VP/HR — Situation of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members in Sri Lanka
I have been contacted by a constituent who has concerns over the alleged violence in Sri Lanka after the end of the civil war in 2009, claiming that the Sri Lankan Government and authorities continue to torture and kill former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) members who are undergoing post-war rehabilitation in Sri Lankan army-run camps.

— Could the Vice-President/High Representative please confirm whether she is monitoring what is happening regarding the rehabilitation of former LTTE members in Sri Lanka? — Is she aware of the allegations of deaths under suspicious circumstances at the camps? — Does the Commission plan to take any action in terms of engaging with the Sri Lankan Government to seek an end to the violence?

 

Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini
Allegations that LTTE members were given poisonous injections while in rehabilitation received wide publicity in Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka denied these allegations and the European Union is not aware of any evidence to the contrary. According to media reports, following the allegations, the Northern Provincial Council Health Ministry tested 146 former combatants, but found no evidence that they had been injected with toxic vaccines.

The EU is in regular contact with the Sri Lankan authorities on issues of national reconciliation and human rights, including on the fulfilment of the Human Rights Council commitments made in October 2015. The EU supports the government’s approach to reconciliation, including ensuring a non-recurrence of violence and the continued rehabilitation of former combatants.

 
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