ACHR hails Britain's decision to freeze aid to Sri Lanka

New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) today hailed Britain's decision to withhold millions of dollars worth of aid to Sri Lanka until the island's government meets agreed human rights and defence spending conditions.

''This is the most significant step taken so far to address flagrant and systematic human rights violations by the Sri Lankan security forces killing of the aid workers with impunity.... with the sanction of the Sri Lankan state,'' ACHR Director Suhas Chakma said.

Britain yesterday decided to freeze aid worth three million dollars to Sri Lanka for not complying with agreed human rights conditions.

The Human Rights Watch Dog urged India, the European Union, Japan, the United States and the United Nations to halt all funds, except humanitarian aid, to address human rights violations.

It appealed to the International Community to put the moribund peace process with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on the track.

Earlier, ACHR had urged United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to intervene in seeking protection for humanitarian workers, who have been threatened by TMVP Party, in Sri Lanka It said the Sri Lanka Government does not have a track record of protecting humanitarian workers and unless the UN intervenes, aid workers will become victims.

''The Sri Lankan government does not have a track record of protecting humanitarian workers. Rather, its army personnel killed 17 workers of Action Contre la Faim and the government has failed to establish accountability,'' Mr Chakma said.

The Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) Party, headed by Col Karuna, issued a threat to the members of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies as well staff of the UN agencies working in Eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

The Karuna group sent two threatening emails respectively on April 17 and 20 to the members of the CHA and UN workers, he added.

''The threat given by Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to Ms Champika Liyanarachchi, editor of The Daily Mirror, on April 17 for the paper's coverage of actions of the Karuna Group testify the involvement of the Sri Lankan government,'' Mr Chakma said.

At least seven humanitarian workers have been killed so far in 2007 while at least three workers of Halo Trust have been reported missing after abduction in Jaffna, he added.

''These are part of the concerted efforts of the Sri Lankan government to throw out humanitarian agencies from the war zones and make the lives of the civilians untenable,'' he said.

UNI