[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 33 (Thursday, February 27, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S1237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 364--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNAL REBUILDING, 
RESETTLEMENT, AND RECONCILIATION WITHIN SRI LANKA THAT ARE NECESSARY TO 
                         ENSURE A LASTING PEACE

  Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. 
Blunt, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Crapo, Ms. Collins, 
and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations :

                              S. Res. 364

       Whereas May 19, 2014, marks the five-year anniversary of 
     the end of the 26 year civil war 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 by all, 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 the recommendations of the LLRC 
     and has made significant progress within limited time in the 
     implementation of the National Plan of Action, notably in the 
     areas of demining, rehabilitation of ex-combatants, 
     resettlement of displaced persons, improvements of 
     infrastructure and social services in the North and East, as 
     well as investigations into complaints regarding persons who 
     have disappeared during the war;
       Whereas there have been reports of attacks on places of 
     worship and restrictions on the media in several places in 
     Sri Lanka;
       Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka expressed its 
     commitment to address the needs of all ethnic groups and has 
     recognized the necessity of a political settlement and 
     reconciliation for a peaceful and just society, which is a 
     long-term process that will need to be driven by the people 
     of Sri Lanka themselves;
       Whereas the September 21, 2013, elections in Sri Lanka for 
     the Northern, Central, and North Western Provincial Councils 
     were an important step in fulfilling this commitment;
       Whereas these elections were made possible through a 
     sustained effort by the Government of Sri Lanka to restore 
     infrastructure in the North and put in place a system for the 
     conduct of the elections;
       Whereas the elections allowed the people of the North of 
     Sri Lanka to exercise their political rights that had been 
     withheld from them for more than 20 years by the Liberation 
     Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and resulted in a clear victory 
     for the provincial wing of the Tamil National Alliance;
       Whereas Sri Lanka is enjoying rapid economic growth as an 
     important hub for shipping transport, technology, and tourism 
     in the South Asia region;
       Whereas Sri Lanka is of great strategic importance to the 
     United States, due to its location, deep-water ports, and 
     proximity to the world's busiest shipping lanes, an 
     importance noticed and pursued by other significant powers; 
     and
       Whereas Sri Lanka seeks to be a key United States partner 
     in the fight against terrorism and Indian Ocean piracy: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) calls upon the President to develop a comprehensive and 
     well balanced policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects United 
     States interests, including respect for human rights, 
     democracy, and the rule of law, as well as economic and 
     security interests;
       (2) calls on the United States Government and the 
     international community to assist the Government of Sri 
     Lanka, with due regard to its sovereignty, stability, and 
     security, in establishing domestic mechanisms to deal with 
     any grievances arising from actions committed by both sides 
     during and after the civil war in Sri Lanka;
       (3) encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to put in place 
     a truth and reconciliation commission similar to the one 
     adopted by South Africa to help heal the wounds of war, 
     taking into account the unique characteristics of the 
     conflict and its aftermath; and
       (4) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to improve religious 
     and media freedoms and to bring to justice those responsible 
     for attacks on journalists and newspaper offices as well as 
     places of worship, regardless of religion.

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