|
|
|
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 6.08 GMT |
|
India backs Sri Lanka in UN human rights
review |
|
|
|
India fully backed Sri Lanka in the
just-concluded UN human rights review in
Geneva, enabling Sri Lanka to get a
“balanced” appraisal from the world body
yesterday.
While most of the Western countries
criticized Sri Lanka on its rights record,
citing arbitrary arrests, abductions,
involuntary disappearances, mass
displacement and even complicity in child
recruitment by a pro-government militia,
India mentioned only the positive aspects of
the Sri Lankan situation.
The Indian delegate, Rajiv Kumar Chander,
described Sri Lanka as a “close and friendly
neighbour,” which maintained its sovereignty
and territorial integrity, and played an
“active role” in the Human Rights Council.
India found Sri Lanka’s argument that its
laws were compatible with international
conventions in human and labour rights,
“useful,” Chander said. He praised Colombo
for appointing a steering group to draft a
bill of rights, but wanted to know more
about what was being done to build bridges
across ethnic groups through language
teaching.
|
|
|
|
Contact Information: Send
mail to