[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 348 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 348

   Expressing support for the internal rebuilding, resettlement, and 
reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting 
                                 peace.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 6, 2014

Mr. Burr (for himself, Mr. Casey, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Boxer, and 
 Mr. Cornyn) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing support for the internal rebuilding, resettlement, and 
reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting 
                                 peace.

Whereas May 19, 2013, marks the four-year anniversary of the end of the 26-year 
        conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the 
        Government of Sri Lanka;
Whereas the people of Sri Lanka suffered greatly as a result of this conflict, 
        the impact and aftermath of which has been felt especially by women, 
        children, and families;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka established a ``Lessons Learnt and 
        Reconciliation Commission'' (LLRC) to report whether any person, group, 
        or institution directly or indirectly bears responsibility for incidents 
        that occurred between February 2002 and May 2009 and to recommend 
        measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future and 
        promote further national unity and reconciliation among all communities;
Whereas the LLRC report was presented to the Sri Lankan Parliament on December 
        16, 2011, and officially translated into Sinhala and Tamil on August 16, 
        2012;
Whereas the LLRC report acknowledges important events and grievances that have 
        contributed to decades of political violence and war in Sri Lanka and 
        makes constructive recommendations on a wide range of issues, including 
        the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of extrajudicial 
        killings; enforced disappearances; intentional targeting of civilians 
        and noncombatants; demilitarizing the north and the country as a whole; 
        reaching a political settlement with minority communities on the 
        meaningful decentralization of power; and promoting and protecting the 
        right to freedom of expression for all through the enactment of a right 
        to information law and additional rule of law reforms;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka developed the National Plan of Action to 
        implement just 82 of the 285 recommendations of the LLRC in August 2011, 
        and although the Government of Sri Lanka has made some progress on 
        rehabilitation, resettlement of displaced persons, and improvements of 
        infrastructure in the North and East, there are still many issues of 
        major concern;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has yet to reasonably address issues of 
        reconciliation and accountability through internal processes;
Whereas the Department of State's 2012 Human Rights Report on Sri Lanka outlines 
        ongoing concerns regarding landownership and property restitution, 
        particularly in the Jaffna Peninsula, where large numbers of persons 
        have not received restitution for land that remains part of government 
        high security zones, and while citizens generally were able to travel 
        almost anywhere in the island, there continues to be police and military 
        checkpoints in the north, and defacto high-security zones and other 
        areas remained off limits to citizens;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has not taken tangible steps toward 
        demilitarization of civilian functions, particularly in the North and 
        East, and continued military presence on private lands in the North is 
        preventing the resettlement of internally displaced persons who desire a 
        return to peaceful life;
Whereas the Department of State's 2012 Human Rights Report on Sri Lanka also 
        includes reports of serious human rights violations such as unlawful 
        killings by security forces and government-allied paramilitary groups, 
        often in predominantly Tamil areas; torture and abuse of detainees by 
        police and security forces; and arbitrary arrest and detention by 
        authorities;
Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution supported by 
        the United States and adopted by the UNHRC on March 21, 2013, expresses 
        concern at the continuing reports of violations of human rights in Sri 
        Lanka, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, 
        torture, and violations of the rights to freedom of expression, 
        association, and peaceful assembly, as well as intimidation of and 
        reprisals against human rights defenders, members of civil society and 
        journalists, threats to judicial independence and the rule of law, and 
        discrimination on the basis of religion or belief;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka expressed its commitment to addressing the 
        needs of all ethnic groups and has recognized, in the past, the 
        necessity of a political settlement and reconciliation for a peaceful 
        and just society; and
Whereas tangible progress on domestic and international investigations into 
        reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights 
        violations during and after the conflict and promoting reconciliation 
        would facilitate enhanced United States engagement and investment in Sri 
        Lanka: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the representatives of the United States on 
        their leadership on United Nations Human Rights Council 
        Resolution (UNHRC) 22/1, adopted by the UNHRC on March 21, 
        2013, which promotes reconciliation and accountability in Sri 
        Lanka;
            (2) calls on the United States and the international 
        community to establish an independent international 
        accountability mechanism to evaluate reports of war crimes, 
        crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations 
        committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka;
            (3) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to allow unimpeded 
        access for media, international aid agencies, and human rights 
        groups into all regions of the country, as well as to detention 
        sites that may hold political and war prisoners;
            (4) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to end its media 
        restrictions, including the obstacles to the flow of 
        information in the North and East, and bring to justice those 
        responsible for attacks on journalists and newspaper offices; 
        and
            (5) calls upon the President to develop a comprehensive 
        policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects United States interests, 
        including respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of 
        law, economic interests, and security interests.
                                 <all>