Mercy Mission (UK) is disappointed to learn that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has turned away the ship MV Captain Ali, which the government, after detaining and thoroughly inspecting for 111 hours (4.5 days), has admitted is carrying a purely humanitarian cargo.
Mercy Mission (UK) issued a press release in this regard today, expressing its disappointment on Sri Lankan government's decision to turn back the ship with humanitarian consignment.Mercy Mission (UK) issued a press release in this regard today, expressing its disappointment on Sri Lankan government's decision to turn back the ship with humanitarian consignment.
The press release further states: The Mercy Mission ship is carrying 884 tons of desperately needed emergency humanitarian aid (food, medicine and medical supplies) destined for the approximately 300,000 Tamil civilians held in internment camps by the GoSL.
In light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding in the internment camps and the GoSL’s numerous appeals for “assistance” and “funding” from the international community, it is disheartening that the GoSL has rejected, on very flimsy grounds, the attempts by
the Tamil Diaspora to provide this vitally needed emergency humanitarian aid.
This Mercy Mission ship, the product of the hard work of thousands of volunteers in the UK and Europe and donations from tens of thousands of Tamils throughout the world, could have been, and in fact, should have been, used by the GoSL as an opportunity to show it’s bona fides and engage with the Tamil Diaspora as a means to begin the process of reconciliation in, in the government’s words, “post-conflict” Sri Lanka.
The GoSL has been quoted in media reports as stating that the ship was being detained because certain protocols were not followed and paperwork was not filed in purview of the shipping agent and the ship owner and if they did not follow proper procedure Mercy Mission (UK) extends its apologies. But this is a petty reason to deny the Tamil civilians in the internment camps desperately needed humanitarian relief.
Unfortunately, the GoSL continues to show its true colors when it comes to dealing with the Tamil civilians and fulfilling its responsibilities vis a vis international humanitarian and human rights law. The GoSL continues to deny, and unreasonably restrict, access to the internment camps by local and international NGOs, the UN, the ICRC and other humanitarian and human rights organization.
Adequate amounts of humanitarian assistance are not getting into the camps and cases of death by starvation have been reported by the Government’s own Judicial Medical Officer.
It seems that the future will just be a continuation of the past where the Tamil Diaspora is demonized and the Tamils on the island are treated as second class citizens whose voice is silenced by extra-judicial executions, disappearance, secret detentions, rape, torture, bombing, shelling and starvation and the international community will continue to sit back in silence and allow it to happen because it is an “internal issue”.
Mercy Mission (UK) is disappointed that this cargo of desperately needed emergency humanitarian relief has been rejected by the GoSL, but we assure all of our donors and volunteers that this food and medicine will reach Tamil refugees and that their efforts and donations will not be in vain. We pledge to continue to work harder in order to assist those in need in the North East.
Mercy Mission also wishes to express concern for Mr. Athmanathan, an independent Colombo based businessman, who is being detained by the CID. He was never on the ship and never came into contact with the cargo, he had only agreed to be named as the consignee for the ship’s cargo and assist in clearing it through customs.
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Comments (5)
Subscribe to this comment's feedwhat you expect?
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This stupid world should end soon...........
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Allian World
is it seems to be stange? bankemoon is one of the allian ?/ UN ? ha.....
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rejects aid
Even after with a begging bowl still they are so arrogant not to allow the ship to unload the donations. Do not expect money from the tax payers in domocratic countries to help you the GENOCIDERS.
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UN Convention (Article II) states that genocide includes the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in [substantive] part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in [substantive] part.
The Contracting Parties (including US, Britain, Canada, etc) confirmed that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish. They can refer a case of genocide to the International Court of Justice for further investigation.
Sri lanka state Continue genocide of Tamils.
Not allowing Aids to Tamils prove the Genocide of Tamils.
Within UN Convention
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