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Friday, July 17, 2009
What really happened in Sri Lanka?
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SRI LANKA / MUTTUR MASSACRE: ACF demands an internationalized inquiry
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Tamils look for leadership after Tigers
Tamil National Alliance (TNA)is trying to assume a leadership role by proposing a solution. "Our proposals will be based on the Canadian and Swiss model of power sharing in a federal set up. We will try to build a consensus among the Tamil parties barring the ones which support the ruling party," says R Sampanthan, the leader of the TNA. Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) V. Anandasangaree believes the Indian model of power sharing between the central and state governments will solve the problems in Sri Lanka. But the Sinhala hardliners in the government are not keen to dilute the unitary structure of the Sri Lankan state.
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Tamil issue paramount in relations - India
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The silent suffering of Sri Lanka's Tamils
Roy Ratnavel, National Post
In May of this year, during the final stages of a brutal ethnic civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, a so-called "humanitarian rescue" of civilians was undertaken by Sri Lanka's armed forces. More than 20,000 Tamil civilians trapped in the conflict zone were massacred. Thousands of dead are children, and most of them died before they even knew that they were Tamils. Scores of people died in bunkers, or were burned alive and bombed in open spaces. People were also shot at close range by the Sri Lankan army. Sri Lanka had no qualms about using heavy weapons to bombard the very people it claimed to be rescuing. According to some reports, the army even used illegal chemical weapons.
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In May of this year, during the final stages of a brutal ethnic civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, a so-called "humanitarian rescue" of civilians was undertaken by Sri Lanka's armed forces. More than 20,000 Tamil civilians trapped in the conflict zone were massacred. Thousands of dead are children, and most of them died before they even knew that they were Tamils. Scores of people died in bunkers, or were burned alive and bombed in open spaces. People were also shot at close range by the Sri Lankan army. Sri Lanka had no qualms about using heavy weapons to bombard the very people it claimed to be rescuing. According to some reports, the army even used illegal chemical weapons.
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Sri Lanka, India bridge proposal revived
July 17, 2009 (LBO) - A proposal to build a bridge linking Sri Lanka and Indian across the Palk Straits is to be discussed at a meeting of south Asian transport ministers in Colombo, a senior official said.
Amal Kumarage, chairman of the island's National Transport Commission, said the bridge will help Sri Lanka regain its regional identity and be part of a continent.
The bridge, over the existing Adam's Bridge of sand banks, would almost be like an umbilical link between the two countries.
"If we have a land bridge with India it will revolutionaise travel," he told a seminar organised by the Chamber of Construction Industry on transport needs to revive the island's north and east whose progress had been retarded by the 30 year ethnic war.
Government forces defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May after a lengthy military campaign. The government is trying to revive the former war zone.
Kumarage said the Indo-Lanka bridge is still at least 10 years away and should be looked at as a long-term project.
"Next weekend (south Asian) transport ministers are to meet in Colombo at which the Indo-Lanka land bridge is an item for discussion."
Amal Kumarage, chairman of the island's National Transport Commission, said the bridge will help Sri Lanka regain its regional identity and be part of a continent.
The bridge, over the existing Adam's Bridge of sand banks, would almost be like an umbilical link between the two countries.
"If we have a land bridge with India it will revolutionaise travel," he told a seminar organised by the Chamber of Construction Industry on transport needs to revive the island's north and east whose progress had been retarded by the 30 year ethnic war.
Government forces defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May after a lengthy military campaign. The government is trying to revive the former war zone.
Kumarage said the Indo-Lanka bridge is still at least 10 years away and should be looked at as a long-term project.
"Next weekend (south Asian) transport ministers are to meet in Colombo at which the Indo-Lanka land bridge is an item for discussion."
Post-War Sri Lanka- Concerns and Reservations
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Sri Lankan refugee appeal
SOS Children has launched an emergency appeal for funds to finance helping refugee children after fighting in Sri Lanka. SOS has been working in Sri Lanka for 29 years and so far is the only organisation that has been invited to visit the area and start work for children. Senior staff of SOS Sri Lanka have been able to visit the northern part in Vavuniya. Vavuniya is also the area where SOS had programmes in early 1990 for about 5 years or so helping the community rebuild their lives. There are hundreds of unaccompanied children in the camps in immediate need of help and care.
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DEPLOYMENT TO SRI LANKA - HAP SUPPORT IN NEW EMERGENCIES
The HAP field team will be in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 23rd July 2009, for a three month deployment to work with HAP members, their partners, and other interested agencies responding to the current humanitarian crisis in Northern Sri Lanka with the aim of improving understanding about, and strengthen performance of, NGO humanitarian accountability and quality management practices. Fifteen HAP members are responding either directly or through implementing partners: ACFID, ACT, ACTED, CAFOD, CARE, Christian Aid, DanChurchAid, Danish Refugee Council, MERCY Malaysia, Muslim Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund, and World Vision.
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US Congress places Rights barriers on Sri Lanka IMF loan
The language inserted in the Department of State Appropriations bill S.1434 soon to be passed in the United States Senate, has virtually blocked U.S. Treasury Secretary from authorizing the projected $1.9B IMF loan to Sri Lanka, unless Secretary of State Hilary Clinton certifies that Sri Lanka "is treating internally displaced persons in accordance with international standards, including by guaranteeing their freedom of movement, providing access to conflict-affected areas and populations by humanitarian organizations and journalists, and accounting for persons detained in the conflict," and Sri Lanka is promoting "reconciliation and justice including devolution of power to provincial councils in the north and east as provided for in the Constitution of Sri Lanka."
The bill makes appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.
Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, reported the original bill which was read twice and placed on the calendar.
Congressional staffers told TamilNet the strong language in the bill inserted by Senator Leahy greatly diminishes the prospects for the IMF to release the long delayed loan to Sri Lanka any time soon.
TamilNet also learnt that the Leahy committee has asked US State Department to submit a report on possible war crimes committed in Sri Lanka between January and May this year.
The text of the portion of the bill related to Sri Lanka follows:
SRI LANKA
SEC. 7091. (a) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ‘‘Foreign Military Financing Program’’ may be made available for assistance for Sri Lanka, no defense export license may be issued, and no military equipment or technology shall be sold or transferred to Sri Lanka pursuant to the authorities contained in this Act or any other Act, until the Secretary of State certifies to the Committee on Appropriations that the Government of Sri Lanka—
is suspending and bringing to justice members of the military who have been credibly alleged to have violated internationally recognized human rights or international humanitarian law; and
has agreed to the establishment of a field presence of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sri Lanka with sufficient staff and mandate to conduct full and unimpeded monitoring throughout the country and to publicize its findings;
is treating internally displaced persons in accordance with international standards, including by guaranteeing their freedom of movement, providing access to conflict-affected areas and populations by humanitarian organizations and journalists, and accounting for persons detained in the conflict; and
is implementing policies to promote reconciliation and justice including devolution of power to provincial councils in the north and east as provided for in the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to technology or equipment made available for the limited purposes of maritime and aerial surveillance.
(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Directors of the international financial institutions (as defined in section 1701(c)(2) of the International Financial Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 262r(c)(2))) to vote against any loan, agreement, or other financial support for Sri Lanka except to meet basic human needs, unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Sri Lanka is meeting the requirements in subsections (a)(3) and (4).
The model indictment document produced by Washington Attorney Bruce Fein, and the submittals to the District of Columbia District Court on Tamils Against Genocide (TAG's) legal action against IMF loan have also been forwarded to the Leahy committee, according to TAG officials.
The bill makes appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.
Congressional staffers told TamilNet the strong language in the bill inserted by Senator Leahy greatly diminishes the prospects for the IMF to release the long delayed loan to Sri Lanka any time soon.
TamilNet also learnt that the Leahy committee has asked US State Department to submit a report on possible war crimes committed in Sri Lanka between January and May this year.
The text of the portion of the bill related to Sri Lanka follows:
SRI LANKA
SEC. 7091. (a) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ‘‘Foreign Military Financing Program’’ may be made available for assistance for Sri Lanka, no defense export license may be issued, and no military equipment or technology shall be sold or transferred to Sri Lanka pursuant to the authorities contained in this Act or any other Act, until the Secretary of State certifies to the Committee on Appropriations that the Government of Sri Lanka—
is suspending and bringing to justice members of the military who have been credibly alleged to have violated internationally recognized human rights or international humanitarian law; and
has agreed to the establishment of a field presence of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sri Lanka with sufficient staff and mandate to conduct full and unimpeded monitoring throughout the country and to publicize its findings;
is treating internally displaced persons in accordance with international standards, including by guaranteeing their freedom of movement, providing access to conflict-affected areas and populations by humanitarian organizations and journalists, and accounting for persons detained in the conflict; and
is implementing policies to promote reconciliation and justice including devolution of power to provincial councils in the north and east as provided for in the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to technology or equipment made available for the limited purposes of maritime and aerial surveillance.
(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Directors of the international financial institutions (as defined in section 1701(c)(2) of the International Financial Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 262r(c)(2))) to vote against any loan, agreement, or other financial support for Sri Lanka except to meet basic human needs, unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Sri Lanka is meeting the requirements in subsections (a)(3) and (4).
The model indictment document produced by Washington Attorney Bruce Fein, and the submittals to the District of Columbia District Court on Tamils Against Genocide (TAG's) legal action against IMF loan have also been forwarded to the Leahy committee, according to TAG officials.
Mahinda takes Tamils on merry go round for the world to see
In the aftermath of the LTTE’s military defeat, some of the Tamil-speaking people in the northern parts of Sri Lanka rush to the polls to elect representatives to their local councils. This election is a ruse, Sri Lanka’s false face of democracy to the world. Even if we were to concede that government elections are an aspect of democracy, it is a tiny part devoid of free media and freedom of speech, with the ratio of one military officer for every ten Tamil persons. Colombo wants to show the world that political stability and democracy have been restored so that they will prove both that the ethnic strife has dissipated and to cover up the genocide accusations. They want to show the world that all people of the island are Sri Lankans and they all embrace Sri Lankan democracy. However, Colombo uses the Tamils as scapegoats and is taking them for a ride. The Local Councils will look after the removal of rubbish bins, destroy stray dogs, and try keeping the toilets clean. If the huge rubbish mounds in Colombo are anything to go by, then we can imagine what kind of work these local councils would be engaged in.
The tragedy is that Colombo rejects the fundamental rights of Tamils and has treated the entire Tamil community as terrorists even in the aftermath of the LTTE – GoSL war in Vanni, where nearly 300,000 Tamils have been incarcerated in the Nazi-style camps in Vavuniya. Despite confining the Tamils in the razor-wired camps, Colombo claims that it is seriously concerned about the plights of Tamils and they want to educate the Tamils in democracy.
Elections a waste in the Northeast
It is pathetic that the government does not allow free movement of media access, even to the NGOs and INGOs, for the fear that these organizations will bring out the miseries of the people living in the military controlled areas. Instead, Sri Lanka claims that they are educating the Tamils in democracy.
Tamils are again taken for a ride as they were in the past on several occasions. In the past when the Indian Armed Forces infiltrated the Tamil homeland, they too conducted such elections and they put forwarded their loyal militant-turned-political parties and even ten year old Tamil children were taken forcefully, had their heads shaved, and put in the camps of the militant organizations such as EPRLF, ENDLF and EPDP so that in case if they happened to join the LTTE, they could be identified and killed. However, the Tamils rejected all these militant groups as well as the Indian Armed Forces except the LTTE because the other organizations acted against the interest of the Tamils, while the LTTE was receiving a red-carpet welcome from the Tamils. Varatharajah Perumal of EPRLF became the first Chief Minister with the introduction of 13th amendment of Sri Lanka’s Constitution as per the Indo-Lanka accord, which legalized the joining of the North and East of Sri Lanka as a single entity known as the “Northeast”. However, Varatharajah Perumal and his associates fled the country to India for safety because Tamils rejected them. Perumal and associates are still in the protection of Indian taxpayers and their whereabouts are still kept confidential for fear that they will be killed by the LTTE.
