S. Akurugoda

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during an interview with the French newspaper ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”EsterprinteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  has said “Funds are not coming in for the NGOs and their activists if they are not being activated against Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Therefore to obtain funds they claim that Sri Lanka is violating human rightsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

PresidentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  has also pointed out, the duplicity ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  some of the Western embassies saying ” Some Western embassies have rejected issuingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  VISAs for the Sri Lankan Ministers who were intending to visit foreign countries for economical affairs but procured visas for the terrorists and terrorist suspects,”

The Island dated March 4, 2011 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ under the heading ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Foreign funds galore for three NGOs:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Over Rs. 600mn received in 3 yrs; Norway leading donorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, revealed how a section of the international community is still pouring money into Sri Lankan NGOs like the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and National Peace Council (NPC). Transparency International Sri Lanka , in spite of the conclusion of war against terrorism in May, 2009.

As per the report, the CPA has received Rs. 272.31 million during the three-year period. The NPC and TI have received Rs. 171.23 million and 174.79 million, respectively.

The Norwegian Embassy is the largest single donor. It has granted NGOs Rs. 148.11 million during three-year period and the NPC is the recipient of the single largest grant from them; it received Rs. 70.48 million. The European Commission (Rs. 55.61 million) and the Swedish International Development Agency (Rs. 43.11 million) are the second and the third major contributors. The countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s banking system has no records of the exact amount of funds received by NGOs over the past two to three decades. Sources said that an enormous amount of funds had been received by NGOs since Feb. 2002, with some countries and the UNDP providing funds to the LTTE Peace Secretariat.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Jehan Perera of NPC addressing a meeting organised by NESoHR (founded by LTTE proxy TNA), on December 10, 2005. Note the Eelam map behind him

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ NPC, based on the information provided in its website, is now funded by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), European Union (EU), Royal Norwegian Embassy, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Academy for Educational Development (AED) of US, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in addition to several other foreign agencies such as German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ).

The website of the above funding agency the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development gives CAFODƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mission as promoting human development and social justice in witness to Christian faith and Gospel values (emphasis mine). The NPC, CPA and their ilk should actually be categorised as lobbyist NGOs, depending entirely on foreign governments and agencies they carry on the White ManƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Burden and have a function similar to Christian missionaries during the high colonial era.

Although the NPC and similar ilk were in the driverƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s seat during the Chandrika-Ranil failed regimes attempting to brainwash the country from top political hierarchy to grass roots level, spending billions of rupees, the mass support received from the general public to eradicate terrorism is a clear proof that the peace loving people of Sri Lanka are wiser than the foreign funded PEACE prophets.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The vision statement of the NPC, prior to the end of war against LTTE, included ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the LTTE as an integral part of the solutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Now it appears that NPC has dropped ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the LTTE as an integral part of the solutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, thanks to the government, security forces and the peoples of Sri Lanka.

Although NPCƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mission statement says it is independent and impartial their sympathies during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections were not difficult to trace. NPC was one of the key promoters of Ranil Wickramasinghe during 2004 Presidential Election as he handed over to the LTTE large sections of Sri Lanka to govern.

Anyone going through the media releases and the writings of the NPC (apart from their other activities), since its inception in 1995, will see the extent of damage done to the sovereignty of our nation as it promoted the LTTE as an integral part of their so-called solutions. They attempted to cover-up the LTTE terror campaign including the dastardly attacks on Katunayake Airport and the attack on Pakistan High Commissioner among many other grisly assaults. It denounced the GovernmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s effort to eradicate terrorism, placing the military capacity of the GOSL on an equal footing with the LTTE and tried to project the LTTE as invincible. We also remember how these peace vendors attempted to justify the brutal killings of innocent civilians by suicide bombers saying ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Regardless of who is responsible, the suicide bombing indicates the growing absence of confidence in the integrity of the government institutions“.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As part of its antinational agenda it attacked Sinhalese especially Buddhist monks who were against terrorism, branding people with opposing views as Sinhala Extremists.

In their desire to break up Sri Lanka, NGOs equated the mythical Tamil Eelam nation to Kosovo. They justified international intervention (including through the UN and US). In an article in the Daily News justifying the arrival of Indian troops 20 years ago JP gleefully said that the Indian Army will teach the Sri Lankan government a lesson. They have been calling for solutions manufactured from the outside spending billions of Rupees got from foreign donors which money should have gone to the poor people in the country. These piece mongers and their colonial masters in the West were behind the propaganda on behalf of Tamil racism in general and the LTTE in particular.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Their activities parallel the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s global propaganda campaign against the government of Sri Lanka and its people.

NPCƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s advocacy was preliminary aimed to prevent the Armed Forces from regaining the country. Apart from the high cost of the so-called peace process and the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”public moneyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ being wasted in millions of rupees on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”peace mongersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, how many valuable and innocent lives were lost by standing for terrorism and allowing the terrorist to get militarily stronger under the name of a pseudo, moneymaking PEACE process? These false prophets should be made accountable for what they said in the past and their misdeeds.

Now that JPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”invincibleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ LTTE military wing is no more for him to justify suicide bombing. People in Sri Lanka are moving around freely with confidence. According to media reports, SriƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s tourism revenue hit a record high in the first ten months of 2010, as the country continues to enjoy a post-war surge. Yet these NGOs are busy justifying war crime charges against our heroes (who prevented continuance of loss of innocent lives by eliminating JPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-MrƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Prabhakaran)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  at a cost of Rs 600mn, as The Island revealed, since the conclusion of war against terrorism in May 2009.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Few months after the elimination of the LTTE terror from our soil, we had every reason to believe that some notable elements of the US and their allies were rapidly making a case of war crimes against Sri Lanka on the basis of the conduct of her armed forces as well as political leadership. One of the motivations of this action is to cover-up their own continuing armed conflicts on large scales, involving major humanitarian catastrophes and causing the death of large numbers of civilians due to military actions in Iraq, Afghanistan and in some areas of Pakistan.

On 28th August 2009, the two kingpins of NPC and CPA were reported addressing a close-door meeting convened by the US Institute of Peace (USIP). Another notable participant of this discussion was Teresita Schaffer of The Centre for Strategic and international Studies, one of the former US Ambassadors to Sri Lanka, who was very critical of the Sri Lankan government during her tenure of office in Sri Lanka. As per media reports, the duos from the two NGOsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  basically said at a meeting, in Washington D.C. with former Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Robert Blake, was what Blake wanted them to say.

After few months of these meetings, Ban Ki-moon appointed a panel to advice him (i.e the UNSG) on Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s alleged war crime charges and European Union gave conditional ultimatum on GSP Plus.

Soon after the appointment of Ban Ki-moon panel, these Peace Vendors are back in the business by issuing statements one after the other to the foreign and local press supporting the Ban KI-moonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s panel and the EUƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s conditions and condemning the actions of the Sri Lankan Government and its people as was usually done by them during the past. They are now advocating solutions once again. The solutions they sought in the past were from outside and the solutions they seek now are also from outside including foreign intervention.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is not surprising at all to learn that those who live on foreign funding are for foreign intervention.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The sovereignty is defined as the supreme political power of a government to regulate its affairs within a specified territory without outside interference. Policies are thus formulated by the people of a sovereign nation via the elected government to suit the nation and its people. Pumping billions of Rupees to brainwash the people of a nation to achieve the goals of outside elements is a clear-cut interference on its sovereignty. Who will pump billions for nothing in return?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These lobbyist NGOs are to fulfil the needs of their funding agencies whose ultimate aim is none other than creating a new form of colonization around the world.

The attempt of notable personalities like Patricia Butenis, US Ambassador in Colombo, to whitewash the above NGOsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is also not surprising at all to those who are aware of her cable dated 14^th January 2020 on the subject of war crimes accountability implicating our war heroes including President Rajapaksa and his brothers. Patricia Butenis, by his letter published in The Island dated 11 March 2011 under the heading ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Role of civil society in a democracy deserves appreciationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, has admitted US funding on those NGOs.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LTTE fought for separatism and nothing less that. Any person directly or indirectly supported LTTE and campaigned for LTTE as an integral part of a solution was supporting separatism. Thus persons who had supported the LTTE should be brought under the full weight of the article 157A to the Constitution which prohibits supporting separatism. The NPC and similar ilk should be immediately investigated for what they have done in the past and for what they are doing now. If existing laws are insufficient, new laws should be enacted for the benefit of the country and its peace loving people. The evidence for their crimes is easy to find, one has only to read the antinational statements made by these organisations.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ S. Akurugoda

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