[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3047-S3048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                               SRI LANKA

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, this week marks the 10th anniversary of the 
end of Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war. On May 19, 2009, Sri Lanka's 
26-year conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE, 
and the government of Sri Lanka came to a close with the LTTE's 
military defeat and surrender. This anniversary comes on the heels of 
the horrible Easter Sunday terrorist attacks on churches across Sri 
Lanka for which we are still seeking answers and accountability from 
ISIS and its affiliates on the island.
  While the end of the war was a counterterrorism victory, we have 
since learned the ugly cost of this effort. According to International 
Crisis Group, in the final months of Sri Lanka's civil war, Sri Lankan 
Government ``attacks on its own self-declared `no-fire zones' killed 
tens of thousands of [Tamil] civilians . . . claims range from 7,000 to 
147,000 dead.'' For several years, I have been calling for an 
international, independent mechanism to investigate allegations of war 
crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Sri Lankan 
conflict. I also remain concerned about recent violations of human 
rights and religious freedom in that country.
  Since the end of the war, there has yet to be real progress made on 
reconciliation and accountability for Tamils through domestic 
processes, as recommended by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 
2015 Investigation on Sri Lanka, OISL. Human rights violations against 
Tamil, Christian, and Muslim minorities continue, and the Sri Lankan 
Government has

[[Page S3048]]

failed to bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against 
journalists, religious, and ethnic minorities and opposition 
politicians.
  Sri Lanka has a long way to go on its path to reconciliation. In 
addition to pursuing meaningful justice and accountability, the Sri 
Lankan Government must implement comprehensive security sector reform, 
fully operationalize the Office of Missing Persons to provide families 
with answers on what happened to their loved ones, repeal the 
controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act, PTA, release political 
prisoners as called for by our own State Department and required by 
fiscal year 2019 Appropriations bill and address the root causes of the 
civil war and the government's responsibility to protect citizens of 
all communities.
  Concerns over intercommunal strife are exacerbated by the horrific 
April 21 Easter attacks on churches and hotels across the island that 
killed over 200 civilians. We are learning that ISIS-affiliated 
entities were behind the attacks. As Sri Lanka deals with the very new 
threat of Islamic extremism, it is critical that its government not 
repeat its pattern of suppressing media, civil society, and religious 
freedom under the veil of counterterrorism. The government's abuse of 
emergency powers, recent ban on Muslim face-covers, coupled with 
retaliatory attacks against mosques and Muslim businesses with little 
response from Sri Lanka law enforcement is problematic and only serves 
to heighten tensions between religious and ethnic communities. I urge 
the Sri Lankan security forces to exercise restraint in their response 
to the Easter attacks.
  While horrific on their own, the Easter attacks were a stark reminder 
that, as we come upon the 10th anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka's 
civil war, intercommunal conflict remains a reality on the island. The 
Sri Lankan Government's response to the Easter attacks echoes of the 
country's history of conflict and oppression under cover of 
counterterrorism. As we remember and commemorate the tens of thousands 
of lives lost leading up to May 2009, I urge Sri Lanka, the United 
States and the international community to continue to pursue justice, 
accountability, and reconciliation for a war-torn nation.

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