COLOMBO (AFP) — A human rights group on Monday urged immediate international action in Sri Lanka to prevent abductions and killings of civilians by government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels.
In a statement marking international human rights day, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said Sri Lanka had the highest frequency of cases of disappearances in the world reported to the United Nations.
"The present situation requires immediate scrutiny and action on the part of the UN and the international community," the AHRC said in a statement. It added that there were virtually no investigations into abuses.
Sri Lanka's government has refused to allow international monitoring of its human rights record.
But the AHRC said "the international community must examine whether it is justifiable to remain inactive purely on the grounds of the government's unwillingness to allow intervention to stop the high levels of violence in the country."
"Virtually no investigations are taking place concerning violations of rights in any part of the country, either under the control of the government or the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," it said.
The group also dismissed a presidential commission set up to investigate rights violations as a "farce."
Reports of violations have escalated since a 2002 Norwegian-brokered truce between the government and Tamil Tigers began to unravel in December 2005.
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