In recent weeks there has been tacit international acceptance of the security measures taken by the Colombo government in the Sri Lankan north, which have included the request to international humanitarian organisations to withdraw from the battle zones. Underlying this acceptance is the recognition that international organisations require governmental consent for their presence in Sri Lanka. This has been the explicit position of the United Nations agencies, which particularly appear to feel obliged to conform to the will of the government, as they are governed by inter-governmental bodies in which Sri Lanka has a sovereign vote. But even other international organisations are cognisant that their work visas are dependent on governmental approval.
The withdrawal of the international humanitarian organisations from the battle zones of the north, despite protests by affected people, is indicative of the deference that is being given to the Colombo government by the international community. In addition, the present government has shown itself to be more determined to resist international pressures than previous administrations. Even the government headed by President Ranasinghe Premadasa of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which did not hesitate to expel a British high commissioner for complaining about electoral malpractice, ultimately gave in to international pressure on human-rights issues.
It accepted a long list of conditions given by Amnesty International that sought to remedy the rights excesses amidst the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurrection.
The present government, however, has successfully resisted pressures from such organisations as Amnesty International, and has taken the loss of its seat on the UN's Human Rights Committee with defiance. The government has taken several legal measures, including passing new legislation to incorporate international human-rights agreements into national law, but it appears unyielding on the issue of the war and the humanitarian challenges that have arisen from it.