Malin Abeyatunge

There were hundreds of articles published in the Sri Lankan papers and on various websites over the years alleging that Human Rights organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group have been ferociously supporting the LTTE terrorist outfit and that they were talking for big dollars. Even I myself has contributed thro Sri Lankan print media and various patriotic websites criticizing these HR organizations for distorting information and facts to undermine Sri Lanka and hailing the LTTE terrorist outfit. It was an open secret for the majority of Sri Lankans (though the present and the successive governments have been very naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve to ignore them) that they have been supporting LTTE and tarnishing the image of Sri Lanka during the war and even now after the war. When these HR organizations including Amnesty International (AI) were alleged for talking for dollars for LTTE, they never dare to challenge the allegations because they were guilty. Now this has become a globally open secret and recent revelation says that Amnesty International bigwigs have been paid colossal money. (Reported in The British Press). ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s no wonder that these bigwigs have been appeasing LTTE and undermining the Sri Lankan Governments efforts to end the Tamil terrorism as they had a job to do for the remuneration and the perks they get to please the western agenda of destabilizing small nations like Sri Lanka.

QuoteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Secretary General of the London headquartered Amnesty International, Irene Khan and her deputy Kate Gilmore received a staggering 533,000 and 325,244 pounds, pay-off packages Unquote.

Though these payments were made to watch the conflict areas, their main target has been the Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s terrorist conflict which the HR organizations called it ethnic conflict in order to bat on a safer and a better wicket.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This amount would have been in addition the top dollars received from LTTE to those in the so called HR organizations including Amnesty International to speak for LTTE. They have done an excellent job defending the LTTE over the years and continue to do so. AI in fact went to the extent of organizing a protest campaign against Sri Lanka at the 2007 World Cup Cricket in West Indies. Of course, it was a flop. Due to the naivety of the present and the successive governments of Sri Lanka, these HR organizations like AI, HRW and ICG were having a never ending carnival time over the years. They are maggots thriving on misery of others. At last, the Government has called for a probe on the International Organizations including Amnesty International albeit the horses have left the stable. These three organizations have done immense damage to Sri Lanka and they continue to do so to blame the government for war crimes and human rights violations.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ BanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚Ki Moon

Mr. Ban Ki- Moon as UNSG has been totally relying on the reports and submission made by the heads of his staff in the United Nations Human Rights Council ( UNCHR), UNCIF and other UN Agencies for his decisions on Sri Lanka. He even went to the extent of appointing three member panel arbitrarily despite our protests to look into the war crimes by Sri Lanka during the last phase of the war. In turn these UN Agencies like UNCHR relied on reports made by HR Organizations AI, HRW and ICG who have been parroting the reports from the LTTE websites mainly Tamil Net and other feedbacks from NGOs like CPA , NPC, Transparency International etc who had the same motivation- massive dollars, Sterling Pounds, Euros and Krones to their accounts at the expense of Sri Lanka.

Now that the Amnesty International is exposed and their various reports made on Sri Lankan issue over the past carry no credibility or fairness, UNSG Ban-Ki-Moon should at least now stop relying on the reports made by AI, HRW, ICG etc to make his decisions.

Let this probe not stop with only Amnesty International.. They should probe into the other humanitarian organizations like Human Rights Watch, ICG. The Sri Lankan Government should immediately probe into the funds received by NGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s like CPA, NPC and TI who have been funded by the Norwegian Government. Who knows that they have got kick backs from LTTE also! It was reported in the Island that these three organizations have got a staggering sum of 618.33 million rupees during the peace time (after the war ended). The CPA, NPC and TI received Rs.272.31 million, Rs.171.23 million and 174.79 million respectively, as reported in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”The IslandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of March 5, 2011

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Instead of investigating alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, there should be a global investigation into the funds and kick backs received by these so called international and local NGOs. Mr. Ban-Kid-Moon should not stop with that but should probe further into the Bank accounts of the big wigs of the UN Agencies to ensure that they have not received any kickbacks from LTTE.. There is no doubt in addition to the colossal dollar/sterling packages they were getting from various western donor countries and institutions, they would have been paid by the LTTE to keep their propaganda thro them against Sri Lanka. It is now clear as crystal that AI and other Human Rights Organizations wanted to prolong LTTE terrorist conflict with the SL Government, so that they can thrive for another couple of years. They even made last moment attempts to stop the governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s war operations against the LTTE terrorist outfit so that LTTE could have a breathing space and could continue to fight the government for another couple of years so that the bank accounts of the bigwigs of these so called HR organizations would get fatter and fatter.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We can foresee how the report of Three Member Panel appointed by UNSG Mr. Ban-Ki-Moon will take shape as the Panel most certainly would have based their report on information gathered (since the Panel never visited Sri Lanka for their investigation) from sources of reports from the AI, HRW, ICG , the local NGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s like CPA , NPC and TI and of course the Tamilnet websites. One can predict that this report will have no clarity, credibility or veracity and Sri Lankan authorities should reject it outright.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Malin Abeyatunge