Ira de Silva London, Canada

The Editor
Financial Times
London, U.K.
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Dear Sir:
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I am writing to correct some of your statements in this editorial. This report is not a U.N. report – it was an advisory report to the Secretary General that was called for to satisfy the western powers, theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ same powers who tried their best – your David Milliband who admitted that he spent 60% of his time to woo the Tamil vote in the U.K. was one of them, to save the leadership of the Tamil terrorists. These countriesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ were pushing for a report, again to pander to the LTTE Tamils in the U.K., U.S., Canada etc. To be an U.N. report it needed to be called for by either the Security Council or the General Assembly. It was not. That is why Ban ki Moon said that he has no power to act.
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It was not an investigative report as clearly stated many times byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the authors. For example on pageƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 6 of the main report, they sayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  “the panel and United Nations officials repeatedly made clear to the government the scope of its mandate as an advisory panel to the secretary general including that it was not engaged in any investigation. AgainƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on page 14 it stressed “the panelƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mandate precludes fact finding or investigation.”
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There is noƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  “credible evidence” in the report. It is based on unsubstantiated allegations gathered from public presentations and whatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was in the U.N. system.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Further what is curious is that these presentations were classified as strictly confidential and can not be examined by anybody for twenty years!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If they are making accusations, for them toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ be credible and haveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ any semblance of legality, those they accuse should have accessƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the information they have relied on.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ To ask for another international investigation is just a fishing expedition which which will continue not for the benefit of Sri Lanka or it’s citizens but to satisfy the countries who want to punish Sri Lanka to satisfy theirƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ own citizens of Tamil origin.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The panel collected information from peopleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and no one knows who they are or the content of the material collected.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  On page 15 they state “this account should not be taken as proven facts” which means that they are not prepared to guarantee the accuracy of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in the report but expect Sri Lanka to take them at their word.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Given the bias of the three panellists based on their prior statements on Sri Lanka, may I say that theirƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reportƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is a waste of public money. It was meant to be broadcast to the world so thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reporters and publications such as yours could continue to pass judgementsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ against Sri Lanka based on innuendo and hearsay.
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You stateƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka “did not even allow the three UN panel members into the country to carry out an investigation”. Sri Lanka said they could come to the country but they could not carry out any “investigations” – they had no mandate to investigate.
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You state “western liberal democracies want greater respect for human rights”. Sounds good but is it not a fact that these same western liberal democracies are violating the human rights of millions in Iraq and Afghanistan? Not only violating human rights theyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have and are causingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  hundreds of thousands of deaths which they consider the “price of war” and pass off as collateral damage, displacing millions, using torture, rendition, water boarding and other abuse. For a fact, Sri Lanka can not be compared to these liberal democracies and has merely defeated terrorists in their own country and saved the population from frequent terrorist attacks which it had endured for over twenty five years. That is the duty of any government.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The liberal democracies are invading and killing countless thousandsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in other countries supposedly to protect their own citizens.
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You state “authoritarian governments have carte blanche to deal with internal security issues as they see fit, without regard to the laws of war or international humanitarian rules.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If 40,000 – or 400,000 – civilians die in the process, then so be it. That would be a terrible message indeed”. It is not “authoritarian governments” that are conducting wars without regard to the laws of war or international humanitarian rules even though they supposedly do not have carte blancheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ – it is the same liberal democracies that you seem to believe want greater respect for human rights. It is countries such as yours and the U.S. who have the attitudeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that ifƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 40,000 – or 400,000 – civilians die in the process, then so be it. That is whatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has been done in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ terrible messageƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that they are sendingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the world, not Sri Lanka or any country you brand as having an “authoritarian government”.
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It is not Sri Lanka’s dirty war that must be investigated butƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ wars that are being waged byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ your liberal democracies. There is sufficient documented evidence of the crimes that have been committed – why do you not call for an immediate investigation by the U.N.
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Yours truly,
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Ira de Silva
London, Canada