The situation in Sri Lanka

It has been suggested that I expand upon what I previously wrote here about the situation in Sri Lanka. As well as being deeply aware of the suffering of the Tamil people, I am very much aware that the Tamil Tigers have been a brutal terrorist organisation, responsible for killing many people. The Sri Lankan government is well within its rights to fight terrorism. However, I question some of the methods used by the government over the years, and I am critical of many aspects of how the post-conflict situation has been handled since 2009. When I call for alleged war crimes to be investigated, I include within that not only the actions of Sri Lanka’s government, but also the actions of the Tamil Tigers. On 29 April 2009, the Liberal Democrats devoted an Opposition Day debate in Parliament to the situation in Sri Lanka. During that debate, our Shadow Foreign Secretary, Ed Davey, said:

"no one in the House is taking sides... I believe that we are united in opposition to human rights abuses and violence whoever perpetrates them."

May I echo that approach and say that I look forward (especially if elected as Hendon’s next MP) to continuing to learn more about Sri Lanka and listening to all points of view, be they Sinhalese or be they Tamil.