Washington, DC – Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding the recent resurgence of violence in Sri Lanka:

“I am dismayed to learn of the continued escalation of violence in Sri Lanka.  The past several months have been abhorrently violent and rife with civil unrest, punctuated this past week by the first aerial bombing ever conducted by the LTTE, a recognized terrorist group. 

“Perhaps the biggest casualty of all is the continuing deterioration of human rights.  Child soldiers, extra-judicial killings and abductions have become commonplace in certain regions, and the numbers of internally displaced people have increased dramatically.

“I urge all parties to stay true to the Ceasefire Agreement and come back to the negotiating table.  A military solution will not end this circle of violence, and further escalation will only worsen the already gross human rights abuses.  I call upon the international community, including diaspora groups, to push all parties towards dialogue rather than destruction.”

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