Response to Financial Times article of 4/5/11
Posted on May 8th, 2011
Ranjith Soysa, Spokesperson for Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights (SPUR), Australia.
Editor
Financial Times
London
Sir,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Please permit me to deal with a few salient points highlighted in your latest comment on Sri Lanka (FT 4/5/.2011).
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Your comment focus on the report of the three-man panel commissioned privately by the Secretary-General without any authority from the Security Council, General Assembly or the UNHRC ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the only three bodies legally entitled to take action against member states. Therefore, it is a private report and not a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-UN reportƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as stated by you.
Your comment also fail to mention (perhaps due an oversight) that the UNHRC passed a resolution (May 2009) commending Sri Lanka for concluding a 33-year-old war in the most humane way possible, rescuing 300,000 Tamils used as a human buffer by the ruthless Tamil Tigers. Mr. Ban is now up the creek with two reports on his desk, without a backer for him to take action on his private report.
According to international law consensual multilateralism has a greater weight than an arbitrary panel appoint by Mr. Ban. But your comment focus only on the private report presented to Mr. Ban. ShouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t there be a balance between the two?
You state that the findings of the panelƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s report ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-show that up to 40,000 civilians could have been killed in the closing months of the war.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Who counted the bodies? The panel report and the UN itself have openly admitted that there is no way of evaluating the deaths that occurred in the last stages. Besides, the report and eye-witnesses state that both sides fired at them. So how much of the 40,000 (?) were killed by the firing of the Tamil Tigers? And how can the report vouch for 40,000 when the official figure of the UN is placed at 7,000?
You commend the respect for human rights of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-western liberal democraciesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and condemn failure of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-authoritarian governmentsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to respect ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-laws of war or international humanitarian rules.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ How do you then explain the cruel practice of rendition by ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚western liberalsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, or propping up of oppressive dictators in the Middle East and elsewhere, or the ethnic cleansing of the Chagossians in Diego Garcia. Thousands of Chagossians were uprooted to make way for a base in the Indian Ocean for the Americans. So whatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the difference between ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-liberal democraciesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-authoritarian governments?
The central controversy is about the high cost of ending the war in Sri Lanka. The Allies ended World War II by dropping atom bombs on Nagasaki (140,000) and Nagasaki (80,000) not to mention the firebombing of Dresden (300,000). ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-DirtyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Harry was even decorated for his part in Dresden. So why pick on Sri Lanka on questionable figures?
Yours sincerely
Ranjith Soysa,
Spokesperson for Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights (SPUR), Australia.
May 8th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Bush & Blair faked CIA documents to deceive the world that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction, invaded that country. In that process, 150,000 civilians were killed. The US ‘avoided’ the UN and managed to manipulate the media effectively to hide this. Why don’t the Financial Times investigate their backyard first?
May 8th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Ranjit ! The UNSG Banki Moon, in his attempt to continue his crusade of ill will against Sri Lanka, he totally forgot to take into consideration the logistics of burying 7000 DEAD BODIES. Either he forgot, or he thought all people in the world are nincompoops like him, and will overlook it. The THREE IMBECILES that he appointed as panelists, also did not take into consideration the logistics of burying 7000 Dead Bodies.
Why is this fool Banki Moon radiating so much hatred towards Sri Lanka.? My point of view is that he has no hatred. Then you might ask me the reason for his crusade of ill will. Very clear. He is servile to the Low Caste Tamil Terrorists Diaspora, for the millions of Dollars they are giving him to stir trouble for Sri Lanka. He is doing all this for MONEY. He is a disgraceful Korean.
I have given a more detailed account of the Logistics, as a comment in the article THE NUMBERS GAME, in this same forum. Please check on it. Thanks.
May 8th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Susantha,
You have a valid argument. Burying 7,000 let alone 40,000 is a mammoth task and there is no evidence of it happening. Tamil terror leftovers (“Terrorspora”) claim that all their war dead died in the last stages of the war.
Where are the relatives of this 40,000? Did they also die in the last stages of the war? That is very unlikely to have happened.
What are their names and what proof is there that they lived at the start of 2009? Nothing.
Ranjith,
Thisara Samarasinghe has been accepted as the High Commissioner by Australia. A body blow to Tamil terror leftovers (“Terrorspora”) who campaigned against his appointment and a victory for patriotic Sri Lankans.
May 8th, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Where is these dead bodies of 40,000 according to Panel or UN Official figure 7,000. Are burried in Sea like US did with Bin Laden. Now North is cleared let Local Office of UN go to North and find these bodies and report to Moon or the Panel if possible.
May 9th, 2011 at 3:01 am
Ranjith Soysa
Please tell me How many Tamil speaking Srilankan civilian killed by SL forces so We can blam balances kiled by LTTE terrarist ?
FYI: Amirican’s & other western forces are /were not killing or were not a single their citizons in Agfanistan ,Iraq or Libiya?
Why in My mother lanka my own forces killed my own Brothers & Sisters ?????????
Lord buddha / Lord Siva , is it not Karma(M) ? !!!!!
May 9th, 2011 at 3:18 am
Ranjith’s response to FT article is excellent. Most Western writers simply regurgitate LTTE propaganda, perhaps planted by sympathysers.It is important to challenge false reporting carried out by Western media.
