The Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) is appalled at the killing of yet another member of parliament in Sri Lanka. Mr. K. Sivanesan, a parliamentarian belonging to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and his driver were killed on 6 March 2008 by a roadside bomb shortly after they had crossed into the Vanni region.
Mr. Sivanesan is the fifth member of parliament to be killed since 2005. Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham and Mr. Nadiraj Ravirja, both belonging to the TNA, were shot dead on 25 December 2005 and 10 November 2006, respectively. Mr. T. Maheswaran, an opposition legislator, was shot on 1 January 2008 and Mr. Dassanayke, an MP and a member of Cabinet, was killed by a roadside bomb on 8 January 2008. All these murders have remained unpunished to date.
The IPU has consistently recalled that impunity can only generate the recurrence of crime and that it stands as a formidable deterrent for parliamentarians wishing to speak out on critical issues. It calls on the authorities - as is their duty - to make every effort to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the killings.
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