Several Australian Tamil organisations and some Tamil individuals were invited to a meeting on Monday at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia in the capital, Canberra.  The meeting was convened by Mr David Holly, the Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia Branch of the DFAT, for a forward-looking discussion between DFAT and AusAid, the foreign aid agency of Australia, and the members of prominent Tamil community representatives on the current situation in northern Sri Lanka and on the ways both sides can work together towards a lasting peace. 

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Stephen Smith made a surprise appearance on Monday in a meeting organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) inviting several Australian Tamil organisations and individuals.  This meeting was convened and chaired by Mr. David Holly, the Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia Branch of the DFAT. Minister Smith spent more than 45 minutes, explaining his government’s approach in handling the conflict in Sri Lanka, his government’s aid strategy and listened to the participants’ concerns, comments and suggestions.  The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere.  

_{Photo Courtesy: Uthayam - Australia}

The invitees were informed that the meeting would be an opportunity to hear their views on how the Australian government can work together with the Tamil community to best contribute to the future of Sri Lanka and to update the Tamil Community on the Australian government’s advocacy efforts and aid.  The organisations in attendance at the meeting were, Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), Australian Tamil Electoral Lobby Group (ATEL), Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), Global Tamil Forum (GTF), Tamil Senior Citizens’ Association (NSW) Inc, Australian Tamils for Equality and Justice, Committee for Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Democracy Forum and two other individuals who have communicated with DFAT about the conflict.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. David Holly and three senior officials from AusAID and another senior officer from DFAT also participated.  After the participants introduced themselves, as a surprise, Minister Smith came into the room with two of his advisors and joined in the proceedings.  Minister only updated the participants on the Australian government’s advocacy efforts and aid strategy.  Minister stated that:

• He realises that this has been a terrible conflict in which members of the participants’ kith and kin also would have been affected.
• Sri Lanka having won the war still has to win the peace.
• Australia has expressed privately and publicly to the SLG the importance of the protection of civilians.
• Australia has emphasised to the SLG the necessity of free access to UNHCR, ICRC etc of the IDP camps.
• Australia from the beginning has realised that the SLG has announced a too ambitious plan in resettling the IDPs.
• Australia is repeatedly telling the SLG that there has to be political reconciliation and is strongly urging the SLG for the reconstruction of the war affected areas.
• Australia has made clear to SLG, how these will affect how international community will look at Sri Lanka.
• Australia on Sunday announced releasing $2 M for resettlement of IDPs and will announce another $3 M in the evening in parliament.  This will make $5 M for the running of the camps and $5 M for resettlement of the IDPs in this financial year alone which started in July in addition to the $24.5 M given in the last financial year.
• His government is very conscious of the very large Sri Lankan community, both Tamil and Sinhalese, settled in Australia.
• He has met both his counterpart Hon Rohitha Bogollagama and His Excellecy President Mahintha Rajapaksa on several occasions and always talked about this conflict with them.
• Australia feels the immediate need to move the IDPs out of the camps as soon as possible.
• He will be going to Sri Lanka, early next year and will be putting Australia’s views directly to the SLG and will be seeing himself the situation in person.
• His government is working through its High commissioner Kathy Klugman in Colombo and other like minded leaders of countries such as UK, USA and EU to send strong messages to the Sri Lankan government.
• Either the Tokyo Co-chairs have to be reactivated or form another group of like minded countries to re-start political negotiations between the Tamils and the SLG.
Rest of the time the minister spent listening to the concerns and comments raised and questions asked by the participants.  Participants raised the following concerns and comments:

• The way SLG is handling the IDPs was the key concern of many and it was emphasised that SLG is giving collective punishment to the innocent Tamils under the disguise of weeding out former rebels and Australia should take direct action like promoting an R2P type of intervention.
• SL government’s plan on permanently dividing the North and East by developing an Air Base in the Wellioya region, the Singhalese colonisation already going on in the areas where the IDPs were evicted from and using Tamil’s land to build Buddhist temples were described in detail.
• The necessity of imposing sanctions like the way imposed on South Africa, Fiji and Zimbabwe was emphasised but the minister replied that his government is not in favour of that and wants to engage with the SLG in a dialogue rather than completely shutting down the door for dialogue.  When some one suggested to use at least a small cane rather than the large cane and referred to the case of alleged war crime committed by the Australian and former DFAT employee Dr. Palitha Kohana, implying travel sanction at least like the way his predecessor did to Mugabe’s ministers, Minister Smith replied humorously that his Marist experience at school tells him that the small cane sometimes hurt more than the large cane.
• Using minister’s earlier suggestion that a new group to be formed from like minded countries to reactivate the negotiation process between Tamils and the SLG, when it was suggested that Australia could start an initiative towards this end at the forthcoming CHOGM in November and the Tamil Diaspora could muster support from the like minded countries such as UK, Canada, South Africa etc, minister gave an acceptance nod of his head.
• One participant talked about his visit to the IDP camps, other parts of the island, even a visit to India and a meeting with the Indian Foreign Minister when he came to Australia and his promise to him that India will see to that the 13+ + is implemented.
• Minister was told that Rajapaksa regime is not even interested in implementing the 13th amendment and this was mooted in 80s and will not be enough to satisfy the aspirations of the Tamils and Australia should officially invite the leadership of the TNA to find out what the Tamils in Sri Lanka wants as a political settlement and also to give that way, a strong message to the SLG.  Minister accepted that suggestion also with a nod of his head.
• Minister was also told that there are plenty of proposals available to the SLG to initiate a discussion on a possible political solution as there were several solutions accepted under various pacts SLG signed with the Tamil political parties and never implemented and the most recent one, the Oslo declaration could be the best starting position for negotiations. Minister accepted these suggestions with thanks.

After Minister left to join in the parliamentary session, AusAid briefed the participants on their policies.  AusAid officials described their usual bilateral plan through which Australia has been helping SL in Education, infrastructure development etc. in the past but now their focus is on the camps and they are gearing themselves up to even emergency assistance such as for flooding in the camps etc.  On behalf of the Senior Citizens, an appeal was made to the AusAid that they should help the association in its projects they have initiated to help IDPs.  AusAid agreed to look into the possibilities.  It was also suggested that AusAid should look into help in Micro Financing area like the way it was done in Bangladesh. AusAid welcomed that suggestion too.

At this stage the 4 cardinal principles put forward at Thimbu was read out and Mr David Holly was told that the Tamils will be willing to talk to anyone who accept these 4 principles and emphasised that the right to self-determination does not mean a call for separation and a paper written in 2006 supporting the case for the right to self determination of the Tamils was handed in to Mr. David Holly.

In conclusion Mr. David Holly announced that similar meetings with the same group will be held at regular intervals in the future and the Minister has indicated his desire to participate in such future discussions depending on his availability.

Later in the evening Minister made a lengthy speech in parliament on the situation in Sri Lanka and made public what his government’s position on this conflict.

http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/speeches/2009/090914_statement.html