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WORLD: Britain sold arms to Sri Lanka while civil war raged
Ed Harris02.06.09
Britain sold military equipment worth more than £13.6 million to the Sri Lankan government in the last three years of its civil war with the Tamil Tigers, it was reported today.
Armoured vehicles and parts for machineguns were among the arms allegedly sold to Sri Lanka by Britain and other EU countries after 2006 despite fears of human rights abuses.
The weapons from the EU may have been used in the last five months of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, which reached a bloody climax last month. UN officials estimate that 20,000 civilians being used as human shileds by the Tamils were killed. The US also sold millions of pounds of military equipment to Sri Lanka in 2006-07 but suspended sales last year.
Politicians and opponents of the arms trade today said that the EU should have done the same as early as 2006, when the ceasefire began to come apart.
The sales were approved despite the 1998 EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, which restricts transfers to countries facing internal conflicts or with a history of violating international law.
Mike Gapes, a Labour MP who chairs the foreign affairs select committee and is a member of the committee on arms export controls, said: “We need answers.” Malcolm Bruce, a Liberal Democrat MP who
visited Sri Lanka last month, told The Times: “The EU had an obligation not to supply these things. There were too many unanswered questions. With hindsight, Britain's sales did violate the EU code of conduct.”
John Battle, a former Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister and now a member of the committee on arms export controls, said: “We should have been sharper off the mark and so should the EU.”
He called for EU arms sales to Sri Lanka to be suspended until it lifted restrictions on journalists and aid workers going to the area where Tamil forces were overwhelmed and civilian casualties were thought to be heaviest.
Reader views (21)
Hi Chula,
Please get this right, Tamils are from Tamil Nadu but they do not belong to TamilNadu and see them as Sri Lankans. History says Singhalesse came from India, this does not mean that they do not belong to Sri Lanka. I agree that both parties have lost a lot, let us work together to build new Sri Lanka. No point arguing about the past, a lesson should be learned.
- Ferdinand, London, United Kingdom
Eelam supporters open your eye, why dont' you ask part of london as eelam. The British brought you to Srilanka, Remember you belong to Tamilnadu. If you cant'accept Srilanka government, negociate with them. Do not kill innocent civilians.
Britain and EU fights against terrorisom.
- Chula, london uk
biritish have done a big mistake and again back stub tamils by doing this i was bit doubt about our goverment activities now i got it why they were not interesting to stop sri lankan genocidal war by using banned arms. i feel shame my self and feeling guilty about it.
- James, london, england
they should not be selling arms to anyone they should only be used by our own country, and at that, the wars are all illegal we are using them in did the british not terrorise most of the empire to take rule only to loose it all and look at the laughing stock we are lol lol lol
- James Fennessey, london
Yes I agree with Muthu about this double standard. On one hand LTTE collected and still collects huge amount of money - weapons bought from that money killed thousands of innocent civilians. But Sri Lanka government when bought weapons from UK legally all come to the road. Uk on one hand has the legal rights to sell weapons to any country and EU trying to blocade that is sanction. Now Praba is killed no talk about money extorted by the LTTE thugs in London. This is not correct.
- Subramaniam N., London, UK
It is the correct thing that UK has done. Sri Lanka government is democratically elected and was fighting against terrorist group of Prabakaran maniac. What UK has not done is to stop millions of pounds colleted by LTTE to buy weapons. What has been done to prevent that. If government weapons killed people did not those illegally smuggled weapons kill innocent people? You should be balanced Ed!
- Muttiah Kandasamy, London
What's the problem here. LTTE is ban terror organisation and SL govt. was fighting a terrorist outfit. Are we saying, UK shouldn't sell arms to Pakistan now that they are fighting the Taleban. World is full of hyprocrites, it's ok to sell arms to Pakistan because they are fighting our war but not to Sri Lanka, because some people are protesting at the Parliment Square.
- Appuhamy, London, UK
As this was a globally recognised national government fighting against an outlawed terrorist group what right do we have to interfere? Nobody refused the UK whilst we fought the IRA.
- Mark, London
If the UK played a very small part in ending the 26 year terrorist insurgency in Sri Lanka, then for once I actually feel proud to be British.
- Stephen, london
Britain did not protect the tamil minority.
Nor did it allow tamils protect themselves from the barbarism of perpetrators.
Thank you
- Sandy, Toronto, Canada
are we really bothered!
- Anthony Price, luton
Oh dear why are we not surprised? This government and since Tony Blair's time it has turned into a joke, what a reputation we had as a country and everyone looked upon our parliament as clean, honest and straightforward. But this lot are as straight as a cork screw in everything they do, whether international affairs or their own affairs. However I cannot understand why no one looks at how these tiger terrorists obtained arms? The Sri Lankan Government is a legitimate government and the arms whether right or wrong were sold to a legitiamate one, however the arms sold to a terrorist group would indeed be of great interest and I would like to see the list of countries involved in selling them. You never know where that might lead us to as sometime ago the Israeli secret service i.e. Mossad were training the sri lankan soldiers while at the same time training the terrorists and this was about twenty odd years ago.
- S Eaton, Ealing, London
"the UN estimate that 20,000 civilians were killed" THIS IS WRONG... London Times Estimated this NOT the UN... Clear show if How Bull**** is converted to "Facts" by the Media Mafia!
From BBC "The UN says that there are no confirmed estimates of civilian casualties"
- Tuan, Stockholm, Sweden
Britain knew exactly what they were doing and this is not the first time the UK, USA or other industrialized nations have been playing these double games. However, if the UK wants to do something worthwhile, they can still go after the terrorists who are comfortably residing and operating from their country. Start with Adele Balasingham - the crimes she has committed against young children should be sufficient to put her behind bars for the rest of her life.
- Nihal, New York, USA
Gapes and Battle instead of shouting about arms sales should put pressue on the Government to arrest Adele Balasingham who trained the Birds of freedom the femake terrorist of the LTTE. Such double standards. it is becoming a big joke now
- Tharun Gnanapragasam, London
As in WW2 the full story of what happened will take years to emerge, if ever.
Israel, China and the Ukraine supplied the bulk of weapons to the Sri Lankan Govt. However, it is ironic that our Govt has been selling arms too - having allowed the UK to become a key Tamil Tiger overseas base, and Milliband leading the charge to prosecute the SL Govt for war crimes. Although that MAY be more down to his desire to lead the Labour Party as there is a substantial Tamil bloc(an immoral reason maybe but probably better than outright stupidity - given the frequency that our forces call in airstrikes on civilian buildings that that Taliban fire from, often with the civilians still trapped inside but out of sight of the troops. And not forgetting the whole WMD fiasco and 'extraordinary rendition').
If this was yet another demonstration of our 'ethical' foreign policy it harrows me with fear and wonder.
- D Marks, London, UK
So much for Browns Presperterian image, "lol", the guy is a bloody laugh.
- David Crocket, Bradford, UK
Britain also harboured 'Aunty Cyanide' for the TTFL, so I guess perversely that evens things out.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Unlike our own 'hand wringing' little country all of the other EU countries can sell arms to anyone they like without fear of interference. MP's in the UK Parliament can go whistle for all the difference their protest(s) will make. In the 'real world' most armament sales are controlled by the state and no one but no one even the 'famous duo' of Malcolm Bruce and Mike Gapes criticising them will make a scrap of difference.
- Nick Holland, glasgow
Good, I am glad we still have an arms industry that keeps our workers employed.
Even this pathetic shower of a government couldn't close that down.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
When one is engaged in trading hardware, it is good business sense to sell material to both sides in a potential conflict. Then sell again to the losers.
- Roy G, Solihull, England.
