In a separate statement issued Friday, church leaders in Sri Lanka have called on both the LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka “to bring an immediate halt to their hostilities, declare a new cease fire with improved modalities for monitoring and to sit together and start talking to each other with the expressed objective of restoring normalcy and the free availability of basic human needs to all.”
One of the signatories of the letter was the Rev Dr T. Peiris, general secretary of ACT member National Christian Council of Sri Lanka which is currently working in the country as part of the reconstruction effort.
The entire statement from the ACT members in Sri Lanka and list of signatories is provided below.
Statement of ACT members in Sri Lanka
Eight members of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International working in Sri Lanka are alarmed and distressed at the continuing levels of violence in the country. The murder of 17 local staff members of Action Contre La Faim and attacks on international non-governmental organizations attempting to bring aid to those suffering as a result of the violence is of deep concern to all of us.
As signatories to the International Red Cross Code of Conduct, we are committed to offering humanitarian assistance regardless of religious or political persuasion. In too many places there is a disregard for international humanitarian law, which is clear on the protection of civilians and unconditional humanitarian access to people in need.
The fundamental principles of international humanitarian law are to prevent humanitarian suffering among civilian populations, to ensure that populations have access to basic humanitarian assistance, and to spare civilian life, states John Nduna, the director of the Geneva-based coordinating office of ACT International.
The current situation is having a devastating impact on the tsunami work in the northern and eastern parts of the country, bringing much of the work to a halt and severely setting back the reconstruction work.
We therefore urge both the parties to guarantee safe passage for all humanitarian agencies SO THAT THE RECONSTRUCTION WORK MAY CONTINUE UNHAMPERED and the needs of the people wounded and displaced by the current hostilities can be met.
Signed by:
Christian Aid
Church of Sweden
DanChurchAid
Diakonie Emergency Aid (Diakonische Werk)
Hungarian Interchurch Aid
Lutheran World Relief (LWR)
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
