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Tell Japan that the war's end did not bring peace to Sri Lanka

October 14, 2009

Sri Lanka's war has ended, but this did not bring peace back to Sri Lanka. Currently, nearly 300,000 Tamil internally displaced persons suffer in government-run internment camps. As the monsoon season approaches, their situation only worsens. Your previous appointment of special envoy Mr. Akashi illustrated your concern for the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka. We encourage you to continue to channel your kindness by working towards creating a sustainable peace for all communities affected by this devastating war.

We hope that Mr. Akashi will use his unique position to promote humanitarian and human rights issues. However, given his current silence about the horrors of the IDP camps, we are concerned about his role in the peace process. On the opening day of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Akashi’s Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama evaded questions from the press regarding Sri Lanka. When Kodama was asked for Japan's position on the IDP camps, he responded that Mr. Akashi was very engaged in the Sri Lankan peace process, but after the war's end in May, “peace [was] restored in Sri Lanka.” We believe that this view of peacemaking is one that wrongly promotes military victories and not political solutions as a means of achieving peace.

As Sri Lanka's largest international donor, we encourage you to use your influence to lead the international community in providing the Tamils with unimpeded access to humanitarian aid and to work with the Sri Lankan government to implement policies that foster sustainable peace. Now is a critical time for Japan to maintain its presence as a peacemaker in Sri Lanka. We appreciate your past efforts and look forward to seeing you make future strides in creating peace for the Tamils.