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Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles is visiting Sri Lanka this week to secure the country’s continued cooperation with Australia’s Operation Sovereign Borders regime. However, Marles’ trip is unlikely to address the ongoing human rights issues under the Dissanayake government.
Despite global concerns, Marles is not expected to question the controversial remarks made during Sri Lanka’s “Victory Day” celebrations on May 19. A government minister warned that Tamils in the diaspora who attend events featuring Tamil Tiger symbols could face punishment if they visit Sri Lanka.
Human rights advocates are also raising alarms over the recent arrest of a Tamil refugee returning from India after decades in a refugee camp, as well as the continued construction of Buddhist stupas over Hindu temples, and state-backed land acquisitions in the North and East.
Notably, on May 28, Vasuki Vallipuram, a prominent Tamil rights activist and Women Life & Rights Association coordinator in Kilinochchi, was visited by Sri Lanka’s Counter Terrorism and Investigation Division (CTID).
There is little expectation that Marles will press for justice for war crimes committed during the final days of the war in 2009, or demand answers about the thousands of forcibly disappeared and detained individuals who remain unaccounted for.
