To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government on freedom of religion and respect for human rights in that country.
Answered on
6 June 2018
I met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Marapana on 18 April in the margins of the Commonwealth Summit. We discussed the recent intercommunal violence between Sinhala and Muslim communities in Sri Lanka. I welcomed the steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to bring the situation under control, and urged that those responsible should be identified and held to account through a free and open judicial process. I also encouraged continued progress on implementation of Sri Lanka's human rights and reconciliation commitments under UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1.
The UK is providing Sri Lanka with £6.6 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding over three years until 2019 to improve human rights, and we are currently funding a range of projects in support of this. One of these projects supports interfaith dialogue, aimed at promoting cohesion between those of different backgrounds and beliefs.