As it is the history of Eelam struggle, Sri Lanka’s president, too, makes such a move to hold elections after claiming that they have defeated the LTTE militarily in May 2009. Colombo announced that they defeated the LTTE and the time is ripe for Tamils to hold the elections as it would help bring democracy to the Tamils in the North who experienced terrorism in the past three decades. The irony is, Colombo failed to acknowledge that it was Colombo that terrorized the Tamils who are now defenceless and who will have no choice but to live within the military culture introduced by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
After the war was over, Colombo announced that 174 candidates from six political parties and two independent groups are vying for 29 seats in the Jaffna Municipal Council while there are 15 seats in the Vavuniya Urban Council for the 135 candidates from six political parties and three independent groups. The Elections Department will set up 85 polling stations in Jaffna and Vavuniya on August 8. The question is who and what the election staff would be. The record of the government has been involved in the rigging of elections since the Development Council elections in 1981 in Jaffna where the election staff was appointed from among carpenters, tailors, labourers, and criminal elements taken to Jaffna from the south coinciding with the burning of the Jaffna Public Library.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) credible to the Tamils submitted its list of 29 candidates contesting the Jaffna election. The TNA announced that S.N.G Nathan would be its “principal candidate” for the list for Vavuniya. In Jaffna, the three-party coalition consisting of EPRLF Varathar front, PLOTE, and Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) tendered its nomination list with Veerasingham Anandasangaree as its principal candidate. The ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and two independent groups, one headed by Abimanasingham Manickasothy and the other formed by displaced Muslims of Jaffna, filed nominations.
No free and fair elections
TNA Jaffna district MP Mavai Senathirajah has said: “We do not believe that the elections are going to be free and fair. The burning of newspapers on the eve of nominations raises a big question.” He said his party’s priority would be to resettle the displaced Jaffna civilians once it is elected to the Jaffna Municipal Council. He further said: “Our intention is to rebuild Jaffna to its pristine glory with the resettlement of displaced civilians from Jaffna. The Jaffna Municipal Council areas are the worst hit in the Jaffna district. Thousands of people have been displaced from Jaffna Municipal Council limits with their houses and business establishments coming under severe attacks. Therefore, the TNA’s priority would be in re-building the Jaffna Municipal Council to its old glory with all modern facilities.”
In the meantime, Deputy Inspector General of Police Gamini Navaratne, who is in charge of elections, said in response to the growing violence and intimidations that there is no group that exists in the region to cause such problems. However, residents and media outlets say they face severe threats and violence taking place daily, even in broad daylight, but the culprits manage to escape without apprehension by the Sri Lankan security.
The ruling party, UPFA General Secretary and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, said that people who accept UPFA policies can join the UPFA. Everybody should at this critical point unite to propel the country to achieve the development targets set under the Mahinda Chintanaya. Referring to the Jaffna and Vavuniya local government poll’s nomination lists which included EROS, TELO, and EPDP, representatives of the UPFA Secretary said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had also stressed recently that all citizens should work for the country’s sinking narrow differences.
The UPFA election campaign in Jaffna is managed by Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, while Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishard Badiudeen and Vavuniya District Parliamentarian Sumathipala will lead the campaign in the Vavuniya district. Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader V. Anandasangaree will contest the Mayoralty of the Jaffna Municipal Council. Anandasangaree said that the TULF was contesting the election with the objective of bringing about a change in the Jaffna political landscape.
It is well known that the EPDP of Douglas Devananda conducted elections in the mid-1990s and killed many opponents, intimidated voters, and was vehemently condemned by opponents because they rigged the elections and won majority of seats. The EPDP is a rejected party by the Tamils. In the recent past elections, the TNA, the proxy party of the LTTE, won the majority vote. The EPDP is collaborating with UPFA and that would be an asset for the UPFA to sweep the seats and thereby impose detrimental actions against the Tamils.
As these elections are being hurriedly done, unknown armed men believed to be the paramilitaries sponsored by the Sri Lankan army threaten the locals and even the local newspapers are receiving death threats, assisted by parties loyal to the government such as the EPDP. Despite promises given by Colombo, Tamil dailies are severely threatened to support the UPFA. A group calling itself the Tamil Front Protecting the Country earlier said in a note sent to newspaper dealers that reporters and other staff, including the security guard, must quit the dailies. The note further said: “Uthayan has been a propaganda organ for terror activities. Since you have ignored our previous warnings, we are forced not to allow newspapers that mislead the people. Those who ignore this will be subjected to the death penalty.”
The Sri Lankan armed forces are escorting the vehicles of the UPFA and its allies and they are pasting posters with the photos of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Douglas Devananda. But, the pro-government militants and the armed forces bring down the posters of opponents even in broad daylight. Also, the armed forces as well as paramilitaries are threatening the volunteers who put up the posters of TNA and others with death.
Sri Lanka is a country where at least 14 journalists and staff at news outlets have been killed by suspected government paramilitaries since the beginning of 2006. Others have been detained, tortured, or have disappeared, and 20 more have fled the country because of death threats. The farcical elections made out to be vital to democracy are in serious turmoil because the freedom of expression has been suppressed by the state and the people have no say publically for fear they will be persecuted by the state armed forces. This is the reality on the ground for the Tamils on the island.
The elections to be held on August 8 in Vavuniya and Jaffna are nothing but a means to hoodwink the global community and thereby weaken the political demands of the Tamils, and further to receive aid from foreign donors in the guise that they are making every effort to restoring democracy to the region the LTTE had terrorised. Also, the government will use its electoral victory in the local government elections in the Tamil dominated North as the mandate for the Mahinda Chinthanaya, and that would easily allow the government to deny the political demands of Tamils for which the LTTE was fighting for more than three decades militarily. However, it is unlikely that the global community would recognize Colombo’s sinister plans though they will soon realize the real face of the Sri Lankan government. Rajapaksa and his brothers who run the state would never grant autonomy for the Tamils, even a federalism that exists in India, because Sinhala extremists would not allow it to happen, and the Tamils who have silenced their guns will have no choice but to rise again with the global support.
-- By Satheesan Kumaaran for Tamil National
The tragedy is that Colombo rejects the fundamental rights of Tamils and has treated the entire Tamil community as terrorists even in the aftermath of the LTTE – GoSL war in Vanni, where nearly 300,000 Tamils have been incarcerated in the Nazi-style camps in Vavuniya. Despite confining the Tamils in the razor-wired camps, Colombo claims that it is seriously concerned about the plights of Tamils and they want to educate the Tamils in democracy.
Elections a waste in the Northeast
It is pathetic that the government does not allow free movement of media access, even to the NGOs and INGOs, for the fear that these organizations will bring out the miseries of the people living in the military controlled areas. Instead, Sri Lanka claims that they are educating the Tamils in democracy.
Tamils are again taken for a ride as they were in the past on several occasions. In the past when the Indian Armed Forces infiltrated the Tamil homeland, they too conducted such elections and they put forwarded their loyal militant-turned-political parties and even ten year old Tamil children were taken forcefully, had their heads shaved, and put in the camps of the militant organizations such as EPRLF, ENDLF and EPDP so that in case if they happened to join the LTTE, they could be identified and killed. However, the Tamils rejected all these militant groups as well as the Indian Armed Forces except the LTTE because the other organizations acted against the interest of the Tamils, while the LTTE was receiving a red-carpet welcome from the Tamils. Varatharajah Perumal of EPRLF became the first Chief Minister with the introduction of 13th amendment of Sri Lanka’s Constitution as per the Indo-Lanka accord, which legalized the joining of the North and East of Sri Lanka as a single entity known as the “Northeast”. However, Varatharajah Perumal and his associates fled the country to India for safety because Tamils rejected them. Perumal and associates are still in the protection of Indian taxpayers and their whereabouts are still kept confidential for fear that they will be killed by the LTTE.
As it is the history of Eelam struggle, Sri Lanka’s president, too, makes such a move to hold elections after claiming that they have defeated the LTTE militarily in May 2009. Colombo announced that they defeated the LTTE and the time is ripe for Tamils to hold the elections as it would help bring democracy to the Tamils in the North who experienced terrorism in the past three decades. The irony is, Colombo failed to acknowledge that it was Colombo that terrorized the Tamils who are now defenceless and who will have no choice but to live within the military culture introduced by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
After the war was over, Colombo announced that 174 candidates from six political parties and two independent groups are vying for 29 seats in the Jaffna Municipal Council while there are 15 seats in the Vavuniya Urban Council for the 135 candidates from six political parties and three independent groups. The Elections Department will set up 85 polling stations in Jaffna and Vavuniya on August 8. The question is who and what the election staff would be. The record of the government has been involved in the rigging of elections since the Development Council elections in 1981 in Jaffna where the election staff was appointed from among carpenters, tailors, labourers, and criminal elements taken to Jaffna from the south coinciding with the burning of the Jaffna Public Library.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) credible to the Tamils submitted its list of 29 candidates contesting the Jaffna election. The TNA announced that S.N.G Nathan would be its “principal candidate” for the list for Vavuniya. In Jaffna, the three-party coalition consisting of EPRLF Varathar front, PLOTE, and Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) tendered its nomination list with Veerasingham Anandasangaree as its principal candidate. The ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and two independent groups, one headed by Abimanasingham Manickasothy and the other formed by displaced Muslims of Jaffna, filed nominations.
No free and fair elections
TNA Jaffna district MP Mavai Senathirajah has said: “We do not believe that the elections are going to be free and fair. The burning of newspapers on the eve of nominations raises a big question.” He said his party’s priority would be to resettle the displaced Jaffna civilians once it is elected to the Jaffna Municipal Council. He further said: “Our intention is to rebuild Jaffna to its pristine glory with the resettlement of displaced civilians from Jaffna. The Jaffna Municipal Council areas are the worst hit in the Jaffna district. Thousands of people have been displaced from Jaffna Municipal Council limits with their houses and business establishments coming under severe attacks. Therefore, the TNA’s priority would be in re-building the Jaffna Municipal Council to its old glory with all modern facilities.”
In the meantime, Deputy Inspector General of Police Gamini Navaratne, who is in charge of elections, said in response to the growing violence and intimidations that there is no group that exists in the region to cause such problems. However, residents and media outlets say they face severe threats and violence taking place daily, even in broad daylight, but the culprits manage to escape without apprehension by the Sri Lankan security.
The ruling party, UPFA General Secretary and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, said that people who accept UPFA policies can join the UPFA. Everybody should at this critical point unite to propel the country to achieve the development targets set under the Mahinda Chintanaya. Referring to the Jaffna and Vavuniya local government poll’s nomination lists which included EROS, TELO, and EPDP, representatives of the UPFA Secretary said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had also stressed recently that all citizens should work for the country’s sinking narrow differences.
The UPFA election campaign in Jaffna is managed by Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, while Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishard Badiudeen and Vavuniya District Parliamentarian Sumathipala will lead the campaign in the Vavuniya district. Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader V. Anandasangaree will contest the Mayoralty of the Jaffna Municipal Council. Anandasangaree said that the TULF was contesting the election with the objective of bringing about a change in the Jaffna political landscape.
It is well known that the EPDP of Douglas Devananda conducted elections in the mid-1990s and killed many opponents, intimidated voters, and was vehemently condemned by opponents because they rigged the elections and won majority of seats. The EPDP is a rejected party by the Tamils. In the recent past elections, the TNA, the proxy party of the LTTE, won the majority vote. The EPDP is collaborating with UPFA and that would be an asset for the UPFA to sweep the seats and thereby impose detrimental actions against the Tamils.
As these elections are being hurriedly done, unknown armed men believed to be the paramilitaries sponsored by the Sri Lankan army threaten the locals and even the local newspapers are receiving death threats, assisted by parties loyal to the government such as the EPDP. Despite promises given by Colombo, Tamil dailies are severely threatened to support the UPFA. A group calling itself the Tamil Front Protecting the Country earlier said in a note sent to newspaper dealers that reporters and other staff, including the security guard, must quit the dailies. The note further said: “Uthayan has been a propaganda organ for terror activities. Since you have ignored our previous warnings, we are forced not to allow newspapers that mislead the people. Those who ignore this will be subjected to the death penalty.”
The Sri Lankan armed forces are escorting the vehicles of the UPFA and its allies and they are pasting posters with the photos of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Douglas Devananda. But, the pro-government militants and the armed forces bring down the posters of opponents even in broad daylight. Also, the armed forces as well as paramilitaries are threatening the volunteers who put up the posters of TNA and others with death.
