Consulate General of Sri Lanka

Responding to the joint statement issued by the United Nations Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng and the United Nations Special Advisor on the Responsibility to Protect Karen Smith on 13 May 2019, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Dr Rohan Perera stated that their prejudiced statement only serves to sensationalize issues at a time the government is taking stringent measures to maintain law and order and quell unrest in the interest of safety of all and that it skews the situation on the ground and interprets post-April 21 events through a narrow prism of stereotypical labels, while disregarding the deeper and more nuanced issues at play.

The full text of the response is appended below:

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Mr. Adama Dieng

United Nations Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide

 Mrs Karen Smith

United Nations Special Advisor on the Responsibility to Protect

Dear Mr. Dieng and Mrs. Smith,

The Government of Sri Lanka has carefully reviewed your joint statement of 13 May 2019, issued as a note to correspondents, where you have expressed alarm on the ‘growing acts of violence on the basis of religion’ in Sri Lanka. While noting your concerns, we were taken aback by your oversimplified narrative of events that are nuanced and complex in nature.

For the past decade, the people of Sri Lanka had been enjoying their hard-won peace and freedoms, and had embarked on the arduous path of reconciliation and national healing after nearly three decades of struggling against separatist terrorism. As has been perpetrated by ruthless terrorist groups inspired by ISIL/ Da’esh with global reach in many parts of the world, the horrendous Easter Sunday attacks were intended to create division among us and destroy the very fabric of our multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society, and deal an intentional blow to our economy. All peace-loving citizens of Sri Lanka are still trying to come to terms with the shock and aftermath.

While we mourn the loss of innocent lives, the support and solidarity from our friends in the international community, including the UN Secretary-General, have been overwhelming. We were reminded that we are fighting a common adversary in terrorism, and its associated manifestations of radicalization and violent extremism, which had taken many innocent lives from across many parts of the world in recent times.

Read more: Sri Lanka's response to the joint statement issued by the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Advisor on the Responsibility to Protect

On 26^th April 2019, the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Etobicoke, Toronto had packed with Sri Lankans belongs to all faiths at an interfaith solidarity in Mass and Memorial service to honour the victims and to bless the injured in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.

This event hastily organized by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in association with the Canada-Sri Lanka Catholic Association in Toronto. The members of Federal Parliament of Canada and Provincial Parliament of Ontario, Mayor of Mississauga, Chief of Protocol of Ontario, members of the Consular corps in Toronto and other dignitaries among the participants.

Read more: Holy Mass and Memorial Service in Solidarity with People of Sri Lanka

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Province, Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell visited the Sri Lanka Consulate in Toronto on 23^rd April 2019 to sign the Condolence Book opened at the Consul General’s office at the Consulate in memory of the victims and all those affected by the attacks on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. The Hon. Governor offered her sincere condolences to the people of Sri Lanka and she also expressed that “such devastating times reminds us that we are all one people and everyone stand with you in solidarity”.

Consuls General of USA, Japan, China, Korea, Turkey, UAE, Ghana, Argentina, Barbados, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary were among the other signatories of condolence book.

Consulate General of Sri Lanka

Toronto

29 April 2019