken by our NGOs and missionaries, often in difficult and challenging circumstances. I assure the Deputy that not only will we continue to keep a close eye on the situation but we will play our part in active engagement to ensure many of the problems in the area and region might be addressed positively.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his answer. As he said, in September there will be an opportunity for Ireland and others on the Human Rights Council to examine a report on the investigation into the last years of the conflict, not what has happened since then. I hope he and the UN will be able to persuade the Sri Lankan Government to co-operate fully. The new government has to date not co-operated fully with the UN-mandated investigation. I hope the Minister will also take the opportunity of the September council meeting to confirm our support, and maybe our demand, for an international investigation, not the domestic one which Sri Lankan governments have looked for. Maybe at the very least there should be a hybrid domestic and international investigation, similar to that in Sierra Leone and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which managed to overcome government opposition to a perceived interference by international forces. Ireland should insist that there be an international component and that the UN should be one of those bodies if at all possible.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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An EU-Sri Lanka joint commission took place in Colombo on 2 April of this year. The joint commission, which oversees the EU-Sri Lanka co-operation agreement on partnership and development that has been in place for 20 years, deals with a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Ireland and other member states received a request in June from the European Commission to nominate candidates for the positions of long-term and short-term observer for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka. We are very much aware of the ongoing violence and the human rights violations and I assure the Deputy and the House that our mission in New Delhi, which is in close contact with the situation on the ground in Colombo and wider Sri Lanka, is not only keeping a close eye on the situation but is very much involved, along with our EU colleagues, in seeking a solution to a challenging and deeply worrying situation.