Sri Lanka is a country where at least 14 journalists and staff at news outlets have been killed by suspected government paramilitaries since the beginning of 2006. Others have been detained, tortured, or have disappeared, and 20 more have fled the country because of death threats. The farcical elections made out to be vital to democracy are in serious turmoil because the freedom of expression has been suppressed by the state and the people have no say publically for fear they will be persecuted by the state armed forces. This is the reality on the ground for the Tamils on the island.
The elections to be held on August 8 in Vavuniya and Jaffna are nothing but a means to hoodwink the global community and thereby weaken the political demands of the Tamils, and further to receive aid from foreign donors in the guise that they are making every effort to restoring democracy to the region the LTTE had terrorised. Also, the government will use its electoral victory in the local government elections in the Tamil dominated North as the mandate for the Mahinda Chinthanaya, and that would easily allow the government to deny the political demands of Tamils for which the LTTE was fighting for more than three decades militarily. However, it is unlikely that the global community would recognize Colombo’s sinister plans though they will soon realize the real face of the Sri Lankan government. Rajapaksa and his brothers who run the state would never grant autonomy for the Tamils, even a federalism that exists in India, because Sinhala extremists would not allow it to happen, and the Tamils who have silenced their guns will have no choice but to rise again with the global support.
-- By Satheesan Kumaaran for Tamil National
World’s media community writes open Letter to Rajapaksa
The International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, which is comprised of representatives from the world’s media community, including Reporters Without Borders, is extremely concerned over the ongoing spate of violent attacks against the media.
However, in spite of the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the deterioration of the press freedom situation in the country has continued, the International Press Freedom Mission group to Sri Lanka said in its statement published Thursday.
The statement said: We welcome your recent statement ensuring the safety of Tamil-language media outlets following a series of harrowing attacks and death threats against their personnel.
However, we believe that much needs to be done immediately to ensure that Sri Lanka’s journalists and independent news media in Sinhala, Tamil and English enjoy the freedom and safety to which they are entitled in a democracy.
The International Mission would therefore like to propose to you and your Government a 11-point plan to redress the perilous press freedom environment in Sri Lanka:
1. Combat impunity through the creation of a Special Prosecutor’s Office for the investigation of crimes against the media with full autonomy to investigate attacks on and assassinations of journalists and to bring those responsible to justice. Several journalists have been killed since 2007, and yet none of these murders has yet been solved.
2. In accordance with international standards on media freedom and freedom of expression, put in place effective measures to ensure that all journalists can work safely, in particular in areas where local council elections will soon take place such as Jaffna and Vavuniya.
3. Release imprisoned journalist J.S. Tissainayagam and his colleagues B. Jasiharan and V. Vallarmathy, who have been detained since March 2008 under the Emergency Regulations, and were later charged under the 2006 Prevention of Terrorism Act. Withdraw all unjustified complaints and lawsuits brought by the police and government against journalists and freedom of expression activists and repeal legal provisions which may be used to punish journalists for engaging in legitimate media work, including those found in anti-terrorism legislation.
4. Release the first results of the investigation into the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge in 2009.
5. Provide full and unconditional access to the IDP camps for all media in order to report freely and fairly on the reconstruction process since the end of the war. The media can play a vital role in making sure that the reconstruction and reconciliation efforts are genuine and have real impact to bringing lasting peace.
6. Repeal the Press Council Act No. 5 of 1973, which includes powers to fine and/or impose criminal measures, including sentencing journalists, editors and publishers to lengthy prison terms. Instead, allow the media to strengthen the existing self-regulatory mechanism, in accordance with democratic practices.
7. Introduce training for the police, army and the intelligence agencies on freedom of expression and the important role of the media in a democratic society. Since 2007, security forces have been allegedly responsible for kidnapping, beating and threatening at least 30 journalists and media workers.
8. Award financial compensation to journalists who have been arbitrarily detained, beaten or otherwise harassed by security forces.
9. Invite the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom and Expression to visit Sri Lanka, in line with your Government’s commitments to the Human rights Council in 2006.
10. Work with the state-owned media to ensure the immediate end to direct verbal attacks and threats against independent journalists and press freedom activists, which has in particular promoted the unethical spread of accusations portraying the media as LTTE-supporters in a concerted hate campaign that has put several journalists lives in unnecessary danger.
11. Introduce structural legal reforms to create an enabling environment for a free and independent media including by transforming existing state media into independent public service media, with guaranteed editorial independence, by adopting a strong right to information law and by overhauling broadcast regulation to put it in the hands of an independent regulator with a mandate to regulate in the public interest.
We are aware that the task you face is enormous, but we hope that your conviction to ensure a prosperous and democratic future for Sri Lanka will lead you to make it a priority to strengthen press freedom as a vital pillar in the reconstruction of a unified Sri Lanka.
We, as leading press freedom organisations across the globe, hope that you will give your personal attention to these matters and that you will encourage your government to consolidate a climate in which journalists can work freely and without fear.
In October 2006, June 2007 and October 2008 delegations from the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, which is comprised of twelve international press freedom and media development organisations, undertook fact-finding and advocacy missions to Sri Lanka.
Those organisations joining this statement from the International Mission group include:
ARTICLE 19
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Media Support (IMS)
International News Safety Institute (INSI)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)
World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC)
However, in spite of the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the deterioration of the press freedom situation in the country has continued, the International Press Freedom Mission group to Sri Lanka said in its statement published Thursday.
The statement said: We welcome your recent statement ensuring the safety of Tamil-language media outlets following a series of harrowing attacks and death threats against their personnel.
However, we believe that much needs to be done immediately to ensure that Sri Lanka’s journalists and independent news media in Sinhala, Tamil and English enjoy the freedom and safety to which they are entitled in a democracy.
The International Mission would therefore like to propose to you and your Government a 11-point plan to redress the perilous press freedom environment in Sri Lanka:
1. Combat impunity through the creation of a Special Prosecutor’s Office for the investigation of crimes against the media with full autonomy to investigate attacks on and assassinations of journalists and to bring those responsible to justice. Several journalists have been killed since 2007, and yet none of these murders has yet been solved.
2. In accordance with international standards on media freedom and freedom of expression, put in place effective measures to ensure that all journalists can work safely, in particular in areas where local council elections will soon take place such as Jaffna and Vavuniya.
3. Release imprisoned journalist J.S. Tissainayagam and his colleagues B. Jasiharan and V. Vallarmathy, who have been detained since March 2008 under the Emergency Regulations, and were later charged under the 2006 Prevention of Terrorism Act. Withdraw all unjustified complaints and lawsuits brought by the police and government against journalists and freedom of expression activists and repeal legal provisions which may be used to punish journalists for engaging in legitimate media work, including those found in anti-terrorism legislation.
4. Release the first results of the investigation into the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge in 2009.
5. Provide full and unconditional access to the IDP camps for all media in order to report freely and fairly on the reconstruction process since the end of the war. The media can play a vital role in making sure that the reconstruction and reconciliation efforts are genuine and have real impact to bringing lasting peace.
6. Repeal the Press Council Act No. 5 of 1973, which includes powers to fine and/or impose criminal measures, including sentencing journalists, editors and publishers to lengthy prison terms. Instead, allow the media to strengthen the existing self-regulatory mechanism, in accordance with democratic practices.
7. Introduce training for the police, army and the intelligence agencies on freedom of expression and the important role of the media in a democratic society. Since 2007, security forces have been allegedly responsible for kidnapping, beating and threatening at least 30 journalists and media workers.
8. Award financial compensation to journalists who have been arbitrarily detained, beaten or otherwise harassed by security forces.
9. Invite the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom and Expression to visit Sri Lanka, in line with your Government’s commitments to the Human rights Council in 2006.
10. Work with the state-owned media to ensure the immediate end to direct verbal attacks and threats against independent journalists and press freedom activists, which has in particular promoted the unethical spread of accusations portraying the media as LTTE-supporters in a concerted hate campaign that has put several journalists lives in unnecessary danger.
11. Introduce structural legal reforms to create an enabling environment for a free and independent media including by transforming existing state media into independent public service media, with guaranteed editorial independence, by adopting a strong right to information law and by overhauling broadcast regulation to put it in the hands of an independent regulator with a mandate to regulate in the public interest.
We are aware that the task you face is enormous, but we hope that your conviction to ensure a prosperous and democratic future for Sri Lanka will lead you to make it a priority to strengthen press freedom as a vital pillar in the reconstruction of a unified Sri Lanka.
We, as leading press freedom organisations across the globe, hope that you will give your personal attention to these matters and that you will encourage your government to consolidate a climate in which journalists can work freely and without fear.
In October 2006, June 2007 and October 2008 delegations from the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, which is comprised of twelve international press freedom and media development organisations, undertook fact-finding and advocacy missions to Sri Lanka.
Those organisations joining this statement from the International Mission group include:
ARTICLE 19
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
International Media Support (IMS)
International News Safety Institute (INSI)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)
World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC)
Sensitive colonization in Manal Aru (Welioya) area in Mullaithivu district
Nedunkarni is a Tamil dominated area centered by a small town and the residents are now internally displaced in camps in Vavuniya. Dinamina report does not mention anything about the ethnicity of the settlers in the new colonies.
We consider this as a very sensitive political issue that should be handled with utmost care. Mahaweli Authority should not be the sole competent authority in this regard.
The idea that the Sinhala invaders are colonizing their land is one of the basic tools manipulated by the Tamil nationalists to fuel the passion on the homeland among Tamils. This phenomenon presented as Sinhala colonization was vehemently resisted by Tamils.
In the early colonization process, the traditional dwellers of the lands as such in Galoya etc. were integrated to the new colonies. The ethnic ratio among the settlers was also considered. But this situation gradually changed later.
In the late 1950s, Pihimbiyagollewe Dhammaloka Thero, a young Buddhist monk who had settled in Padaviya blocked Tamils being settled in the Eastern parts of the Padaviya colony with the auspices of the Sinhala politicians. Entire Padaviya settlement was tuened to a Sinhala colony and later in 1980s the traditional Tamil villagers like Thennamaravadi in the Eastern coast off Padaviya were also wiped out.
Through this process, a wall of Sinhala villages was erected in between the Northern and Eastern Provinces. It can be observed that the colonization process in the age of the D.S. Senanayaka aimed at undermining the separatist trends among the minorities. But the late colonization were attempts to spread Sinhala chauvinism.
Herman Malinga Bandara, a civil servant engaged in colonization in Welioya has clearly hinted in his book ‘For a sovereign State' that Sinhala chauvinist interests were behind the setting up of Welioya colony in the northeastern parts of Sri Lanka.
Before Welioya colony was set up, this area was dominated by the farms like Dollar, Kent and Ceylon Theaters Farm etc. that were set up in long leased crown land. An NGO called Gandhiyam Movement had settled some Tamils that had been displaced from the southern parts of the island due to ethnic violence in the abandoned land of these fams.
Militant groups like PLOTE led by Uma Maheswaran were also active among these displaced persons. Ill-famous Dollar and Kent Farm massacres of Sinhala settlers and the retaliatory massacre of Tamil villagers in nearby Othiyamale were a beginning of a new era of bloodshed in this zone that took hundreds of lives of Sinhala and Tamil peasants.
Welioya was later earmarked as Mahaweli L-zone. Under the original plan, 39,000 hectare land belonged to Anuradhapura, Vavuniya and Mullaithivu administrative districts were divided into six zones. They include Sampathnuwara, Janakapura, Kokilai, Nedunkarni and Nayaru areas but only two zones were developed so far, say the Mahaweli Authority. The other zones could not be developed due to the unsafe conditions. There are settlements in Nikaweva, Ehetugasweva, Kiribbanweva, Janakapura , Kalyanipura, New Monaraweva and New Gajabapura areas. People were settled in some other areas of Gajabapura, Monaraweva, Helambaweva, Kambiliweva, Konweva, Veheraweva and parts of Kalyanipura but they vacated those areas due to security concerns.
Mahaweli Authority says that 5000 families were settled in Welioya area during the past 22 years. 3364 of them were settled in legally allocated land and the others were squatters. They were leaving and coming back time to time due to security issues. (Lanka Polity)
Power before peace in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government has asked international aid agencies to scale back operations as there has been no more fighting after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May. ‘There must be a reduction or scaling down in operations,” Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe told Reuters. “The challenges now are different,” he added.
