Mr. Speaker, I want to draw the attention of the House again to the difficult situation in Sri Lanka following the conclusion of the military conflict there in May.
Over 100,000 Tamil civilians had been held in detention camps maintained by the military in the north. The camps presented huge challenges in terms of shelter, nutrition, human rights, and access by international and UN aid agencies which were severely restricted.
Earlier this week, happily, Sri Lanka opened the camps for all to leave at the time of their choosing.
Now is the time for Sri Lanka to invite and accept international assistance for this huge resettlement. Many have lost their homes, but resettlement is an essential part of post-conflict reconstruction. A successful reconstruction process is necessary for Sri Lanka to ensure that its minorities fully participate in a peaceful and prosperous citizenship. This is vital to Sri Lanka's future.
I call upon Sri Lanka to publicly embrace these goals and proceed quickly to resettlement, post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation with its minorities.