Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the present situation in Sri Lanka [36089/10]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the inhumane treatment that has been meted out to the defeated candidate (details supplied) in this year's presidential election in Sri Lanka; and if he will, in cooperation with his EU counterparts pressurise the Sri Lankan Authorities to ensure that the persons human rights are respected [36125/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 124 and 136 together.

The Government remains concerned about the political and human rights situation in Sri Lanka. In August, the Member States of the European Union, including Ireland, decided to suspend special duty-free access given to Sri Lankan exports under the Generalised System of Preferences - the so-called GSP plus. This suspension came after the Sri Lankan authorities failed to deliver a written undertaking on three human rights conventions dealing with torture, children's rights and civil and political rights. The estimated cost of the suspension to Sri Lanka is €360 million a year.

At the same time Ireland supports the continuation of a constructive dialogue with Sri Lanka about the particular steps which Sri Lanka must take to implement the three conventions to allow GSP plus to be re-instated.

A critical issue in the dialogue has been the treatment of members of the Tamil population. The most recent EU humanitarian report, issued in June on the subject, indicated that there were 56,825 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Vavuniya camp and 10,500 former Liberation Tamil Tigers of Ealam (LTTE) fighters held in closed rehabilitation camps. The report stated that 246,967 individuals had been released from these camps and that, although the remaining IDPs now enjoy greater freedom of movement within the camps, conditions were understood to be deteriorating. Concerns had been raised that conditions could push refugees out of the camps and force them to return to unsafe areas. More broadly, the question of national reconciliation remains of the upmost importance as there is a possibility the conflict could resume if the grievances of the Tamil population are not addressed. A key question relates to the autonomy of the northern Tamil province. The Sri Lankan Government has consistently stated that the basis for future arrangements will be the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which sets out a model for devolved administration to the provincial level. However, the Sri Lankan Government has said that the process of establishing devolved government in the North cannot begin until certain pre-conditions have been met, including, inter alia , the clearance of all land mines and the return of Internally Displaced Persons.

Since the fighting ended, there have also been allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses levelled at both parties to the conflict. In 2010, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed an expert panel to investigate the allegations and report back to the UN with their findings. The panel is chaired by Marzuki Darusman, the UN's special rights investigator to North Korea. The other two members are Yasmin Sooka, a South African and former member of the commission which investigated apartheid atrocities, and Steven Ratner, a US lawyer. I have called upon the Sri Lankan Government to cooperate fully with this UN panel.

I note that in September the President, Mr. Mahinda Rajapkse, sanctioned the imprisonment for three years of Mr. Sarath Fonseka, a former army commander and defeated candidate in the 2010 presidential election, on charges of committing military offences. The charges included engaging in politics while on active duty and of corruption related to arms procurement contracts. Fonseka, who had led the army's campaign against the LTTE, claims the charges are politically motivated. I have asked my officials to continue to monitor this case carefully.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the pressure the Irish Government has brought on the Cambodian authorities to allow for democratic practices; if in view of reports of mistreatment of opposition MP's admonitory action is being proposed by the international community, for example in the area of development aid contributions [36107/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Notwithstanding some progress, Cambodia`s compliance with international civil and political human rights standards and norms continues to be a cause for concern. This concern has heightened in recent years with the trend of prosecution on defamation charges of representatives of the opposition, media, trade unions and human rights organisations. The opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, has been the target of efforts to suppress his activities and those of his party. In 2005, he was forced to leave the country after being stripped of his immunity from prosecution and was found guilty, in absentia, on defamation charges. In October 2009, the National Assembly approved laws that restrict the freedom of assembly and expression. Authorities in Phnom Penh have outlawed demonstrations except at the officially designated "Freedom Park". In March 2010, under pressure from foreign donors, the lower house approved an anti-corruption law, fifteen years after it was first proposed, that has resulted in the anti-corruption council and other bodies becoming answerable to the officials they are supposed to be monitoring.

At the same time, Cambodia has undoubtedly made progress in addressing some of the critical issues from its past, not least regarding the work of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia (ECCC) better known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The tribunal's first conviction was in July 2010 when "Comrade Duch" was sentenced to 35 years in prison for crimes against humanity in the murder of 14,000 Cambodians.

Support has been provided by the EU for legal reform and governance in Cambodia in addition to EU programmes in agriculture and rural development, basic education, culture, environment, gender, health, infrastructure, public financial management, tourism, trade and private sector development. We will continue, together with our European Union counterparts, to monitor developments in Cambodia carefully and at the same time will work closely together to support the implementation of a comprehensive agenda of reform. This must include protections for civil and political rights in accordance with accepted international standards.

Ireland was actively involved in the drafting of the resolution on Cambodia at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The resolution covers a number of issues related to Cambodia`s adherence to international civil and political human rights standards.