The directive to aid agencies comes at a time when the aid community has been calling for increased access to the camps where some 300,000 Tamil internally displaced persons are being housed. Rights activists have accused the government of keeping Tamils as “prisoners behind barbed wire in camps where conditions are in many cases abysmal” and of not allowing them to return to their homes.
Relations between the government and international aid agencies deteriorated sharply in the final stages of its offensive against the LTTE when the Sri Lankan armed forces were closing in on the Tigers. With the media not allowed into the war zone, it was humanitarian workers there who drew the world’s attention to the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire. It was observed that the government’s use of heavy weaponry put the lives of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians at risk.
In the final stages of the war, an increasingly prickly Sri Lankan government rejected visas of journalists and diplomats of countries that were calling for a ceasefire. With the victory over the LTTE, its tolerance of international and domestic criticism has vanished. The government is shutting down the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, or the Peace Secretariat, a body that was set up in February 2002 to coordinate and facilitate the peace process and negotiations. While the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat was flattened by bombing during the hostilities, that of the government continued to function through the fighting, albeit in a much diminished role.
The government has not given a reason for its closure of the Peace Secretariat. The scaling down of relief work and the shutting down of the Peace Secretariat point to strategy that President Mahinda Rajapakse is crafting in post-LTTE Sri Lanka. “The Rajapakse government has made it clear that after defeating the LTTE militarily, it is not keen on reconciliation or reaching out to Tamils,” said a Tamil political analyst who spoke to Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity. “It has signaled its lack of interest in pursuing a political solution to the ethnic crisis. It has indicated that it doesn’t have use for a Peace Secretariat.”
Rajapakse has made it clear that seeking a political solution is not on his immediate list of priorities. It would have to wait his re-election as president. “I must get the mandate. After that, the political solution comes,” Rajapakse said in an interview to The Hindu, an Indian daily. The search for a political solution has been set aside. The “end of hostilities” has been used by the government to justify its demand for a scaled down international humanitarian agency presence on the island. But the end of combat operations has not led to a trimming down of the government’s military muscle or of security measures.
In fact, the government is planning to expand its armed forces. Chief of Defense Staff Sarath Fonseka has said that he wants a 50% increase in the size of the 200,000-strong Sri Lankan Army. Army officials say that more soldiers are needed to monitor Tamils in the north and east to ensure that the LTTE isn’t revived. With 5.7 soldiers per every 1,000 in the population, Sri Lanka already stands first in South Asia and 42nd in the world with regard to armed forces per capita. The country does not face external military threats and the LTTE has ceased to exist as a military force. “Even 200,000 soldiers are not required in a post-LTTE Sri Lanka,” the political analyst pointed out.
Rights activists fear that an expanded army means that military occupation of the north and east will continue for many years. They also fear that the army will be deployed to crush protests that are likely to break out in the south. Although the war is over, emergency regulations, which have been in place for much of the past 30 years have not been lifted. Last week, the government extended many of these once again.
Its war on the media continues. Both, the Defense Ministry and the government-controlled press continue to label journalists who were critical of its conduct of the war as traitors. Journalists have been jailed, abducted, shot dead or beaten up during the war years. But they aren’t any safer now that the combat operations have ended. On June 1, Poddala Jayantha, an advocate of press freedom was abducted and assaulted in Colombo. The government has announced the re-establishment of a powerful press council with the authority to jail journalists.
Apparently, the government has compiled a list of journalists supposedly on the LTTE’s payrolls based on information divulged by Daya Master, the LTTE political wing member who surrendered to the army in April. Journalists - both Sinhala and Tamil - fear that critics of the government will be named on this list and punished. “The witch-hunt against journalists critical of the government has been intensified,” the analyst said.
Following the defeat of the LTTE and the death of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and the entire Tiger top brass, a mood of triumphalism and extreme chauvinism has gripped the Sinhala south. Accompanying this is a frenzied glorification of Rajapakse by his cronies, his party members, Sinhala-Buddhist hardliners and the Buddhist clergy. Rajapakse has been promoting a personality cult around himself for some years now. The victory over the LTTE has given this personality cult a massive shot in the arm - and taken it to a new level.
Within weeks of the victory over the LTTE, Rajapakse was conferred with the title of Vishvakeerthi Sinhaladheeswara (Universally Glorious Overlord of the Sinhalese) and Shree Wickrema Lankadheeswara (Heroic Warrior Overlord of Lanka) and crowned Sri Lanka Raajavamsa Vibhooshana Dharamadveepa Chakravarti (Monarchical Emperor of the Glorious Land of Buddhism) by high priests of various leading Buddhist chapters.
Billboards featuring Rajapakse in the white robes of a Buddhist deity carry slogans hailing “Our Savior”. There have been calls for a constitutional amendment to allow him to remain in office beyond his six-year term without facing a fresh election. These are trying times for those who disagree with this regime’s vision for Rajapakse and his family. A popular astrologer was recently thrown in jail for predicting that the president would be ousted by his own prime minister by September and that the opposition leader would become prime minister.
A few days later, the prediction of another astrologer, this one prophesying good times for the Rajapakses was carried in the state-owned Sinhala daily, Silumina. “In the next presidential election, President Rajapakse would be victorious with more than 75% of the votes. The next chapter in Sri Lanka is reserved for the Rajapakses. Before 2010, this constitution would become invalid and the country would get a new constitution. This would get not two-thirds, but three-fourths majority,” the astrologer said. In a country where astrology wields significant influence, the Rajapakse regime appears to be using it to mould public opinion.
Nepotism and dynastic politics are common across South Asia. Still, what is unfolding in Sri Lanka is unprecedented. “With siblings, cousins and nephews ubiquitous, the administration has a distinct Rajapakse flavor,” writes noted political commentator Tisaranee Gunasekera. Besides the presidency, Rajapakse controls the ministries of defense, public security and law and order, finance, religious affairs and moral upliftment, and highways and road development.
His elder brother Chamal is Minister of Irrigation and Water Management as well as Ports and Aviation while younger brothers, Gotabhaya and Basil “function as presidential alter-egos, controlling key swathes of the state structure. According to Gunasekera, Gotabhaya is effectively in charge of the country’s defense and its powerful and growing military machine. Basil, believed to be the brains of the family, is senior presidential advisor and an appointed member of the legislature. “As the ‘Development Czar’, he presides over mammoth infrastructure projects. ... Together the siblings control 67.6% of the national budget,” he added.
The Brothers Rajapakse are tip of the iceberg. There are Rajapakse nephews, nieces and cousins in various positions of power and influence in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans believed that with the end of the war their freedoms would return. The defeat of the LTTE and the death of Prabhakaran has ended the latter’s dictatorial rule over the Tamil people. With Rajapakse following Prabhakaran’s strategy of crushing dissent and democracy, authoritarianism disguised in the garb of democracy looms over the island.
- By Sudha Ramachandran, an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.
Source: AsiaTimes
The directive to aid agencies comes at a time when the aid community has been calling for increased access to the camps where some 300,000 Tamil internally displaced persons are being housed. Rights activists have accused the government of keeping Tamils as “prisoners behind barbed wire in camps where conditions are in many cases abysmal” and of not allowing them to return to their homes.
Relations between the government and international aid agencies deteriorated sharply in the final stages of its offensive against the LTTE when the Sri Lankan armed forces were closing in on the Tigers. With the media not allowed into the war zone, it was humanitarian workers there who drew the world’s attention to the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire. It was observed that the government’s use of heavy weaponry put the lives of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians at risk.
In the final stages of the war, an increasingly prickly Sri Lankan government rejected visas of journalists and diplomats of countries that were calling for a ceasefire. With the victory over the LTTE, its tolerance of international and domestic criticism has vanished. The government is shutting down the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, or the Peace Secretariat, a body that was set up in February 2002 to coordinate and facilitate the peace process and negotiations. While the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat was flattened by bombing during the hostilities, that of the government continued to function through the fighting, albeit in a much diminished role.
The government has not given a reason for its closure of the Peace Secretariat. The scaling down of relief work and the shutting down of the Peace Secretariat point to strategy that President Mahinda Rajapakse is crafting in post-LTTE Sri Lanka. “The Rajapakse government has made it clear that after defeating the LTTE militarily, it is not keen on reconciliation or reaching out to Tamils,” said a Tamil political analyst who spoke to Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity. “It has signaled its lack of interest in pursuing a political solution to the ethnic crisis. It has indicated that it doesn’t have use for a Peace Secretariat.”
Rajapakse has made it clear that seeking a political solution is not on his immediate list of priorities. It would have to wait his re-election as president. “I must get the mandate. After that, the political solution comes,” Rajapakse said in an interview to The Hindu, an Indian daily. The search for a political solution has been set aside. The “end of hostilities” has been used by the government to justify its demand for a scaled down international humanitarian agency presence on the island. But the end of combat operations has not led to a trimming down of the government’s military muscle or of security measures.
In fact, the government is planning to expand its armed forces. Chief of Defense Staff Sarath Fonseka has said that he wants a 50% increase in the size of the 200,000-strong Sri Lankan Army. Army officials say that more soldiers are needed to monitor Tamils in the north and east to ensure that the LTTE isn’t revived. With 5.7 soldiers per every 1,000 in the population, Sri Lanka already stands first in South Asia and 42nd in the world with regard to armed forces per capita. The country does not face external military threats and the LTTE has ceased to exist as a military force. “Even 200,000 soldiers are not required in a post-LTTE Sri Lanka,” the political analyst pointed out.
Rights activists fear that an expanded army means that military occupation of the north and east will continue for many years. They also fear that the army will be deployed to crush protests that are likely to break out in the south. Although the war is over, emergency regulations, which have been in place for much of the past 30 years have not been lifted. Last week, the government extended many of these once again.
Its war on the media continues. Both, the Defense Ministry and the government-controlled press continue to label journalists who were critical of its conduct of the war as traitors. Journalists have been jailed, abducted, shot dead or beaten up during the war years. But they aren’t any safer now that the combat operations have ended. On June 1, Poddala Jayantha, an advocate of press freedom was abducted and assaulted in Colombo. The government has announced the re-establishment of a powerful press council with the authority to jail journalists.
Apparently, the government has compiled a list of journalists supposedly on the LTTE’s payrolls based on information divulged by Daya Master, the LTTE political wing member who surrendered to the army in April. Journalists - both Sinhala and Tamil - fear that critics of the government will be named on this list and punished. “The witch-hunt against journalists critical of the government has been intensified,” the analyst said.
Following the defeat of the LTTE and the death of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and the entire Tiger top brass, a mood of triumphalism and extreme chauvinism has gripped the Sinhala south. Accompanying this is a frenzied glorification of Rajapakse by his cronies, his party members, Sinhala-Buddhist hardliners and the Buddhist clergy. Rajapakse has been promoting a personality cult around himself for some years now. The victory over the LTTE has given this personality cult a massive shot in the arm - and taken it to a new level.
Within weeks of the victory over the LTTE, Rajapakse was conferred with the title of Vishvakeerthi Sinhaladheeswara (Universally Glorious Overlord of the Sinhalese) and Shree Wickrema Lankadheeswara (Heroic Warrior Overlord of Lanka) and crowned Sri Lanka Raajavamsa Vibhooshana Dharamadveepa Chakravarti (Monarchical Emperor of the Glorious Land of Buddhism) by high priests of various leading Buddhist chapters.
Billboards featuring Rajapakse in the white robes of a Buddhist deity carry slogans hailing “Our Savior”. There have been calls for a constitutional amendment to allow him to remain in office beyond his six-year term without facing a fresh election. These are trying times for those who disagree with this regime’s vision for Rajapakse and his family. A popular astrologer was recently thrown in jail for predicting that the president would be ousted by his own prime minister by September and that the opposition leader would become prime minister.
A few days later, the prediction of another astrologer, this one prophesying good times for the Rajapakses was carried in the state-owned Sinhala daily, Silumina. “In the next presidential election, President Rajapakse would be victorious with more than 75% of the votes. The next chapter in Sri Lanka is reserved for the Rajapakses. Before 2010, this constitution would become invalid and the country would get a new constitution. This would get not two-thirds, but three-fourths majority,” the astrologer said. In a country where astrology wields significant influence, the Rajapakse regime appears to be using it to mould public opinion.
