John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning I speak again on the human tragedy in north Sri Lanka. As you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, this month the Sri Lankan government announced victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after 26 years of civil conflict. However, I fear that an enduring peace for the people of Sri Lanka will only be delivered if a truly independent investigation into the conflict and genuine negotiations take place between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil community.

The exact toll on human life during this protracted conflict is not known; nor is the number of severely injured and displaced civilians. It is extremely alarming that the Sri Lankan government has blocked free media access as well as safe passage to international humanitarian aid organisations, making it impossible for the world to know the true extent of the human suffering. Despite repeated calls from the international community, the Sri Lankan government has arrogantly failed to accommodate the reasonable requests for independent access to the conflict zones and the provision of humanitarian aid.

The announcement of a United Nations fact-finding mission in Sri Lanka by the United Nations Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr Ban Ki-moon, was welcomed in Australia and abroad. However, we now know that the visit by the Secretary-General to one of the camps last weekend for a few hours was controlled by the Sri Lankan government and did not expose the full extent of the humanitarian crisis now being experienced in the north of Sri Lanka. In fact, the Secretary-General’s visit raises even more concerns for the many thousands of Tamils unaccounted for, as well as for the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced civilians located in other government controlled camps.

No fair-minded person believes that the Sri Lankan government is doing everything it can to reveal the truth of the final outcome of the conflict in Sri Lanka. Moreover, the reports from the Sri Lankan government being broadcast to the outside world are covering up the brutal force visited on innocent civilians by the Sri Lankan army. The international community must act immediately and put further pressure on the Sri Lankan government to stop further suffering and loss of innocent lives. The misery being experienced now by the survivors is hard to imagine. We cannot tolerate more suffering. Australia’s pledge of $23 million in aid since last December is welcome, but it will be of little use if the humanitarian agencies are denied free and independent access to those most in need.

The chamber may be aware of the recent peaceful rallies that the Tamil diaspora has held both in Australia and around the world. Their message is clear: a lasting and permanent peace must now prevail in Sri Lanka. It is imperative that the Sri Lankan government also move towards honest diplomatic negotiations in good faith with representatives from the Tamil community and recognise their aspirations. As stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, all people have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right, they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

Surely there remains no other viable alternative—a lasting peace must prevail. Death and deprivation cannot continue in Sri Lanka. With the support of the international community all parties must now move towards a politically negotiated peaceful and permanent resolution to this dreadful humanitarian disaster. (Time expired)

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members’ constituency statements has concluded.