MFA Press Release: Statement made by the Singapore Delegation at the 11th Special Session Of The Human Rights Council On The Situation In Sri Lanka, Geneva, 27 May 2009

At the 11th Special Session of the Human Rights Council held in Geneva on 27 May 2009, Singapore's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Tan York Chor made the following points:

· The war in Sri Lanka has taken a great toll on the country. A large number of lives have been lost and hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes.

· With the recent defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Sri Lanka has the opportunity to close this chapter of its history and begin the process of national healing and reconciliation. Now that the war is over, national reconciliation is the only way to ensure lasting long-term peace. In this regard, Singapore welcomes President Mahinda Rajapaksa's address to the Sri Lankan Parliament on 19 May, in which he had noted that a solution to the conflict should be acceptable to all communities, and he guaranteed the protection of Tamil-speaking people and that all people of Sri Lanka should live with equal rights. This is truly the fundamental basis for any national reconciliation effort.

· The task ahead is truly daunting and the scale of the humanitarian crisis would require the full support of the international community.

· Singapore wishes Sri Lanka well as it undertakes the difficult task of rebuilding the country.
. . . . .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
27 MAY 2009