Nepotism and dynastic politics are common across South Asia. Still, what is unfolding in Sri Lanka is unprecedented. “With siblings, cousins and nephews ubiquitous, the administration has a distinct Rajapakse flavor,” writes noted political commentator Tisaranee Gunasekera. Besides the presidency, Rajapakse controls the ministries of defense, public security and law and order, finance, religious affairs and moral upliftment, and highways and road development.
His elder brother Chamal is Minister of Irrigation and Water Management as well as Ports and Aviation while younger brothers, Gotabhaya and Basil “function as presidential alter-egos, controlling key swathes of the state structure. According to Gunasekera, Gotabhaya is effectively in charge of the country’s defense and its powerful and growing military machine. Basil, believed to be the brains of the family, is senior presidential advisor and an appointed member of the legislature. “As the ‘Development Czar’, he presides over mammoth infrastructure projects. ... Together the siblings control 67.6% of the national budget,” he added.
The Brothers Rajapakse are tip of the iceberg. There are Rajapakse nephews, nieces and cousins in various positions of power and influence in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans believed that with the end of the war their freedoms would return. The defeat of the LTTE and the death of Prabhakaran has ended the latter’s dictatorial rule over the Tamil people. With Rajapakse following Prabhakaran’s strategy of crushing dissent and democracy, authoritarianism disguised in the garb of democracy looms over the island.
- By Sudha Ramachandran, an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.
Source: AsiaTimes
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tamil Camps
More than two months after declaring victory over Tamil Tiger guerillas, Sri Lanka’s government is continuing to hold hundreds of thousands of displaced Tamil civilians in what it calls “welfare villages,” but what increasingly look like military internment camps.
The civilians, many of whom were held hostage by the guerrillas in the bloody last stage of the long war, are not being allowed out of the camps, and access by human-rights organizations or journalists is highly restricted.
The government claims it is looking for Tamil Tigers among the refugees and clearing Tamil villages of landmines before letting people return. It may well be that there are former guerrillas hiding among the civilians — the Tamil Tigers had no compunctions about using civilians as cannon fodder or forcibly conscripting men and children. But the screening process is dragging on far too long. And many refugees see it as another abuse of the country’s Tamil minority. As one prominent Tamil politician told The New York Times’s Lydia Polgreen, “This is simply asking for another conflict later on down the road.” If President Mahinda Rajapaksa means it when he says he seeks reconciliation with the Tamils, he should start by letting these people return to their homes.
The government’s strict control on visits to the camps has also raised suspicions that it may be trying to block any investigation into possible government abuses committed in the last months of the war. Soldiers corralled the Tigers, along with hundreds of thousands of civilians into a narrow stretch of beach and, according to human-rights organizations, shelled the area repeatedly. The United Nations says that thousands of civilians were killed, though how and by whom remains murky in the absence of independent investigations.
Donor countries — including the United States, the European Union and Japan — as well as international aid organizations are helping provide food, shelter and clothing to the camps. Most have kept quiet so far about the Tamils’ plight, evidently fearful that criticizing conditions in the camps could get them thrown out of the camps. The time for silence is over. The best way to help the Tamils is by demanding their freedom and an end to their long ordeal.
STORY
The civilians, many of whom were held hostage by the guerrillas in the bloody last stage of the long war, are not being allowed out of the camps, and access by human-rights organizations or journalists is highly restricted.
The government claims it is looking for Tamil Tigers among the refugees and clearing Tamil villages of landmines before letting people return. It may well be that there are former guerrillas hiding among the civilians — the Tamil Tigers had no compunctions about using civilians as cannon fodder or forcibly conscripting men and children. But the screening process is dragging on far too long. And many refugees see it as another abuse of the country’s Tamil minority. As one prominent Tamil politician told The New York Times’s Lydia Polgreen, “This is simply asking for another conflict later on down the road.” If President Mahinda Rajapaksa means it when he says he seeks reconciliation with the Tamils, he should start by letting these people return to their homes.
The government’s strict control on visits to the camps has also raised suspicions that it may be trying to block any investigation into possible government abuses committed in the last months of the war. Soldiers corralled the Tigers, along with hundreds of thousands of civilians into a narrow stretch of beach and, according to human-rights organizations, shelled the area repeatedly. The United Nations says that thousands of civilians were killed, though how and by whom remains murky in the absence of independent investigations.
Donor countries — including the United States, the European Union and Japan — as well as international aid organizations are helping provide food, shelter and clothing to the camps. Most have kept quiet so far about the Tamils’ plight, evidently fearful that criticizing conditions in the camps could get them thrown out of the camps. The time for silence is over. The best way to help the Tamils is by demanding their freedom and an end to their long ordeal.
STORY
Ban refutes allegations that UN closed eyes on civilian casualties in SL; 'I should not be responsible for that'
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in an interview with Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on a wide-ranging issues, last month in New York, touched on Sri Lankan crisis when WSJ asked him what he accomplished on Sri Lanka.
Mr Ban discussed on wide-ranging issues with WSJ, including the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, his relations with the Obama administration, UN reform, his own public image and the role of the secretary-general in the modern era.
When WSJ asked him why he didnot make any public statement on high civilian casualties, while the killing was going on, he said: Whatever the number may be, it was totally unacceptable. Unfortunately there was a high number of civilian casualties. At this time I would like to make it quite clear that there were some allegations that the United Nations closed our eyes to this [reported figure of] 20,000 civilian casualties and tried to underestimate this number. First of all that is totally not true. We have never done that.
He said "I should not be responsible for that, it's totally not true."
"Whatever the number might be, this is an unacceptable one. In these extreme conditions, it was not possible to know the exact number of people who had been killed. That is what I can tell you at this time," he told WSJ.
Here is an edited transcript of the interview:
WSJ: Many of your critics say you travel too much, that you are not in New York enough and delegate too much in New York on management issues and not enough to your representatives abroad. And that by traveling too often you are devaluing the impact of a Secretary General visit. Also that your timing is off, in Sri Lanka you arrived after the fighting, almost putting a seal of approval on what the Sri Lankan government had done.
SG: I am aware of that kind of sentiment, even criticism. I have been on the road maybe average one-third of my time trying to attend multilateral meetings or very crucial events where I can really send out some messages. But when you have 192 member states who want to invite me to their events, I have been refraining from meeting on a purely bilateral purpose. I try to be more often in headquarters. However I delegate my authority, the tendency is for people looking to the head, of course. But they know what they should do, all these under-secretaries general or assistant secretaries-general. So it doesn't involve me much in my direct intervention in the daily activities. With global communications I can be reached wherever I am.
WSJ: But on Sri Lanka. I'd be interested to hear your view about what you accomplished on Sri Lanka.
SG: If you look at my timing of my visit to Sri Lanka you may argue that I was there after everything had finished. A long time before this crisis began I have been urging the Sri Lanka government to protect the civilian population, not to use heavy weapons. I have been talking to them all the time. Sometimes I issued a strong statement, urging and criticizing them. On my visit, first of all I called for unimpeded access to internally displaced camps. That has been done. Then [the Sri Lankan president] assured me that 80% of these people would be resettled by the end of this year. It was very difficult to agree with him on a joint communique. I conveyed the importance of full accountability, taking into consideration the view of the international community and non-governmental organizations. I strongly urged them that before there was an external imposition on them to be committed to accountability. In the end [the Sri Lankan president] agreed to full accountability and I am sure he will take action soon.
WSJ: At least 10,000 civilians died. Wouldn't it have made a difference if you had made public statements while the killing was going on as opposed to a joint communique after the fact?
SG: That's what I said. Whatever the number may be, it was totally unacceptable. Unfortunately there was a high number of civilian casualties. At this time I would like to make it quite clear that there were some allegations that the United Nations closed our eyes to this [reported figure of] 20,000 civilian casualties and tried to underestimate this number. First of all that is totally not true. We have never done that. I should not be responsible for that. It's totally not true. Whatever the number might be, this is an unacceptable one. In these extreme conditions, it was not possible to know the exact number of people who had been killed. That is what I can tell you at this time.
UN Staff Union concerned at continuing detention and harassment of staff in SL
The United Nationa Staff Union and its standing cOmmittee on the security and independence of the international civil service regret the continuing detention and harassment of UN staff members in Sri Lanka, said its statement.
The press statement dated 10 July, further said: The action by the Sri Lankan authorities against UN staff members in Sri lanka violate international instruments dealing with the privileges, immunities and independence of UN officials. In particular, detained staff must not be held without charge and must be brought before a civilian court. The freedom of movement of UN staff to do their work must be ensured.
It said that the recent action of Sri Lanka to detain two national staff members appears to be a campaign against UN personnel, which is illegal under international law. Authorities have been arresting without explanation, UN staff members, initially refusing to provide access to them by UN officials, it added.
On 20 June, the UN's country team in Sri Lanka said that two its staff members, one from UNHCR and one from the UN Office for Project Services, had been arrested. The staff members had been reported as missing eight days earlier, after which it emerged that they had been taken into custody. The country team was not aware if any charges had been laid, nor of the details of any accusations, and requested details as to the basis on which the staff members were being held. The two men both ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils, were working as drivers in the northern region of Vavuniya.
The committee called upon the Secretary General to demand the Sri Lankan Government to release all UN staff members held without charge, not to restrict the movements of UN personnel and to respect the independence of all UN staff, in accordance with international law.
The Staff Union also requested the authorities in Sri Lanka to provide the details on staff members' well-being and reminded the government that it is a party to the 1994 UN convention on the safety of United nations and associated personnel and the 1946 convention on the privileges and immunities of the United Nations.
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press said that with even the funders of Sri Lanka's camps for Tamils now calling them prison-like places of internment, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been quoted about Sri Lanka that "I should not be responsible for that." But what about the continued detention of the UN's own staff? Two UN system employees have grabbed up by plain clothes police in unmarked vehicles and have yet to be released: Kandasamy "Saundi" Saundrarajan and N. Charles Raveendran.
According to ICP, before issuing their statement, UN Staff Union officials expressed outrage at quotes by the UN's Country Representative in Sri Lanka, UNHCR's Amim Awad, that "the UN acknowledges without reservation the right of the security services of Sri Lanka to investigate any allegations of criminal wrongdoing, including by UN staff members, and will cooperate fully to support due process."
Whatever happened to the UN's claims, for example in Sudan, that its staff members are immune, at least in the scope of their work?
In fact, the UN on Sudan was taking a contrary position, that immunity extends to national staff, Lee said.
"In New York, U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said U.N. officials in Khartoum had contacted authorities about Hussein to ensure a U.N.-Sudan agreement on the status of the mission was respected 'and that basic human rights are upheld in the context of national laws governing such issues.' U.N. officials said the United Nations interpreted the agreement to mean that members of the mission were immune from judicial proceedings."
Why are the UN's positions in Sri Lanka and Sudan so different? asks ICP.
Rajapaksa rules out separate ethnicity-based provinces
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said “no” to ethnicity-based separate provinces, in an interview to the latest edition of the American magazine Time.
Asked if he believed in some kind of self-governance for the Tamils, Rajapaksa said: “Don’t say Tamils. In this country you can’t give separate areas on an ethnic basis, you can’t have this.” But provinces could certainly have powers, to enable them to handle local matters, he conceded.
When asked if there was some kind of an effort to change the demography of the Tamil-majority areas, the President said: “No”. But he pointed out that demographic changes were happening in the Sinhalese-majority Colombo. “The Eastern Province Muslims have come here (Colombo district). The Tamils have come here. You ask them. Why are you coming here? Can I stop them? No. If anybody wants to come and live in any part of this island, it the right of a man,” he stated.
Ruling out any special devolution for the wholly Tamil-speaking Northern Province, Rajapaksa said the North could not have a model of its own. “That I will not allow. The whole country must have a system.”
He noted that there were differences among the Tamils as to what they should ask for, now that the LTTE has been defeated and its leader, Prabhakaran, is dead. “If you ask the IDPs (International Displaced Persons or the war refugees) they’ll say we want to go back to our villages. If you ask politicians, they’ll say, we want this and that. But yes, we need to give a political solution,” Rajapaksa explained.
