Insight By Sunil Kumar

April17th. 2011
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksha’s inspiration to co-ordinate Teams to visit Non-Aligned countries with a White Paper to explain justification for use of force to end terrorism needs to be backed to the hilt by all patriotic and discerning citizens as it is a means to confront what the United Nations led by Secretary General Bam Ki Moon is continuing to persist in his call to investigate war crimes without a shred of tangible evidence beyond the created twaddle he is bombarded with from sources who would dearly love to discredit the Government of Sri Lanka!

It needs to be confounded and trashed towards the progress the Nation’s Leaders are presently making with a great measure of success into development of resources, the economy and the freedoms of all citizens after decades of war as well as attracting foreign investors, tourists and enjoying a great run at the top of the Asian stock exchange. It is exasperating that individuals like the UN Secretary General have the nerve to be persistent in a situation where he is more than likely to relent his direction once he realises his folly and will be another also ran lame duck UNSG in a manner similar to his predecessor rather than bowing out in grace and dignity!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That Sri Lanka will launch a diplomatic offensive in “neutral” countries to meet the allegations made against the Government in the report of the three-member expertsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ panel which advised the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on civilian casualties during the last stages of the military offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in early 2009 was a move long overdue and the Government needs commendation for this stance which will in all probabilities redeem the nation of all the false allegations against it as unlike Ban Ki Moon’s infertile assusations based mainly on concocted and fabricated “evidence” it is based on tangible substance and viable testimony which clearly outlines the difference between a Sovereign Nation’s right to defend her territory against armed insurrection by terrorists and the protractors of created lies and innuendo whose demands for the non existent right for these same destructive terrorists ( if one reads between the lines) using the United Nations and it’s seemingly myopic Secretary General as a means towards accomplishing this seems quite transparent towards objectives.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Quoting a recent media publication, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has responded that the Government would take the UN report seriously and send teams to India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the other Non-Aligned countries including those in Africa and Latin America to explain why Sri Lanka had no option but to use military force to liquidate the LTTE’s military capabilities.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ironically what the allied forces offensives in the Middle East and Afghanistan with UN approval are engaged in could also be deemed in the same token as War Crimes as they are indeed against sovereign nations where visibly there are huge civilian casualties as well as the unforgivable casualties through friendly fire massive destruction of property and could be held accoutable for the same accusations being levelled at Sri Lanka in the case of the latter based on speculative conclusions so perhaps the UN had better get their act together and re-think policiies which could eventually come back to haunt them if not altogether ridicule them.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The responsive White Paper being considered by the GOSL will reportedly outline the justification for military action, the civilian casualties caused by the LTTE, the related advantages for the people of Sri Lanka mostly in the North and South as well as the entire Nation through the elimination of terrorism; and the humanitarian measures taken by the Government during that final offensive against the LTTE and thereafter for the displaced civilians during the final stages, especially in the Vanni and Mullaitivu districts.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There are three prominent retired Foreign Secretaries — Nihal Rodrigo, Bernard Gunatillake and H.M.G.S. Palihakkara — assigned to assist the Attorney General in preparing a report to counter the allegations made in the UN panel report presented by the team of Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), Yasmin Sooka (South Africa) and Stern Ratner (the United States) who are reported to have made “some strong recommendations” to the UN Secretary General. It has called on the SG “to establish an independent international mechanism” to probe accountability in civilian casualties during that period in early 2009, and that the Government of Sri Lanka should issue a public statement to the people of Sri Lanka both in the North and South from the elimination of terrorism, and the humanitarian measures taken by the Government during that final offensive against the LTTE and thereafter for the displaced civilians during the final stages, especially in the Vanni and Mullaitivu districts.

