Dr D. Chandraratna, Australia

The so called international community and a few disgruntled Sri Lankan NGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ voices are making a mockery out of the situation of IDPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s again. Once the Channel 4 Video allegation melted into thin air along with Mr Solheim and Professor Alston the IDP issue is back on the agenda.

Surely, there must be a limit to this duplicitous talk on the part of the good Samaritans who are venting their pent up animosity towards the GOSL for not heeding their call to halt the war. If you have youƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢re a brain where it ought to be, will any sane leader fall for that? Which military Chief will ever heed such a request knowing that the scourge of terror will be given a new lease of life? Having suffered for thirty years will any man or his dog not take that window of opportunity to end the massacre of innocents and redeem the lives of all Sri Lankans who were under LTTE terror for thirty years? Our fellow humans in the world should know that for most of us ever since we graduated from the universities we had no life for thirty years and for others I am sure it was worse. How many of us could escape from the terror and leave the country. I dare say it is only a tiny fraction. Personally I know that many cannot thank the forces enough. The debt we owe them can never be repaid. Those who are non Sri Lankans can never comprehend this and hence however much we shout they will never ever understand.

Why are they so worried about the IDPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s now? When these people were trapped under worse conditions these guys were never interested in them. How many of them pressured the LTTE to release them. Did Mr Solheim and Prof Alston utter one ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”honestƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ word? The IDPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s in Sri Lanka are the most fortunate of all refugees living in similar camps. If anyone saw how the asylum seekers in France were living in that so called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”jungleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the SL welfare camps are like Hilton Towers. They get all meals, recreation, schooling, medical, rations and what more are you asking of a poor country. These people are not exhibits for the well paid INGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s to broadcast and display around the world like what they did with Tsunami children to raise funds abroad. Please be patient because they will be released soon when the infra structure and demining are complete. Six months is not long a wait. The damage of a single land mine did to one family in Afghanistan, shown recently, was for the entire world to see and none should be sent to a demined area not certified by the UNCHR ever in this civilised world. To do so is an unpardonable crime. The landmines and booby traps are not manufactured in Sri Lanka but in the countries where these do gooders are coming from. .

The Sri Lankan case is a serious lesson in international relations, diplomacy and world politics. The piqued western politicians and the media professionals cannot have it both ways. When the UN was formed the entire world looked up to a peaceful world and it was so for some time, albeit minor blemishes. But when the UN Empire expanded with over 40,000 of its paid acolytes the organisations lost its way. These big wigs have tarnished the good name of the organisation so much so that the bureaucracy has lost track of the sacrosanct terminal values that it was fighting for. The self interest of the bureaucrat has become the end value that they are eager to protect- the means have become the ends. This phenomenon is the start of the decay in any organisation. The humanitarian angels are becoming not saviours but parasites, not healers but perpetuators not friends but enemies. The reason being– their self interest has taken precedence over the welfare of the victims. In short they have become the modern entrepreneurs of an affluent victim industry.

From now on any talk of anti terrorism by the Western Powers to join the coalition of the willing is a sick joke for it is patently obvious that their concerns are only about their backyard. When you harbour terrorists from around the globe in the name of liberal values why should we be concerned about your problems? When you never do your best to prevent the sale of arms to our terror groups you did not value our human lives over the economic gains to your country. Western Nations must be ashamed by the amount of weapons you allowed to be smuggled into my country to maim and destroy the lives of so many people. Your moral bankruptcy baffles even the loony. The anti Sri Lankan campaign is going over the top. What the West does not realise is that when people of your ilk talk of human rights, war crimes, professionalism and civility in the public sphere and the like many will in the future turn a blind eye because they will see through the fraudulent underbelly of these pronouncements. I am sure that in the future the NGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and the INGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s will be held in utter contempt. I must also warn the very sincere professionals who want to work in the developing countries in such organisations not to seek employment because it will take a long time to erase the damage they have done to the good name of social work and humanitarian welfare. Of course the losers will be the plush hotels in Sri Lanka who will have to look elsewhere for a different clientele.

Do not cry for me ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.
You have to let it happen-for they have chosen freedom
We never expected it from you
We will keep our promise- you will keep the distance
Yours are illusions and not solutions
There is nothing more I can think of
We love you; hope you will love us too