The World Today - Australia urged to do more for human rights in Sri Lanka
Reporter: Meredith Griffiths
PETER CAVE: The Australian Medical Association wants the Government here to find out what happened to three Sri Lankan doctors reportedly detained by government troops for speaking to journalists about civilian casualties during the final days of the war, and 15 prominent Australians have written to the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd asking him to push the Sri Lankan Government to allow access to refugee camps.
Meanwhile a Canadian politician who has been critical of the Sri Lankan Government's handling of the war has been turned back at the airport in Colombo.
Meredith Griffiths prepared this report.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: It's been nearly a month since the guns fell silent in northern Sri Lankan but the fallout of the war is far from over. Thousands of people are living in refugee camps run by the Government.
Amnesty International has raised concerns many people have gone missing or been detained. Among them are three doctors who gave important eye-witness accounts in the final days of the war.
Dr Brian Morton is the New South Wales president of the Australian Medical Association.
BRIAN MORTON: The doctors were treating the thousands of displaced civilians in the war-torn region. Even though the hospitals were damaged they continued to treat injured and sick in those areas in make-shift facilities.
And the three doctors reported heavy bombardments, high civilian suffering and casualties, and they were quoted by international media. It's believed that because of that, retaliation by the Government, despite them being in fact employed by the Government, may have occurred.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: When concerns were first raised about their detention the Sri Lankan Government said the three doctors had been making false accusations about the Government forces and had colluding with the Tamil Tigers.
Under Sri Lankan law, the doctors must appear in court once a month. Dr Morton says it's unclear if that's happened or if they've even been charged because no-one's heard from them since the 15th of May.
BRIAN MORTON: The families of the doctors have not had any contact with them; nor have the doctors been given any legal representation. And there is concern that they may be held at the terrorist investigation division in Colombo. And Amnesty International believes that one of the doctors was seriously injured and reportedly airlifted to an unknown destination for treatment.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: The AMA wants Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister to urgently intervene and raise concerns with Sri Lankan authorities over the wellbeing and whereabouts of the doctors. That's been backed by Bruce Haigh, a former Australian diplomat in Sri Lanka.
BRUCE HAIGH: And I broaden that call, urging the Federal Government to put in medical assistance for the people in the camps that are now controlled by the Sri Lankan Government. The conditions in those camps are utterly appalling. There's a lack of sanitation. There's a lack of water. There's a lack of food. There's a lack of shelter - anything up to 10 people living in four-man tents.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Bruce Haigh is one of 11 prominent Australians who have written to Kevin Rudd asking him to push Sri Lanka to allow aid agencies and journalists unrestricted access to refugee camps.
The letter signed by high-profile lawyers, academics and bishops also calls for an investigation into allegations that Sri Lankan Government troops committed war crimes including rape and torture.
However Canberra is facing a diplomatic quandary. This week a Canadian politician who has been outspokenly critical of the recent Sri Lanka military offensive, was refused entry to the country. Even though his trip was prearranged Bob Rae was detained at the airport in Colombo on Tuesday night after intelligence officials accused him of being a Tamil sympathiser.
BOB RAE: It really reflects very badly on the situation. I mean, look I mean, you know I'm an MP, I can get a platform, I can make my case, I can fight back. But there's 300,000 very vulnerable people who are being interviewed now and assessed as to whether they are LTTE supporters and if the net catches me it's going to catch an awful lot of other people.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Former diplomat Bruce Haigh says that incident should not stop the Australian Government criticising Sri Lanka.
BRUCE HAIGH: Quite the contrary. The Australian Government should apply pressure on the Sri Lankan Government in concert with the UN and other agencies and the Commonwealth secretariat to get Sri Lanka to behave in accordance with international norms.
Banning Canadians or anybody else from going to Sri Lanka won't solve the problem. That's just a PR exercise and the Australian Government won't get anywhere, and neither will the Canadian Government, if they comply and bend at the knee to the Sri Lankan Government on this.
Maybe they'd want to do it behind closed doors but there needs to be some pretty tough negotiations with the Sri Lankans.
