UK Foreign Office notes concerns over militarisation, land occupation and rumours of secret detention in Sri Lanka

UK Foreign Office notes concerns over militarisation, land occupation and rumours of secret detention in Sri Lanka
Tamil Guardian 16 July 2015 Print ArticleE-mail ArticleFeedback On Article

Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO,) in their annual corporate report on Sri Lanka, noted that “some concerns” remained despite a number of positive steps in undertaking legal reforms by the new government.

Citing local contacts in the North-East, the FCO report highlighted issues of land grab and militarisation, stating,

“Challenges remained, including those related to high levels of militarisation, such as military involvement in civilian life, and the continued occupation of land by armed forces. There were also concerns over women’s security as well as reports of journalists being intimidated.”

The report noted that Tamils had boycotted the Presidential Commission on Missing persons adding that,

“Tamil activists and politicians continued to allege the existence of secret detention centres, which authorities have denied.”