US Senators send petition supporting Sri Lanka: may their tribe increase
Posted on February 13th, 2012
Asada M Erpini
The letter from twelve senators sent to the US President is a whiff of fresh air and some relief to Sri Lanka that is being attacked by almost every rich nation in the West on war crimes and human rights issues. Some of the signatories had visited Sri Lanka a few months back and had seen for themselves the situation in the country since the defeat of the LTTE fighters. Thus, when they say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦we are encouraged by significant progress in resettling almost all of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and providing family reunification, vocational training and job placement for those Sri LankansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, one would expect that those who apparently do not hear anything positive happening in the country will at least not remain deaf to the SenatorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ voices.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yet, for the top advisers of the US President, especially those in the Department of State who assist him on forging the foreign policy of the country, being open and making an objective assessment seems anathema. If one were to go by the stance taken by the two big names – the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and the State Department’s Undersecretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Right, a designation that sounds quite imposing, leaving alone the mighty USƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s performance as regards human rights in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and many other countries prior to that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” who have completed a visit to Sri Lanka, the island nation is in for tough times. The two have said that the US will support a resolution against Sri Lankan at the United Nations Human Rights Council, citing the lack of sufficient progress in implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). The duo clearly are oblivious to the fact that the LLRC Report was tabled in the Sri Lanka Parliament only on 16th December, which does not give even a period of two months for any well-meaning government, institution or organisation to do anything constructive and substantial.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is heartening that the US Senators who wrote to President Obama have referred to a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-strong United States – Sri Lanka partnershipƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and to the value of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-strong relationship between the United States and Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. But unless there is a sea change of the attitude of the Obama administration and, more so, of those at the top echelons in the Department of State, such and eventuality will only remain a wishful dream. And, poor Sri Lanka, sadly, will continue get battered by wave after wave of anti-Sri Lanka attacks.
February 15th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Gamini,
It is indeed heartening to see a bipartisan request, by both Republicans and Democrats, to review the current US Foreign Policy against Sri Lanka to one that recognizes Sri Lanka’s drive to secure the nation and bring peace and prosperity to all of its people irrespective of community, the Sri Lankan way … not according to the dictates of other countries based upon their own geopolitical assessments.
In this context, I would like to draw your attention to a recent article in the Island newspaper, entitled ‘How could Amb. Blake forget TNA’s war-time partnership with LTTE?’.
I present below my own assessment of how the US policymakers could be so wrong. I had previously published at the SriLankaDefenceForum blog.
…………………….
How could the US be so wrong, you ask? Easily, my Friend, Easily … when the underlying MOTIVE is to destabilize and undermine Sri Lanka.
What does the US stand to gain in doing that? … you may ask.
The answers is: to please the Tamils of Tamil Nadu for the following reasons.
There are three scenarios.
1. In the short term, help placate Tamils in Tamil Nadu by pushing for power devolution to Tamils in Sri Lanka, and helping to keep India whole for use as an ALLY to confront the RISING POWER of China. The aim here is to help prevent dissatisfaction of the Dravidian South, and possible secession from the Indian Union, albeit at Sri Lanka’s expense.
2. In the longer term, if Tamil Nadu, and some other Dravidian States, SECEDE from India due to their RACIST ANIMOSITY towards the non-Dravidian peoples of India, position the USA as an ally of Tamil Nadu so that the USA can get Military and Naval Bases in Tamil Nadu to contain the the RISING POWER of China in the Indian Ocean. That will help offset and contain any bases China may have in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the Indian Ocean region.
3. Another LOW-COST option is to EXPLOIT the “war crimes” and “human rights” to WEAN Sri Lanka away from its alliance with China at LOW COST without any significant replacement of the massive Chinese investments in Sri Lanka.
To that end, the USA seeks to destabilize and undermine the UPFA Govt of Sri Lanka, to install a more compliant UNP-led government through which it hopes to accomplish all objectives: the ejection of Chinese from Sri Lanka, the pleasing of Tamils in India by engineering the creation of a de-facto autonomous Eelam in Sri Lanka, and acquiring a Military and Naval base in Sri Lanka supplanting China in that role.
THESE are the US Policy OBJECTIVES & SCENARIOS driving its fabricated “war crimes” and “human rights” strategy in Sri Lanka.
We Patriots of Sri Lanka STRONGLY DISAGREE with this Flaweed Policy that UNDERMINES the NATURAL ALLIANCE between the USA and Sri Lanka. By Emotional, Political and Economic Temperaments, Sri Lanka and the United States, and indeed ALL Western Democracies, are NATURAL ALLIES. This Flawed Policy DISRUPTS that NATURAL ALLIANCE.
Do not DRIVE Sri Lanka away from YOUR FOLD by Flawed Misguided Geo-Political Policies INIMICAL to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is the OLDEST FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY of South Asia having enjoyed Universal Francihse a quarter of a century before it gained independence in 1948. Democratic self-government is in our blood, and our tolerant largely-Buddhist principles have led to a flowering of human development in Sri Lanka. A strong free-market based democratic Sri Lanka, at peace with all nations of the world, will be an ASSET to Western Democracies, NOT A THREAT.
We believe in what you believe. We are committed to EQUAL RIGHTS and EQUAL RESPONSIBILITIES for all of our people irrespective of community by race, religion, language, caste, sex or wealth.
We just differ in the path we want to take in perfecting our democracy and enhancing the lives of our people of the present and future generations.
We do not believe that allocating special rights to different communities in different regions of the country, that are unavailable to all citizens equally, will lead to peace and prosperity.
Instead of equality it will create new inequalities and strife based on communal considerations. We want to ERADICATE all communal considerations as a basis for the allocation of civic rights to our citizens.
ALL of Sri Lanka is the BIRTHRIGHT of all Sri Lankan citizens without regard to their community. That is the path towards harmony and peace essential to promoting prosperity and human dignity.
Look at what Sri Lanka has achieved in literacy, human development, healthcare, labor rights, women’s rights, rural electrification, transportation, land ownership, business entrepreneurship, and so on, even while it was embroiled in a 30-year war by murderous terrorists seeking to carve out a RACIST SEPARATIST state of Eelam from Sri Lanka.
That Eelam was in many ways the twin of the Confederacy in that it sought to divide the USA and create a RACIST state founded upon slavery. The US Civil War, waged to forestall that calamity, rescued the United States not only from the shame of slavery but also spared all future generations of US citizens from continuous conflict between two aggressive, philosophically opposed, nations born in war. Sri Lankans deserve no less.
Therefore, REVERSE THIS FLAWED POLICY and become a STRONG ALLY of Sri Lanka.
Put your MONEY where your MOUTH is and HELP Sri Lanka become the Shining New Wonder of Asia in the NEXT DECADE!