Human Rights Watch issues a timely statement:
Governments should decline the invitation to attend a Sri Lankan military conference that seeks to legitimize the unlawful killing of thousands of civilians during the armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said today.… The Sri Lankan government has invited 54 countries to its “Seminar on Defeating Terrorism: The Sri Lankan Experience” from May 31 to June 2, 2011 in Colombo, the capital. The conference website says Sri Lankan military officials and panelists will “share their knowledge on Counter Insurgency and enumerate contributory factors in militarily defeating the LTTE.” “Sri Lanka’s self-proclaimed ”˜model’ of counterinsurgency included repeatedly shelling civilians, targeting hospitals, and trying to prevent the world from finding out about it,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This conference is nothing more than a public relations exercise to whitewash abuses. No professional, law-abiding military should take part in this farce.”