PETER CAVE: The former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh ending that report from Meredith Griffiths.
The ABC has tried to contact the Sri Lankan High Commissioner today but he has been unavailable for comment.
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Source: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2595448.htm]
Meanwhile a Canadian politician who has been critical of the Sri Lankan Government's handling of the war has been turned back at the airport in Colombo.
Meredith Griffiths prepared this report.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: It's been nearly a month since the guns fell silent in northern Sri Lankan but the fallout of the war is far from over. Thousands of people are living in refugee camps run by the Government.
Amnesty International has raised concerns many people have gone missing or been detained. Among them are three doctors who gave important eye-witness accounts in the final days of the war.
Dr Brian Morton is the New South Wales president of the Australian Medical Association.
BRIAN MORTON: The doctors were treating the thousands of displaced civilians in the war-torn region. Even though the hospitals were damaged they continued to treat injured and sick in those areas in make-shift facilities.
And the three doctors reported heavy bombardments, high civilian suffering and casualties, and they were quoted by international media. It's believed that because of that, retaliation by the Government, despite them being in fact employed by the Government, may have occurred.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: When concerns were first raised about their detention the Sri Lankan Government said the three doctors had been making false accusations about the Government forces and had colluding with the Tamil Tigers.
Under Sri Lankan law, the doctors must appear in court once a month. Dr Morton says it's unclear if that's happened or if they've even been charged because no-one's heard from them since the 15th of May.
BRIAN MORTON: The families of the doctors have not had any contact with them; nor have the doctors been given any legal representation. And there is concern that they may be held at the terrorist investigation division in Colombo. And Amnesty International believes that one of the doctors was seriously injured and reportedly airlifted to an unknown destination for treatment.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: The AMA wants Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister to urgently intervene and raise concerns with Sri Lankan authorities over the wellbeing and whereabouts of the doctors. That's been backed by Bruce Haigh, a former Australian diplomat in Sri Lanka.
BRUCE HAIGH: And I broaden that call, urging the Federal Government to put in medical assistance for the people in the camps that are now controlled by the Sri Lankan Government. The conditions in those camps are utterly appalling. There's a lack of sanitation. There's a lack of water. There's a lack of food. There's a lack of shelter - anything up to 10 people living in four-man tents.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Bruce Haigh is one of 11 prominent Australians who have written to Kevin Rudd asking him to push Sri Lanka to allow aid agencies and journalists unrestricted access to refugee camps.
The letter signed by high-profile lawyers, academics and bishops also calls for an investigation into allegations that Sri Lankan Government troops committed war crimes including rape and torture.
However Canberra is facing a diplomatic quandary. This week a Canadian politician who has been outspokenly critical of the recent Sri Lanka military offensive, was refused entry to the country. Even though his trip was prearranged Bob Rae was detained at the airport in Colombo on Tuesday night after intelligence officials accused him of being a Tamil sympathiser.
BOB RAE: It really reflects very badly on the situation. I mean, look I mean, you know I'm an MP, I can get a platform, I can make my case, I can fight back. But there's 300,000 very vulnerable people who are being interviewed now and assessed as to whether they are LTTE supporters and if the net catches me it's going to catch an awful lot of other people.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Former diplomat Bruce Haigh says that incident should not stop the Australian Government criticising Sri Lanka.
BRUCE HAIGH: Quite the contrary. The Australian Government should apply pressure on the Sri Lankan Government in concert with the UN and other agencies and the Commonwealth secretariat to get Sri Lanka to behave in accordance with international norms.
Banning Canadians or anybody else from going to Sri Lanka won't solve the problem. That's just a PR exercise and the Australian Government won't get anywhere, and neither will the Canadian Government, if they comply and bend at the knee to the Sri Lankan Government on this.
Maybe they'd want to do it behind closed doors but there needs to be some pretty tough negotiations with the Sri Lankans.
PETER CAVE: The former Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh ending that report from Meredith Griffiths.
The ABC has tried to contact the Sri Lankan High Commissioner today but he has been unavailable for comment.
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Source: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2595448.htm]
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