By NNN-Bernama,
Melbourne : Australia has condemned the killing of former Sri Lankan high commissioner (ambassador) to Canberra Major General Janaka Perera and 25 others by a Tamil Tiger suicide blast in the north of the country.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith condemned the attack on offices of the main opposition party in northern Sri Lanka on Monday, which took the life of Major General Perera, a local opposition leader.
“The Australian government sends its most sincere condolences to the Perera family and to the families of all those killed and injured in this terrible attack,” Smith said in a statement Tuesday.
“Australia is deeply concerned about the increasing violence in Sri Lanka and the humanitarian impact of escalating conflict in the north of the country. Fighting has intensified as Sri Lankan government security forces seek to establish control over territory in the hands of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).”
Perera served as Sri Lanka’s high commissioner in Australia from 2001 to 2005, causing an outcry among the local Tamil community, which accused him of war crimes, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) news agency said.
Politicians belonging to the Australia-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group added their voice to criticism of the attack. Group chairman Steve Hutchins and vice-chairman Don Randall said Perera was a good man who worked tirelessly for his country. “His passing will be a great loss to the people of Sri Lanka,” they said.
Smith said Australia recognized the right of the Sri Lankan government to take measured action to secure control over its national territory.
“At the same time, it is vital that the government and all institutions of the state make every effort to avoid any civilian casualties and act swiftly and on a sustained basis to mitigate humanitarian hardship from the conflict,” he said.
“Both sides to the conflict need to be held accountable to their responsibilities in the conduct of hostilities. Both sides must act in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian norms.”