NO TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: Rejecting a suggestion that there should be a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal the wounds of the past through an honest and public acceptance of past mistakes, the President said that he did not want to “dig into the past and reopen wounds.” When suggested that airing a wound would help it heal, he retorted: “This is where the West is different from the East.”
WAR CRIMES: Asked about the move to punish Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes in the final stages of the battle against the LTTE in which 7,000 civilians were thought to have been killed, Rajapaksa said that it was wrong to punish a whole people through sanctions and embargoes, for the alleged wrongdoings of the leader or decision maker.
“Are you going to punish (all the) citizens for that, or the man who is responsible? Take me. Say that I violated all these human rights, killed people, right? Do you punish me, Mahinda Rajapaksa, or the innocent people of this country by sanctions, embargoes, travel advisories? There are ways of punishing me if you want. There, by now saying that, I will get punished,” he said.
However, he maintained that there were no human rights violations against the Tamil civilian population. “There was no violation of human rights. There were no civilian casualties. If I did that, it would’nt have taken two-and-a-half years to finish this. I would have done this in a few hours. These are all propaganda. In the Eastern Province (there were) zero casualties. I won’t say there were zero casualties in the North. The LTTE shot some of them (civilians) when they tried to escape,” Rajapaksa said.
CHINA’S INTERESTS: The Sri Lankan President denied that China was gaining a strategic foothold in the island, by building a major port at Humbantota. “I asked for it. China didn’t propose it. It was not a Chinese proposal. The proposal was from us. They gave money. If India said, yes, we’ll give you a port, I will gladly accept. If America says, we’ll give a fully equipped airport – yes, why not? Unfortunately, they are not offering to us,” Rajapaksa said.
BETWEEN CHINA AND INDIA: Asked if China was becoming a more important ally to Sri Lanka than India, the President said that he was not looking at China and India in that way. “India is our neighbour, our relation, our friend – we have special relationship. India is helping us (with money for development).” (P K Balachandran, ENS)
Asked if he believed in some kind of self-governance for the Tamils, Rajapaksa said: “Don’t say Tamils. In this country you can’t give separate areas on an ethnic basis, you can’t have this.” But provinces could certainly have powers, to enable them to handle local matters, he conceded.
When asked if there was some kind of an effort to change the demography of the Tamil-majority areas, the President said: “No”. But he pointed out that demographic changes were happening in the Sinhalese-majority Colombo. “The Eastern Province Muslims have come here (Colombo district). The Tamils have come here. You ask them. Why are you coming here? Can I stop them? No. If anybody wants to come and live in any part of this island, it the right of a man,” he stated.
Ruling out any special devolution for the wholly Tamil-speaking Northern Province, Rajapaksa said the North could not have a model of its own. “That I will not allow. The whole country must have a system.”
He noted that there were differences among the Tamils as to what they should ask for, now that the LTTE has been defeated and its leader, Prabhakaran, is dead. “If you ask the IDPs (International Displaced Persons or the war refugees) they’ll say we want to go back to our villages. If you ask politicians, they’ll say, we want this and that. But yes, we need to give a political solution,” Rajapaksa explained.
NO TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: Rejecting a suggestion that there should be a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal the wounds of the past through an honest and public acceptance of past mistakes, the President said that he did not want to “dig into the past and reopen wounds.” When suggested that airing a wound would help it heal, he retorted: “This is where the West is different from the East.”
WAR CRIMES: Asked about the move to punish Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes in the final stages of the battle against the LTTE in which 7,000 civilians were thought to have been killed, Rajapaksa said that it was wrong to punish a whole people through sanctions and embargoes, for the alleged wrongdoings of the leader or decision maker.
“Are you going to punish (all the) citizens for that, or the man who is responsible? Take me. Say that I violated all these human rights, killed people, right? Do you punish me, Mahinda Rajapaksa, or the innocent people of this country by sanctions, embargoes, travel advisories? There are ways of punishing me if you want. There, by now saying that, I will get punished,” he said.
However, he maintained that there were no human rights violations against the Tamil civilian population. “There was no violation of human rights. There were no civilian casualties. If I did that, it would’nt have taken two-and-a-half years to finish this. I would have done this in a few hours. These are all propaganda. In the Eastern Province (there were) zero casualties. I won’t say there were zero casualties in the North. The LTTE shot some of them (civilians) when they tried to escape,” Rajapaksa said.
CHINA’S INTERESTS: The Sri Lankan President denied that China was gaining a strategic foothold in the island, by building a major port at Humbantota. “I asked for it. China didn’t propose it. It was not a Chinese proposal. The proposal was from us. They gave money. If India said, yes, we’ll give you a port, I will gladly accept. If America says, we’ll give a fully equipped airport – yes, why not? Unfortunately, they are not offering to us,” Rajapaksa said.
BETWEEN CHINA AND INDIA: Asked if China was becoming a more important ally to Sri Lanka than India, the President said that he was not looking at China and India in that way. “India is our neighbour, our relation, our friend – we have special relationship. India is helping us (with money for development).” (P K Balachandran, ENS)
Vavuniya MSF medical team performed more than 5,000 surgeries in five months
A Médecins Sans Frontières's (MSF's) field news on Tuesday said: Working in conjunction with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical teams in Vavuniya District in Sri Lanka’s northeast have performed more than 5,000 surgeries over the last five months, most to treat conflict-related injuries. Activities are currently focused on post-operative care, including minor surgery, dressings, and physical therapy, as well as hospitalizations for displaced persons.
"There are many pregnant women and many children who are developing complications from respiratory illnesses, malnutrition, and diarrhea."
Seven weeks after fighting ended between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tiger rebels, fewer patients are arriving at the hospitals, but their numbers still exceed bed capacity. The total number of patients at the 450-bed hospital in Vavuniya has stabilized in recent weeks at approximately 1,200. MSF is working with Ministry of Health staff in the Vavuniya and Pompaimadu hospitals, as well as in an MSF hospital located across from the Manik Farm camps.
Surgery and post-operative care for the wounded still constituted most of June's activities, with nearly 1,200 surgeries performed on war-related injuries and thousands of wounds dressed. "Increasing numbers of displaced persons are now coming to the hospitals, too," says Hugues Robert, MSF head of mission for Sri Lanka. "The population in Vavuniya District nearly doubled over a few months, with more than 260,000 displaced persons arriving from the former conflict zone in the Vanni, area of northern Sri Lanka. This means that there are many pregnant women and many children who are developing complications from respiratory illnesses, malnutrition, and diarrhea. The Ministry of Health has expanded its capacity to treat these patients, but given the breadth of the needs, we think it's important for MSF to continue to provide support and expertise."
Treating the displaced population
At the MSF hospital located across from the Manik Farm camps, staff has hospitalized 600 patients since its opening on May 22. Most are displaced persons, referred either by Ministry of Health staff working in the camps or by other hospitals that have run out of space. They arrive and leave in ambulances, accompanied by a member of the security forces.
"The primary causes of hospitalization are old wounds and respiratory and skin infections," says Marie-Noëlle Rodrigue, MSF's emergency operations manager. "We adapt based on the medical needs. For example, we are developing obstetric care. But because we don't provide medical care in the camps, we don't have a good sense of the health status of the population that has come out of the war zone." Some displaced persons may require hospitalization for several days to several weeks. They include, for example, paralyzed and permanently disabled individuals who are treated at the Ministry of Health's Ayurvedic hospital in Pompaimadu. MSF's physical therapists help them regain some mobility so that they can move around with the crutches and wheelchairs provided by Handicap International.
Some of the wounded and ill are burn survivors, struggling to return to normal life. "I remember one woman whose face was ravaged – you couldn't tell her age,” a nurse recalls, “and she was with her eight-year-old daughter, the only one of her four children to survive. The child helped her in every aspect of her daily life. The woman would just disappear into herself for periods; it was the only way to escape the pain, in spite of the medication. She had to undergo several skin grafts after being wounded by multiple bomb explosions. I also remember a seven-year-old boy who no longer spoke and hadn't eaten practically anything for two months, since his father died. He was severely malnourished and did regain weight while he was hospitalized. But he never said a word right up until the time he left."
Overview of MSF's activities in Vavuniya District
Ministry of Health hospital in Vavuniya: MSF has supported the surgical unit since February. Approximately 4,000 surgeries have been performed on war-related injuries. The volume of work remains high, with an average of 1,400 surgeries per month since April. The vast majority, 70 percent, involve war-related wounds. More than 3,000 dressings have been applied in a temporary tent, the accident unit and three other hospitalization departments where MSF received authorization to work. MSF also supports the nutrition center in the pediatrics department, with nine nutritional assistants. In addition, approximately 100 assistants help patients in various departments who cannot feed or wash themselves. They also distribute essential supplies, including sheets, clothing, and bags, to new patients who need such items.
Ministry of Health Ayurvedic hospital in Pompaimadu: More than 170 wounded patients receive care, from minor surgery to physical therapy, in this hospital, which has received support from MSF since May. A small operating room was installed for minor procedures. Most involve wound- cleaning under anesthesia so that patients do not suffer excessively. In June, 114 minor procedures, primarily wound cleaning, were performed. Two physical therapists and five assistants help patients work their muscles and move as much as possible. Approximately 150 patients have benefited from this physical therapy to date.
Manik Farm hospital: This 150-bed hospital is equipped with two operating rooms and an intensive care unit. The tents have been replaced gradually by semi-temporary structures in order to improve hospital conditions, and the number of beds may be increased further as needed. Of the 600 admissions since late May, approximately one-quarter were children under five years of age.
The surgical team performed more than 300 procedures. More than one-third involved war injuries, primarily to extract shrapnel and bullet fragments. Outpatient services are also provided for new patients and for surgery patients who require post-operative treatment. 210 patients have received outpatient care since late May.
MSF has also been working at the Point Pedro hospital on the Jaffna peninsula since 2006, providing obstetric services, emergency care, and surgical care, and in the Chavakachcheri hospital since 2008, providing surgical consultations and prenatal care. MSF has provided prenatal care in the displaced persons' camps in Jaffa since June.
Sri Lanka's homegrown ethnic solution: Jehan Perera
In May this year, when the Sri Lankan government was faced with the serious threat of an investigation by the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, it made several promises to the international community that helped to sway the vote in its favor.
These promises included moving forward without delay in healing the wounds of war in the country, specifically resettling the displaced persons and finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict. The implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which established devolved provincial governments, stood at the center of this promise.
On numerous occasions President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made reference to the government's commitment to implementing this partially implemented law. He has even said he is willing to go beyond it, as “13th Amendment plus 1.” But now, after the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, there is increasing emphasis placed by the government on a yet unspecified and vague “homegrown” solution.
Government spokepersons have stated that just as they defied international expectations in militarily defeating the LTTE with their own plan and strategy, so will they finally bring a political solution to the ethnic conflict in their own way.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was promulgated in the context of the Indian effort at mediating an end to the conflict in 1987 and was an outcome of the Indo Lanka Peace Accord. It is therefore not home grown and gave a degree of autonomy to the provinces that they had not enjoyed in the context of Sri Lanka’s unitary Constitution. There was an imposed aspect to the 13th Amendment, because it took place in the aftermath of the Indian invasion of Sri Lankan airspace and the halting of Sri Lankan military operations against the LTTE.
It is therefore to be expected that India would be particularly observant about the implementation of this law. The implementation of the 13th Amendment would help to restore some measure of Indian credibility as Sri Lanka’s superpower neighbor. If the Sri Lankan government were to strengthen the provincial council system along the lines of President Rajapaksa's earlier pledge of 13th Amendment plus 1, there is no doubt this would be satisfying to the Indian government and help to maintain its own credibility in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is liable to become volatile on the issue.
The All Party Representatives Committee appointed nearly two years ago by the president to work out a mutually acceptable political solution has utilized the existing arrangements for the devolution of power as found in the 13th Amendment as the basis of its own proposal for a political power-sharing p proposal.
Although the sincerity of those who have met regularly in the APRC on more than 120 occasions cannot be doubted, there have been weaknesses in the structure that have eroded its credibility to some extent. One is that the largest opposition party, the United National Party, and the largest Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, have not been participating in the process, the former due to grievances with the government and the latter on account of not being invited to participate in the APRC.