May 9th, 2011 at 6:15 am
Andy,
You write as you just woke up and know nothing. Your Tamil LTTE terorists hearded 300,000 civilians, lying to them , and used them as human shield. You Tamils wanted ALL of these civilians to die , so you could proove the non existing “genocide” you were fraudulantly wailing to the world at that time. Ring any bells now? If SL forces were like West they would have killed ALL civilians saving thier lives and give a big sorry. But SL forces DID NOT DO that. They took 6000 of thier own lives to save 300,000 civilians. Now for the 40,000. This figure is what you called FRAUD. Day by day the figure is gong up. You fraudsters raise the 1983 figure to over 5000 where the actual figure is less than 500. So by the standard of FRAUDSTERS you are showing I am 100% sure the figute must be way below 2000. Even the 7000 figure was blown up by the LTTE fraudsters. The figures the Tamil doctors saying about 900-700 should be pritty close.
May 9th, 2011 at 9:00 am
Chintha
Ok ,so
1) Only 500 Tamil killed 1983
2) Only 900- 700 killed in May2009
will our Govt issue dead certificate & conpantation for these wrongly killed civilians ?
NB/ I agreed (Ring any bells ) We were at UK Westminter parliment day & nights in Apr to May 2009 to stop the war ( not for release civilans to IDP camps)
May 9th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Andy
I am a tamil and I cried so many times when I saw children, mothers , old people died in Wanni
It is sad it should never happened to any one
ALso we have to be honest these people were taken by LTTE . They could not leave . The end is too too sad
Many sinhalese shed tears for the loss
Also Andy when Iwas a child in early 80s I remember LTTE killed police or Army soldiers and hide then the army comes and burn the shops or beat and kill people in surrounding areas.
LTTE killed many many intelluctuals GAS what a shame
I heard they killed other members like Telo and Eprlfs mercilessly in some cases they were burnt with tires
during JVP time my sihlala friends said thousands of innocent sinhalese were killed and tortured by Premadasas UNP gang . no one spoke out my understanding was many outside people did not even know these
I belivee very very much in reconcilation . I beg tamils sinhalese muslims Indian tamils burgers and Chetiyars never ever ever ever ever hurt each other , The country needs psychiatric clinics and councelling
I know There are Tamils as well as sinhalese who wake up with hatred and sleep with hatred
The only way out of this is to have a true compassion love and respect with each other. The govt should bring capital punishment for those who kill any humans
Peace
May 9th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Ranjit,
You are doing a most valuable service to remind everyone about the double standards of all conquering heroes of the globe.
Our friend andylingam also can tell us
-who killed Alfred Duraiappa, Dr Tiranagama, et al.
– who started the trend to lionise Cyanide pill wearing Bank robbing gangs.
-the numbers of Tamil speaking Muslim folks that were cleansed out of Jaffna in the 90s.
-numbers of Sinhala folks who werepushed out of Jaffna by fear and intimidation all through the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s..
Afterall if one looks at various street violence incidents these had germs of violence from irrational sectors from the minority too. Who protested to Britain against one man one vote, caused the damages Nagadipa in ’58 the forerunner to street violence.
It was not Sinhal folks who conducted the primitive caste ridden society in the North of Sri Lanka that kept out low castes, religioous and ethnic minorities not only from government funded educationbut even from drawing water from a well or running even a basicbusiness like a tea canteen o entering places of worship.
He can also gainfully read the writings covering period by Prof Asoka Bandarage, Prof K M De Silva, the Vice Chancellorof all Universities of the time, Prof PPGL Siriwardena, DrMikeRoberts to learn the other side of the story.
May 10th, 2011 at 6:13 am
Andy,
Not only those numbers, there are more than 100,000 killed during passt 30 years. The good thing is not one killed after May 2009. Why don’t you fraudsters spend the money you give the media to lie, the money give the politicians to hoodwink the world, to your people who lost thier lives to form the EALAM FRAUD.
May 10th, 2011 at 11:39 am
The numbers killed in the two JVP insurrections, then later the numbers killed in the LTTE terrorism – all were Sri Lankans -these events break our Hearts, but must be put behind us to move forward as a healed Nation. What do the readers suggest we do to heal the Nation ? Have one Memorial Day for all who died in the Armed Forces of Lanka , JVP, & LTTE ? I really don’t have an easy answer to heal the the pain of our Nation, and only wish we could accept the fact that all Sri Lankans feel immense sadness and anger for those events past, and move forward.
At the same time, we have learnt by now to be vigilant forever, for that is the price of Democracy. Also to “Be Prepared” for future strife, through Nature or manmade.
May 10th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
ck this out folks
According to Family radio brother camping Judgment day is May 21st 2011
wow
11 days to go
In New York city and surroundings I have seen billl boards saying Judgement day May 21st
Brother camping says it comes at 6 PM eastern time
he says there will be earthquakes all around the world
Please keep me in prayers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/may-21-2011-judgment-day_n_804166.html
May 10th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Jimmy,
Keep your nonsense away from intelligent discussions. The world will end one day but that must be looked at from the astronomical point of view, not from extremist points of views.
Andy,
Are you insane?
One day you say one thing and on another day you contradict that. People die in wars. That is accepted in all major religions. What matters is the noble intentions behind the war. 20 million people live in peace and relative safety today thanks to those people died in Vanni. This is a noble trade off. Gods will respect, love and bless those who won the war.