Sri Lanka Loses Bid for New Term on UN Human Rights Council

Sri Lanka lost a command for a second
term on the United Nations Person Rights Council after complaints it
is failing to forestall maltreatments in its struggle with Tamils
fighting for a separate fatherland in the South Asiatic island.

The United Nations General Assembly yesterday elected Japan, Bahrain,
South Korean Peninsula and Islamic Republic Of Pakistan as Asiatic representatives to the 47-
member based in Geneva. Sri Lanka and East Timor fell
short of the ballots needed to have got a seat, according to the UN.

Sri Lanka earlier this calendar month said groupings complaining about
its human rights record are ''politically motivated and have got an
anti-government agenda.'' The authorities have ''only itself to
blame'' for losing the council seat, Person Rights Watch said in
an e-mailed statement today.

Sri Lanka's military have been fighting the Rebel Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam for 25 old age in a struggle that has
resulted in the deceases of 70,000 people. It ended a 2003 cease-
fire with the LTTE in January, prompting the United Nations to name on the
government and the Tamil Tigers to forestall an escalation of
violence against civilians.

Non-government organizations called on council members
before the ballot to oppose Sri Lanka's continued membership. The
government rejected their complaints that it have failed to deal
with members of the security military units and paramilitary groupings who
carried out human rights abuses.

''The authorities acknowledges that there have got been shortfalls,
but is acute to address, not disregard them,'' it said in a May 9
statement. A national action program will be implemented to
''identify challenges, restraints and spreads in human rights
protection and promotion,'' it said.

Eastern Region

The military captured Sri Lanka's eastern part from the
LTTE in July and have been carrying out almost day-to-day land and air
attacks on the group's last alkalis in the north.

The offenses in the North amount to genocide, the LTTE
said in March, accusing the air military unit of dropping bombs in
civilian areas.

Sri Lanka hasn't violated international law during the
conflict either before or after the cease-fire, Sri Lanka's UN
mission in Geneve said after the armistice with the LTTE ended.

President 's authorities states the holding
of elections in Eastern State and its program to develop the
region's economic system are grounds the disposal is working to
benefit the civilian population.

The authorities rejects any peace colony that would
divide the state of 20 million people where Tamils do up
11.9 percentage of the population and Singhalese almost 74 percent,
according to the 2001 census. A 1987 constitutional amendment
that envisaged devolving powerfulness to the island's parts is the
basis for ending the conflict, Rajapaksa have said.

''The Person Rights Council ballot should be a wake-up call
for the Sri Lankan government,'' Brad Adams, Asia manager at
Human Rights Watch said, according to the New York-based group's
e-mailed statement. Rajapaksa ''hopefully volition acquire the General
Assembly's message and start taking existent action to stop human
rights abuses.''

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