A further weakness has been the cavalier attitude with which the government has often treated the APRC's proposals in the past. When the APRC was about to unveil its interim proposals the government withheld these proposals and instead proposed to implement the 13th Amendment as it existed.
On the other hand, the APRC has sought to clear the ambiguities in the existing provincial council law, such as the list of concurrent powers that are shared by both the central government and the provincial councils to the invariable disadvantage of the latter. The APRC has also proposed entirely new improvements to the scheme of devolution, by creating an entirely new upper chamber, by which representatives from the provincial councils will have a voice in central government.
In this context the most recent declarations by sections of the government spearheaded by representatives of the Sinhalese nationalist parties are neither surprising nor reassuring. With general elections looming and presidential elections also a possibility, the government would not wish to antagonize any section of the voting population, especially among the Sinhalese majority that constitutes about three-quarters of this electorate, and whose undivided vote would propel President Rajapaka and his government to yet another election victory.
The Sinhalese voters have been strongly influenced by the Sinhalese nationalist agenda. The government needs to balance this against earning the disfavor of the Tamil people and the international community to whom it has made promises.
There is concern within the government that the devolution of power will lead to the multiplication of separatist sentiment, even if only to carve out small ethnic enclaves from the Muslim and Hill Country Tamil people, in addition to the demand by the Sri Lankan Tamils of the north and east. An indication of the government's approach to dealing with the ethnic minorities was seen in the manner in which it compelled the leadership of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party and the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal leaderships to contest elections under the ruling party's banner, rather than separately in a manner that highlighted autonomous Tamil political power.
On the other hand, in adopting the "homegrown" approach to the solution to the ethnic conflict, the government needs to bear two factors in mind. The first is that the political solution to the ethnic conflict cannot be imposed on the Tamil people. What the government has successfully demonstrated is that a militant movement can be defeated by military means. But the nationalism of one people cannot prevail by force of military victories or larger numbers over the nationalism of another people.
The solutions to ethnic conflicts, if they are to be sustainable, need to be negotiated based on mutual accommodation, with space for more negotiations and accommodations in the future. An imposed solution to an ethnic conflict, even if it is described as a political solution, is likely to break down in the longer term.
The imposed nature of the 13th Amendment in 1987 can also be given as evidence for its failure in implementation. The value of the APRC’s proposals is that they are the result of over 120 meetings within the ruling coalition and with some opposition parties, which seek to give a homegrown quality to the 13th Amendment.
The second factor the government needs to take into account is the promises it has made in the recent past, which are being watched by the international community. These promises include resettling the bulk of the internally displaced people by the end of the year, and also the implementation of the 13th Amendment.
At a time when its relations with the Western countries have become troubled in many respects, Sri Lanka needs to keep faith with the countries that have supported it during the period of war, especially India, which is its closest neighbor. This is a relationship that needs to be strengthened by keeping to promises made.(UPI Asia)
These promises included moving forward without delay in healing the wounds of war in the country, specifically resettling the displaced persons and finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict. The implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which established devolved provincial governments, stood at the center of this promise.
On numerous occasions President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made reference to the government's commitment to implementing this partially implemented law. He has even said he is willing to go beyond it, as “13th Amendment plus 1.” But now, after the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, there is increasing emphasis placed by the government on a yet unspecified and vague “homegrown” solution.
Government spokepersons have stated that just as they defied international expectations in militarily defeating the LTTE with their own plan and strategy, so will they finally bring a political solution to the ethnic conflict in their own way.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was promulgated in the context of the Indian effort at mediating an end to the conflict in 1987 and was an outcome of the Indo Lanka Peace Accord. It is therefore not home grown and gave a degree of autonomy to the provinces that they had not enjoyed in the context of Sri Lanka’s unitary Constitution. There was an imposed aspect to the 13th Amendment, because it took place in the aftermath of the Indian invasion of Sri Lankan airspace and the halting of Sri Lankan military operations against the LTTE.
It is therefore to be expected that India would be particularly observant about the implementation of this law. The implementation of the 13th Amendment would help to restore some measure of Indian credibility as Sri Lanka’s superpower neighbor. If the Sri Lankan government were to strengthen the provincial council system along the lines of President Rajapaksa's earlier pledge of 13th Amendment plus 1, there is no doubt this would be satisfying to the Indian government and help to maintain its own credibility in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is liable to become volatile on the issue.
The All Party Representatives Committee appointed nearly two years ago by the president to work out a mutually acceptable political solution has utilized the existing arrangements for the devolution of power as found in the 13th Amendment as the basis of its own proposal for a political power-sharing p proposal.
Although the sincerity of those who have met regularly in the APRC on more than 120 occasions cannot be doubted, there have been weaknesses in the structure that have eroded its credibility to some extent. One is that the largest opposition party, the United National Party, and the largest Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, have not been participating in the process, the former due to grievances with the government and the latter on account of not being invited to participate in the APRC.
A further weakness has been the cavalier attitude with which the government has often treated the APRC's proposals in the past. When the APRC was about to unveil its interim proposals the government withheld these proposals and instead proposed to implement the 13th Amendment as it existed.
On the other hand, the APRC has sought to clear the ambiguities in the existing provincial council law, such as the list of concurrent powers that are shared by both the central government and the provincial councils to the invariable disadvantage of the latter. The APRC has also proposed entirely new improvements to the scheme of devolution, by creating an entirely new upper chamber, by which representatives from the provincial councils will have a voice in central government.
In this context the most recent declarations by sections of the government spearheaded by representatives of the Sinhalese nationalist parties are neither surprising nor reassuring. With general elections looming and presidential elections also a possibility, the government would not wish to antagonize any section of the voting population, especially among the Sinhalese majority that constitutes about three-quarters of this electorate, and whose undivided vote would propel President Rajapaka and his government to yet another election victory.
The Sinhalese voters have been strongly influenced by the Sinhalese nationalist agenda. The government needs to balance this against earning the disfavor of the Tamil people and the international community to whom it has made promises.
There is concern within the government that the devolution of power will lead to the multiplication of separatist sentiment, even if only to carve out small ethnic enclaves from the Muslim and Hill Country Tamil people, in addition to the demand by the Sri Lankan Tamils of the north and east. An indication of the government's approach to dealing with the ethnic minorities was seen in the manner in which it compelled the leadership of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party and the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal leaderships to contest elections under the ruling party's banner, rather than separately in a manner that highlighted autonomous Tamil political power.
On the other hand, in adopting the "homegrown" approach to the solution to the ethnic conflict, the government needs to bear two factors in mind. The first is that the political solution to the ethnic conflict cannot be imposed on the Tamil people. What the government has successfully demonstrated is that a militant movement can be defeated by military means. But the nationalism of one people cannot prevail by force of military victories or larger numbers over the nationalism of another people.
The solutions to ethnic conflicts, if they are to be sustainable, need to be negotiated based on mutual accommodation, with space for more negotiations and accommodations in the future. An imposed solution to an ethnic conflict, even if it is described as a political solution, is likely to break down in the longer term.
The imposed nature of the 13th Amendment in 1987 can also be given as evidence for its failure in implementation. The value of the APRC’s proposals is that they are the result of over 120 meetings within the ruling coalition and with some opposition parties, which seek to give a homegrown quality to the 13th Amendment.
The second factor the government needs to take into account is the promises it has made in the recent past, which are being watched by the international community. These promises include resettling the bulk of the internally displaced people by the end of the year, and also the implementation of the 13th Amendment.
At a time when its relations with the Western countries have become troubled in many respects, Sri Lanka needs to keep faith with the countries that have supported it during the period of war, especially India, which is its closest neighbor. This is a relationship that needs to be strengthened by keeping to promises made.(UPI Asia)
Say 'No' to Sri Lanka: The time of judgement has arrived to the land of terror
“Money goes into the hands of Sri Lanka are now used to destroy individuals, families and communities therefore, it is rational, ethical, sensible and right to stop supporting a country that is determined continue with its genocide agenda, despite calls from the international community”
Death and destruction in a Terror Island
Fifty thousand innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered on the sandy beaches and in the jungles of Sri Lanka, by the Sri Lankan Military while the whole world stood back and watched.
Three hundred thousands are now locked up in the death camps of Sri Lanka. Men are tortured, Women are abused and raped, Children are psychologically tormented, foreign media is banned, aid workers are blocked and the Tamils are now let to die like flies without proper food, medicine and water. Dead bodies are thrown outside the tents and let to rot while the young and old stand in the hot sun for hours to beg for food.
Times UK has recently reported that fourteen hundreds are dying every week in the horror camps manly due to water Bourne diseases and many preventable illnesses. The rate at which people are dying now, the whole camp will be empty just in three years time. Many who are prisoned in these camps have relatives and friends living in other parts of the country and overseas, who are willing to help.
Sri Lankan government is so adamant that it is not helping the dying Tamils and also not letting others to help.
Purpose of these Nazi style camps is to cause death and maximum destruction to an oppressed and vulnerable Tamil community that is now pleading to the Nations for help. Few camps are purposefully built for propaganda purposes in order to deceive the international community.
Horrors in Sri Lanka are sending shock waves across the World
Torture, murder, rape, forced starvation, and all kind of human rights violations in the concentration camps of Sri Lanka, are now sending shock waves across the world.
Deportations of Western reporters, Journalists and Politicians from the Sri Lankan Airport and denial of access to the death camps of Sri Lanka for aid workers are showing the face of rebellious country that is willing go to any extent to defy international humanitarian laws.
Western countries have recently been pressurising Sri Lanka to stop the abuses and State sponsored killings. US, Britain and France including many other European countries are taking all the necessary measures to send strong messages to Sri Lanka.
US $1.9 Billion IMF loan to this country is now delayed. Sri Lanka had been denied a seat on UN Human Rights Council. US are delaying aid to the displaced people till the Sri Lankan government give free access to the camps.
There are also talks about suspending Sri Lanka from the commonwealth
Can an average Joe make a difference?
I have written few articles on the subject of Sri Lankan civil war. One of the popular questions, I received from the readers was “What can the average Joe do other than writing a letter to the local MP?”
While our international legal systems are still failing to bring the culprits to justice, Average Joe might probably be in a better position to send a powerful message to countries like Sri Lanka. Joe should see and understand the bigger picture of what is happening in Sri Lanka before start doing anything about the injustice done against the innocents.
Joe living in the West is a consumer just like many other millions around the world. Any marketing professional would know about the Power of a Consumer. Joe is an ethical shopper, who has the freedom to choose where to go on a holiday, which airline to fly with, where to buy his cloths and who to bank with. Joe can meet up with many like minded people and persuade his government to stop playing sports with countries that are persecuting its people. Joe is now on the net. He has access to email, facebook, twitter and many other social networking sites. He can share his views with millions around the world.
Even a great nation like China needs to sell its products in the world market in order to feed its people. Sri Lanka that is acting arrogantly with many countries should know, that it can't keep on killing the innocents and expect the people to buy their products and services that are covered in blood.
Joe along with millions around the world should be able to convince the People of Sri Lanka that they are not safe in the hands of corrupt regimes that are even prepared to sell the soul of a nation to satisfy the cravings of the Sinhala Buddhist extremists whose only goal is to wipe out Tamils.
“Sri Lanka for Dummies” is a simple Introduction to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan war for the average Joe to get an understanding of the man made humanitarian crisis in this little island.
Sri Lanka for Dummies
1) Sri Lanka in a Nutshell
2) Tamil Rebellion against State Terrorism in Sri Lanka
3) War in the Vanni land that had revealed the face of the devil
Sri Lanka in a Nutshell
Sri Lanka is a tiny tropical island that was known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean and paradise on earth. This country was once very popular among the tourists but not any more.
Rulers of this country have made this place as one of the most dangerous places to visit and live on the planet. The US has recently given serious warnings to its citizens about the dangers of travelling to Sri Lanka. Westerners are no longer welcome there. Journalists and high profile diplomats are regularly deported back from the Colombo international Airport. The recent victims were Channel 4 TV journalists and Bob Rae who was once the Premier of Ontario Canada. Western embassies are frequently attacked by angry local mobs. British and Canadian High commissions became the latest targets.
