In what some say is the final chapter of a civil war which has raged since 1983, the Sri Lankan government forces have encircled the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, in 40 km of coastline in the north east of the small island nation, after weeks of brutal fighting. Meanwhile the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, has stated that both sides may be responsible for war crimes.

Ms. Pillay said that the Sri Lankan military had repeatedly shelled designated ’safe zones’ where civilians had sought shelter, and that the Tamil Tigers were responsible for capturing civilians and using them as human shields as well as shooting civilians fleeing from the fire fights. Ms. Pillay stated that, “the brutal and inhuman treatment of civilians by the LTTE is utterly reprehensible and should be examined to see if it constitutes war crimes,” and, “certain actions being undertaken by the Sri Lankan military and by the LTTE may constitute violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.” The UN has stated that not only should the government not be murdering its own civilians through shelling it needs to be actively pursuing means to help evacuate and support internally displaced persons.

The Sri Lankan government has rebutted the statement, arguing that they have repeatedly stated that they have never fired on the “no fire zones” and that it was incredibly unprofessional for the United Nations to be making such statements. There has been no immediate redress from the Tamil Tigers on the matter, but both the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have accused each other of attacks on civilians. International human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both reported human rights abuses by the Tigers and the Sri Lankan Army.

American Response

Of course since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton needs to assert her clout in all regions of the world, she had much to say in her meeting with the President of Sri Lanka. Mrs. Clinton expressed the US’s concern for the civilian population which has been displaced and caught between lines since the beginning of the conflict. However, she also congratulated the Sri Lankan government on destroying terrorism in its state. Disregarding the fact that the Tamil movement is based around an ethnic population which has existed on the island for over 2, 500 years, and that America has been the primary champion of self determination since it became a doctrine of international relations after the founding of the League of Nations. Clinton also stated that she was glad that Sri Lanka was finally ending this conlfict and America looked forward towards building a new peace for the island nation.

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