IMADR urges the Japanese government to play an active role toward the realization of peace in Sri Lanka
Ms. Nimalka Fernando, President of IMADR and its Colombo-based Asia Committee, met with Mr. Yasushi Akashi, the Japanese government representative in charge of reconstruction assistance to Sri Lanka, on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo.
Ms. Fernando exchanged views with Mr. Akashi regarding the current situation of Sri Lanka, where the armed conflict between the government (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) continues to intensify after the termination of the ceasefire agreement. She handed Mr. Akashi a petition and requested that the government of Japan, which is a friendly country of Sri Lanka and has long been its top donor, take stronger leadership to attain a renewed cease-fire as well as to protect and uphold the human rights of the Sri Lankan people.
The petition, addressed to Mr. Akashi and the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, and calling for peace and human rights in Sri Lanka, was adopted at the 17th Human Rights Seminar "Peacebuilding and Human Rights in Sri Lanka," held September 8, 2008 in the city of Osaka (IMADR Japan Committee was one of its main organizers). At this seminar, President Fernando gave a keynote speech entitled "The current state of the civil war and the human rights situation in Sri Lanka,"in front of the 480 participants who gathered from around Japan. She brought to the attention of the audience the difficult situation faced by the people of Sri Lanka, in particular minority women and children who have been displaced.
