"...we are standing with both the government and the people of Sri Lanka against terrorism and also pursuing ways forward to peace." - Boucher
May 11, Colombo: U .S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher said yesterday that U.S. is concerned about the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka and will continue its military cooperation to fight threat of terrorism.
Addressing a media conference after wrapping up his three-day official visit to the country, Boucher said “We are helping, and we will help. We do have defense cooperation with the Sri Lankan military.”
Responding to a question on LTTE air raids Assistant Secretary Boucher said the Sri Lankan government “has every right to stop those airplanes from hurting people and killing people and damaging the interests of the island.”
Boucher also raised concerns over the worsening human right situation in the country and urged the government to rein in the paramilitary groups who are believed to be behind many of the recent abductions and killings. While welcoming the government’s recent move of reissuing the guidelines on arrest and transparency, he said it is important to implement them thoroughly.
On the issue of U.S. aid to Sri Lanka, Assistant Secretary Boucher said that U.S. supports great many programs in the country. However, he said that one program from the Millennium Challenge Corporation which is in the planning stage is not proceeding forward due to concerns about the ability to carry out the project given the security situation and the human rights situation.
Boucher said that despite improvements made by the government in the food supplies and job opportunities in the Jaffna peninsula, people live in fear due to the killings and abductions. He urged the government to do more to provide a secure environment to the people in Jaffna.
Reiterating his government’s support to fight the Tiger terrorism Assistant Secretary Boucher said the United States, with the international community will take every action possible to prevent the Tamil Tigers from being able to raise money and buy arms.
“We have been working with the government to try to help them defend the population against attacks by the Tamil Tigers. So I think we are standing with both the government and the people of Sri Lanka against terrorism and also pursuing ways forward to peace. That is what we are doing and that is what we’ll need to do,” he said.
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