(Kuala Lumpur, Sunday): The Human rights situation in Sri Lanka is getting worse with each passing day. Tamil civilians including men, women, children and the sick and elderly are being killed or seriously injured by the hundreds and thousands respectively.

Two weeks of aerial bombing by the Sri Lanka military have left hundreds of Tamil Civilians killed in different parts of the northeast. Over 100,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

The United National High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has said: “Some 15,000 to 20,000 people are now displaced in the Killinochchi area as a result of repeated Sri Lanka artillery shelling and air strikes.” That is just one area.

The UNHCR has urged the Sri Lanka government “to urgently allow aid workers free access to all parts of the island so that vital supplies can reach those cut off by fighting.”

Since April, the UNHCR has pointed out, about 162,000 people have become internally displaced, while 7,439 have become refugees in neighboring Tamil Hindu in India.

Recently, 17 Tamil workers with a French aid agency were killed execution style by the Sri Lanka military and its agents. And Sri Lanka aerial strikes have killed 55 people, including 51 girls in an orphanage run by Tamils.

As AFP news agency has argued, “The Government maintained it targeted an LTTE military training center but the monitors found no evidence the victims were combatants or undergoing military training.

It is very clear that the Sri Lanka government and military are guilty of war crime, crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. They should be strongly condemned by the United Nations. They should be tried by some war crimes tribunal.

This pre-meditated genocide against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka must be fought most vigorously on all fronts. Tamils in India and those in Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, East Africa and other parts of the world – in short, the Tamil Diaspora in the world – must stand up to help stop this genocide. So should all other people throughout the world who love the sanctity of human life and respect human rights and peace.

Last year the total direct investment by Malaysia in Sri Lanka amounted to US$ 261 million dollars (RM965.7 million). Malaysia is now the 4^th largest investor in Sri Lanka.

Malaysian companies have invested in several projects in Sri Lanka, specially in the areas of hotel, real property, telecommunications and garment industry.  According to the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, Malaysia has signed 21 agreements, 2 projects awaiting agreement, 7 projects awaiting construction, 3 projects under consideration under consideration and 11 projects under commercial operation as to date. For this current year Malaysia is widely expected to increase its investments in Sri Lanka to over RM1billion.

As regards to the tourist industry, the total number of tourist arrival from Malaysia is srecorded as 9,331 in 2003 and 10,132 in 2004.

I call upon Malaysians to (1) Boycott all Sri Lanka products and services including tourism, and (2) Boycott investing in Sri Lanka or divesting whatever investments they have in that country, in order to give a strong and unequivocal message to the Sri Lanka butchers that their human rights violations and war atrocities cannot and will not be tolerated by the world at large. 

SUMMARY OF SRI LANKA MALAYSIA TRADE 2000 - 2004

Value in SL Rs. Million 

(27/08/2006)