A public statement for what purpose? it has not been disclosed but perhaps one where it is indeed a positive response toward the gratitudes they carry within themselves at the transformation of the Nation from a strife torn war zone to one with Paradisical Tranquility today and a restoration of the resplendency Sri Lanka has always been reputed for!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Already three retired Foreign Secretaries — Messers. Nihal Rodrigo, Bernard Gunatillake and H.M.G.S. Palihakkara — have been requested to assist the Attorney General in preparing a report to counter the allegations made in the UN panel report and beyond the shadow of a doubt they most equitably will it is aspired by most Sri Lankans knowledgeable about what transpired during the devastating troubles created by the Tamil Tiger terrorists!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The UN panel that comprised Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), Yasmin Sooka (South Africa) and Stern Ratner (the United States) has purportedly made some strong recommendations to the UN Secretary General which calls on the SG to establish ” an independent international mechanism to probe accountability in civilian casualties” during that period in early 2009, and that ” the Government of Sri Lanka should issue a public,formal acknowledgement for its role in and responsibility for extensive civilian casualties in the final stages of war”, which is interpreted by diplomatic analysts as being a call for a public apology by the Government for what happened, in which case the panel should itself be examined for what seems to be an autocratically biased, bold and intimidatory assertion towards which it neither has any right to nor the evidence to support it beyond conjecture !

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The report, a copy of which was sent to the Sri Lanka government by the UN Secretary General through the country’s permanent mission at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, rejects the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) established by the Government to go into issues relating to the separatist insurgency and matters connected to it. This alone indicates premeditated bias by the UN Secretary General who was neither present in Sri Lanka at the time of the alleged accusations and has no mandate to reject what has been presented by the Head of a Sovereign Nation whose impeccable track record for good governance and related policies as well as his compassionate demeanour for all ethnivities alone stands out as a shining example of leadersship where the UNSG perhaps should have addressed his grievances posthumously to the mendacious leader of the Tamil Tigers, a criminal in every respect and whose intentions to destroy maim and kill spared no one, not even his own race!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government of Sri Lanka’s response to the following excerpts by the UN Panel bears rank testimony to the disparity between Sri Lanka’s legitimate stand towards justifying Government Policy relative to the armed insurrection and the discriminatory and intimidatory tone of voice of the UN Panel who through flowery rhetoric laced in flimsy conclusions perhaps to suit certain instigators as the case might be has attempted to intimidate.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In its somewhat contentious response to the LLRC, the panel’s report says:

“It fails to satisfy key international standards of independence and impartiality, as it is compromised by its composition and deep seated conflicts on interests of some of its members.” These have not however been elaborated as it is mere speculation by the Panel!It says” the LLRC is deeply flawed and cannot be seen to satisfy the joint commitment of the Sri Lankan president and the UNSG to an accountability process.” What seems deeply flawed is the manner in which the UNSG has approached the issue with his bull in a chinashop mentality, little or no corroborative evidence and the overall obnoxiousness of the panel which has already decided that they are the judge, jury and executioner but in fact are using unacceptable means to attempt to justify their conclusion towards perhape an agenda best known to themselves which violates the rights of a Sovereign nation!

The panel having rejected the explanation given by the Government delegation that it met secretly last month on measures adopted to balance reconciliation with accountability.

in contradictory perspective has said that “The assertion of a choice between restorative and retributive justice presents a false dichotomy” which seems once again based on bias never acknowledging the merits of the actions of the LLRC who have indeed attempted to balace reconciliation and accountability albeit the IN Panel drawing vapid baseless conclusions whilst warming their fat derrieres in the comfort of their seats in the UN offices without a clue as to what transpired in Sri Lanka in an almost moronic perspective other than responding to what has been played back to them through falsified sob stories, deliberately concocted accusations and doctored videos!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They are in fact attempting to justify the actions of Nation destructive terrorist’s against a Sovereign Nation’s right to defend territory where perhaps the adage all’s fair in love and war needs to be stuffed up their noses till it pours out of their ears as there seems to be a fair justification applicable in this case!The Sri Lankan Administration spared no love to win the war but it spared the nation of capitulation to terrorists and to the despots who try to make a case for the criminals here probably need rehabilitation towards rational thought and assertion!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ To cap it all up ~ expressing surprise at the allegations contained in the UN Secretary GeneralƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s expert panel report, the President has responded that “not even close relatives of the LTTE cadres had made such charges when they appeared before the governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.”