Karen Parker of the Non Governmental Human Rights Organisation, International Educational Development put it succinctly at the 42nd Sessions of UN Sub Commission on the Protection of Minorities.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all persons, including members of minority groups, have the right to the full realisation of their human rights and to an international order in which their rights can be realised.
The Sri Lanka situation has shown that for the past forty years, the Sinhala controlled government has been unwilling and unable to promote and protect the human rights of the Tamil population, and the Tamil population has accordingly lost all confidence in any present or future willingness or ability of the Sinhala majority to do so. Are people in this situation required to settle for less than their full rights. Can the international community impose on a people a forced marriage they no longer want and in which they can clearly demonstrate they have been Abused?... We consider that in the case of Sri Lanka, 40 years is clearly enough for any group to wait for their human rights.â€