Global concern is mounting over Sri Lanka's worsening human rights record, but action by key international players has been "slow and lacked cohesion," Human Rights Watch said.
The group said Sri Lanka managed to head off censure in the UN Human Rights Council by agreeing to host UN officials, though Colombo later rejected UN demands for the global body to monitor human rights in the country.
"Expressions of concern about the situation in Sri Lanka grew in 2007," the New York-based group said.
The US government's Millennium Challenge Corporation suspended more than $110 million (BD41.5m) in aid to Sri Lanka due to concerns about the island's human rights situation, it said. Britain had also suspended $3m (BD1.13m) in debt relief citing concerns over human rights and high defence spending to battle separatist Tiger guerillas, the report added.
The group has been lobbying Japan to use financial aid to the government as leverage to force President Mahinda Rajapakse to clean up its rights record.
In the continuing conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Tigers, both show little regard for the safety of civilians, it said.
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