Sri Lanka is a graveyard for the journalists. Sri Lankan Government is using underground Mafia and death squads to abduct, torture and kill journalists, aid workers and any individuals who are critical of the government. Doctors and journalists are locked up in prisons but the evil ones are rewarded and let to roam around the streets with knives and guns.
Journalist Tissainayagam in chains. Telling the truth is a crime in Sri Lanka
Tamils are the prime targets but even foreigners, Sinhalese and Muslims are not the exceptions. This country is now at the bottom of the list in terms of human rights.
Sri Lanka has murdered fourteen journalists in the last few years. More than twenty journalists have been forced out of the country. Many are locked up in jails. Newspapers are burned, TV stations are attacked, and News web sites are blocked. Even BBC and CNN had received warnings in the past from the controversial defence secretary of the country. Sri Lanka only allows reporters who write well about the government.
Senior editor and Journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga was brutally murdered by the government backed mafia
Five medical doctors, who are praised as real heroes by the international community for their tireless work during the Sri Lankan war, are now locked up in Sri Lankan jails for speaking the truth from the war zone. Sri Lankan rulers have recently paraded these doctors in front of television cameras and forced them make false statements to support the government. This is another foolish attempt by a murderous regime to hide the war crimes it had committed .We all know how Al Qaeda had paraded western hostages on TV in the past and forced them to say things that were not true.
In Sri Lanka, People disappear from their homes, schools, work places and hospitals like flies. It is not the fulfilment of rapture that is taking place according to the book of Revelation in the Bible. But the Sri Lankan regime has mastered the art of using white vans to abduct and kill anyone who is dare to question the conducts of the government.
Half burned dead bodies with hands tied at the back is a typical scene, one would be able to see quite often in Sri Lanka. Killer demons regularly come on mysterious white vans without number plates on them.
A typical Sri Lankan leader would talk like he has the whole world under his feet and he doesn’t care about outside opinions. Many of us remember the controversial Sri Lankan defence secretary of Sri Lanka who appeared on many TV channels across the globe and thundered that he had the right to bomb hospitals and schools. He had indeed ordered to bomb several hospitals in the recent war in Sri Lanka. This short tempered leader and the current military commander of Sri Lanka are directly responsible for thousands of killings in Sri Lanka.
Some of the ministers from the Jumbo cabinet of Sri Lanka have degrees from western universities. They wear crisp clean suits and speak in Queens English. But what comes out of their mouth don’t reflect the real situation in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan rulers no longer tell the truth. According to them, the Sun raises in the West and the rooster crows only in the evenings. While murdering civilians with heavy weapons including tanks and missiles with unconventional war heads, Sri Lanka was lying to the world that they were only using light weapons.
Sri Lanka is the most militarised among the South Asian countries with 13000 military personnel per one million population. Every street corners of Sri Lanka are guarded by armed soldiers. Sri Lanka has 266K active armed personal (Total Troops 374K) which is much higher than many developed countries. [Australia (54k), Canada (65K), South Africa (56K), Norway (28K), United Kingdom (188K), Germany (248K), France (260K), Italy (230K)]
Sri Lanka has no foreign enemies. Multi barrel Rockets were used to kill thousands of Tamils in the recent war
In terms of military expenditure as percentage of GDP, Sri Lanka spends the most in South Asia. The figure is 6% in Sri Lanka which is much higher than the amount spent by its neighbours. (3.5% in Pakistan; 2.5% in India and Nepal; and 1.5% in Bangladesh)
Sri Lanka has now become like another Myanmar in the region. Close associations with nuclear armed China and Pakistan and friendships with Iran, Libya, and Myanmar are already giving the danger signs. Iran has indicated that it is willing to share nuclear technologies with Sri Lanka for peaceful purposes. Those who follow the current trend in the world, very well know what these peaceful purposes are.
Sri Lanka is trying to get hold of nuclear technology (to supplement its power needs). Having been turned away by India, Sri Lanka is turning to States like Iran to fulfil its nuclear ambitions. This is why Sri Lanka always backs Iran’s nuclear program
It may not be well known that Sri Lanka was instrumental in Iran acquiring nuclear technology. Some Sri Lankan businessmen and engineers are among those whose names appear in a United States blacklist over the alleged involvement in the world’s worst illicit nuclear proliferation racket, the British media reported recently.
Although, Sri Lanka is a democratic country, the majority Sinhala people support Nazi Style right wing parties. Racist politicians and military leaders are looked upon as heroes and saviours of the country. Tamils who once had their own nation are now considered as aliens and invaders even though the majority of the Tamils are the original inhabitants of this land. Politics is driven by the powers of ignorance, greed, lies and deceptions.
Today, three hundred thousands of Tamils in Sri Lanka are locked up in concentration camps and the rest live in homes that are heavily guarded by the Sri Lankan military. People who once lived dignified and prosperous lives are now treated like stray dogs. Tamil women are raped by the Sri Lankan army and young Tamil men are tortured and killed.
Tamil Rebellion against State Terrorism in Sri Lanka
Tamils, who are one of the most oppressed communities in the world, have been fighting to free themselves from the evil regimes of the country. But they have so far failed to achieve their goals. Tamils initially fought through democratic means. Democracy no longer works in favour of Tamils because the majority prefers the Tamils to be wiped out from the country.
Tamils were slaughtered in thousands with swords and knives in the buses, trains and in their own homes in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. Frustrated Tamil youth took arms to fight against fascism. Armed rebellion has now been crushed with the help of China and India.
Tamil rebels were initially functioning like how IRA did things in the eighties but from the early 2000s they did manage to build a well disciplined conventional force with their own Air force and Navy. According to the former Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, who retired only few weeks ago, Tamil rebels were better in honouring the laws of the land than the government of Sri Lanka. For instance, Seven Sri Lankan soldiers who were prisoners of war in the rebel camps were set free by the rebels without any scratches, even at a time when Sri Lankan forces were murdering Tamil women and babies in cold blood.
Tamil Rebels and the Sri Lankan government signed a ceasefire in 2002, after the Sri Lankan forces had suffered a heavy defeat in a conventional war between both parties. Negotiations were taking place between the Tamils and the Sri Lankan government for five years, with the help of the mediators from EU, Norway, Japan and US.
Sri Lankan government suddenly withdrew from the ceasefire unilaterally in 2007, and launched a war against the rebels with help of India and the weapons it got from China and Pakistan. War broke out at a time when there were signs of peace becoming materialised in Sri Lanka according to the former Norwegian mediator Eric Solheim, who is now the Minister of Environment.
Sri Lankan army did manage to slaughter more than fifty thousand Tamil civilians including women and children within few months time. Banned weapons like cluster bombs and phosphorous bombs were used against the innocents.
War in Vanni, that had revealed the face of the devil
Vanni is a Tamil land in the north eastern region of Sri Lanka that was once flowing with milk and honey. People prospered in every thing. Many of them did farming and deep sea fishing. They were not poor. Their barns were filled with grains throughout the year. These people ate a very healthy diet and lived in homes that were located in unpolluted areas. In our terms, people of Vanni ate organic grains, vegetables, fruits, meat and fish all their lives.
Few months ago, all of a sudden, Skis of Vanni became darkened. Children stopped playing. Dancing was turned into mourning. Chinese F7s, Russian MIGs f lied over Vanni and bombed homes, hospitals, schools and farms. Cluster bombs, phosphorous bombs and other banned weapons were used against innocent civilians.
They were slaughtered in their own homes
Men, women and children were hiding inside the bunkers without adequate food and medicine for months. More than fifty thousands innocents were slaughtered. Thirty thousands were injured. Thousands of children became orphans. Wounded and maimed crawled on mud and dirt to search for water and food.
Children were hiding inside the bunkers for weeks and months. Many were not fortunate
Thousands of surrendered and wounded rebels were brutally murdered. Military tanks rolled over the dying and the golden beaches of Sri Lanka were turned into red carpets with the blood of the innocents.
There were no more mourners left in the land of Vanni to mourn for the dead. Lands of the living didn’t send any comforters to the land of the dead. Hearts of the world became stones and the so called leaders of the world had once again revealed their ugly faces.
Nobody came to mourn for the dead
Number of people massacred on the beaches of Sri Lanka is almost ten times of the people died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
If the war was conducted fairly according to the international laws, the outcome of the war would have been much different. Sri Lankan army defeated the rebels by using unconventional banned weapons that had caused thousands of civilian causalities and deaths.
Chemical weapons were used against the Civilians and Rebels
After killing so many thousands, the Sri Lankan government has sent the remaining to Nazi style concentration camps. Now they are dying in the death camps of Sri Lanka with lack of food and medicine. Tamil women are abused and raped by Sri Lankan military in these horror camps. Men are tortured and killed.
Although China, India and Pakistan are helping the Sri Lankan rulers, Genocide is being carried out with the complete freewill of this Nation. Sri Lankan leaders have made this beautiful country into a half naked prostitute in the India Ocean. Ministers of this country regularly fly to China and India to meet the political and military leaders of those nations. Sri Lanka has become a puppet of these superpowers with its own sweet will.
Sri Lanka is facing destruction by its own masters
People of this world are becoming more and more tolerant. Many colours and races are learning to live together in Europe and America. American people have even elected a Black president with a Muslim middle name to give a powerful message to the world.
Nations that have systems based on racial and religious supremacies should know that they are heading for isolation and destruction if they continue with their racist policies.
Here we see a country that has gone out of control and acting weirdly in the Indian Ocean. Beaches of Sri Lanka are stained with the blood of thousands men, women and children who were slaughtered by the cruel rulers of this country. There is no more media freedom. Local and foreign journalists are intimidated, prisoned and killed. Arrogant leaders of this country are confronting individuals, organisations and even nations that are opposing the killings.
Average Joe has the tools to send a message to Sri Lanka who are deliberately failing from the duties to protect its people.
Joe is conscious of the environment. He makes sure that papers, cloths and empty bottles end up in recycling bins. He is very concerned about the people living in the poorest countries on this earth. He buys fair trade tea and coffee that are produced in countries that need our help.
Joe takes his family for holidays at least once a year. As a matter of conscience, Joe will not be holidaying on the blood stained beaches of Sri Lanka where thousands of innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered by Bombs and shells. Joe will not be buying garments that are made in Sri Lanka, a country that has locked up three hundred thousands Tamils including babies, pregnant women and disabled in barbed wired concentration camps.
People of Vanni, who once lived prosperously, are now left to wander like vagabonds with skin and bones in the death camps of Sri Lanka. Family ties are broken, their dignity is destroyed, and thousands of children are psychologically tormented. Many thousands have already become mental.
Money goes into the hands of Sri Lanka is used to wound and kill innocent Civilians. It is time to say "No"
Fourteen hundreds dying in the death camps of Sri Lanka in a week is a clear proof that Sri Lanka is still mass murdering Tamils. These people are not terrorists but men, women and children who also have dreams and have every right on this earth to live with dignity. They were not born to die of starvation, torture and deliberate medical negligence in the hands foolish and arrogant rulers.
Sri Lanka should know that they can’t do business with the world while slaughtering the civilians. No country prospers with the blood of the innocents. Agents of the Sri Lanlan regime who live overseas are still justifying the killings of Tamils. They should learn to show respect the follow humans because they themselves enjoy equal rights in foreign countries. People of this world, no matter what their religion, race, colour and culture are, they all have the freedom to live without the fear of intimidation, torture rape and murder.
Time has for the international community say No to “Sri Lankan package Holidays”, No to “Sri Lankan Airlines”, No to “Sri Lankan Cricket”, No to “Ceylon Tea”, No to “Garment made in Sri Lanka” and No to “Any organisation that has commercial interests in Sri Lanka” until the killings stop and Sri Lanka come with clean hands.
We give money for Cancer Research, Save the Children, Christian Aid, Tear Fund and many other leading charities because we very well know that our money is used to protect, build and heal lives.
What goes in the hands of Sri Lanka is not used to build lives but to destroy lives therefore, it is rational, ethical and sensible to stop supporting a country that is continuing with its genocide agenda with arrogance.
Sri Lanka is already facing isolation and there will be serious consequences if the leaders of this country continue to orchestrate abductions, torture, rape and killings in order to suppress the voice of the oppressed.
Destroying individuals, families and communities will eventually lead to the destruction of the whole Nation of Sri Lanka by its own masters.
-- By Richard Dixon
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