Maori Party asked to think again on Sri Lanka

The Maori party should think again over its decision to block a parliamentary motion that expressed concern about the dire humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, Wigram MP Jim Anderton says.

He says congratulations to the Maori Party from Sri Lanka’s honorary consul should highlight that they have given comfort to humanitarian abuses by blocking the parliamentary motion.

This week Jim Anderton asked parliament to adopt a motion expressing concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Northern Sri Lanka. The motion asked that civilians be spared and called on respect for international humanitarian law. All parliamentary parties were given a copy of the notice of motion in advance. Only the Maori Party stopped it being adopted.

“The Sri Lankan consul is outrageously wrong to say the motion took sides or could be construed as treating terrorist groups the same way as a government. The Maori Party should reject his endorsement urgently,” Jim Anderton says.

“No one is being asked to take sides. But parliamentarians were asked to express concern, they were asked to express support for allowing civilians to leave the combat zone, they were asked to condemn violence against civilians leaving the combat zone, and they were asked to respect international humanitarian law.

“That is about all we can do to help in the New Zealand parliament. Any reasonable person should support this motion. What is it about not killing civilians and respect for humanitarian law that the Maori party has a problem with?

“The fact that one of the parties responsible for the abuses is taking comfort from their opposition shows that the Maori Party have behaved very wrongly in blocking this motion. They should commit to undoing the damage in parliament next week.”

The motion read:

That this House, notes its deep concern at the dire humanitarian situation in Northern Sri Lanka and calls upon both the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) to immediately stop hostilities to allow those civilians in the combat zone to move to safety, condemns all acts of violence and intimidation which are preventing civilians from leaving the conflict area, and calls on both sides to respect international humanitarian law and to protect and assist the civilian population in combat zone, as in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.

ENDS

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