UK ARMS SALES TO SRI LANKA

That this House notes the Tamil Information Centre's report of June 2017, Armament for Repression: Militarization of Sri Lanka, detailing the UK's arms trade with Sri Lanka and training of security forces, based on evidence from international human rights agencies and UN bodies; further notes that Sri Lanka remains of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's list of countries with serious human rights concerns and that an estimated 200,000 military, police and intelligence personnel remain in Sri Lanka's north-east region resulting in a repressive militarised environment; acknowledges the UN Commissioner for Human Rights' report of March 2018 regarding non-implementation of key commitments on accountability and reform by Sri Lanka and continuing human rights violations and attacks on minorities; notes the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry's statement in 2016 and 2017 that some 50,000 armed forces personnel deserted since 2009, alongside reports that crimes by armed forces members rose from five per cent of reported crimes in 2013 to 18 per cent in 2014; notes the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey's estimate of 2.3 million light weapons in circulation in Sri Lanka and that no records exist of illicit weapons and their use in crime; notes that Sri Lanka is not a state party to the UN Arms Trade Treaty; believes licensing arms exports to Sri Lanka given these circumstances could contravene international humanitarian law and exacerbate conflict, with weapons being used for internal repression and crime; and calls on the Government to end all arms exports to Sri Lanka immediately.