Decision To Hold The 2013 Commonwealth Meeting In Colombo Was Wrong- UK Foreign Affairs Committee
Posted on November 17th, 2012
Herold Leelawardena
It is reported that ‘UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee’ is very concerned about Human Rights abuses in Sri Lanka. That is well and good, but at no time should we let them forget their own human rights violations of past and present. We should remind ‘the UK Foreign Affairs CommitteeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to go look at self in the mirror every morning and reminiscence cruelty ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ inflicted during their uninvited rule in many countries.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Amazingly, no ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”UK Foreign Affairs CommitteeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ or UNHRC or HRW touched upon hundreds of thousands of Kenyans that were severely ill-treated during Mau Mau rebellion against the British occupiers for decades. Not until George Morara of Kenya Human Rights Commission attempted to take on the British government anyone dare said a word against ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In 2002, MoraraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lawyers had amassed 6,000 depositions regarding human rights abuses British said to have committed during Mau Mau uprising. A collection of former fighters calling themselves the ‘Mau Mau Original GroupƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ announced they would attempt a ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚£5 billion claim against the UK on behalf of the said group. In 2005, Kenya called for an apology from the UK for atrocities committed during the 1950s.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In a British High Court, Kenyans named Ndiku Mutua and Paulo Muoka Nzili said; they were castrated. Another named, Jane Muthoni Mara said; she was sexually assault with bottles filled with boiling water pushed up her vagina. 84 year old Nyingi, said; she was detained for about nine years and was beaten unconscious and bears the marks from leg manacles, whipping and caning. However, not a single torturer was held responsible for their gruesome crimes for over fifty years.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But most British papers that cry for Sri Lanka blood reported for vanquishing terrorism report as opponents of these proceedings have pointed out ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”and, very rightlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ papers said, that the Mau Mau was a brutal terrorist force, guilty of the most dreadful atrocities and had happened a long time ago. After a long battle, in July 2011, a British judge had ruled affected Kenyans could sue the British government for torture.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What I cannot understand is the very people that took more than fifty years just to accept ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ had committed pathetic crimes to continue their colonial rule is waving an accusing finger at us for not saving master inventors of human bombs. At no time they can accuse Sri Lanka forces for castrations, sexual assaults and such vulgar charges to date. Only deaths of civilians which the forces insist were collateral damage and no material evidence found to prove otherwise. They want us to start a witch-hunt our self.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ After the aforesaid ruling, the British Foreign Office was concerned about “potentially significant and far reaching legal implications” for God only knows what ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ torture tactics may have been from Malaya to the Yemen, from Cyprus to Palestine and etc.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now those were only ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ action in this century. What about mad acts by ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s ancestorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the century before? I mean; hundreds of thousands of all males killed other than infants, and all their cattle killed, and all their houses burned, and all their paddy fields burned during 1818 rebellion against the British Raj.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sone organisation must form a committee to formulate British atrocities in Sri Lanka and make a list of crimes committed by ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Her Majesty’s ancestorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ TorturersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and present it to the British Prime Minister at the 2013 commonwealth meeting in Colombo.
November 17th, 2012 at 7:49 am
How come the British gone blind when it comes to Indian occupied Kashmir.
November 17th, 2012 at 8:45 am
Indians are also blind, They see north only.
November 17th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Present British PM famously said “most of the present day troubles in the world is due to the British”. What more ???
November 17th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Sri Lanka should boycott these events.
November 17th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
to hell with commonwealth! who needs it. just get out of this stupid commonwealth and and induce all other asian an african countries to do so. if the leader is hell bent on ‘wonder of asia’ (or ‘blunder of asia’) he thinks what is he is doing is right with his foreign minister on leash. just quit commonwealth and also the unhcr and face the consequences. i predict it will be good.
November 17th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
EXCELLENT NEWS!!!
“The second reading of the 2013 Budget was passed in Parliament with a majority 103 votes a short while ago as 156 members voted for and 53 MPs voting against it.
The United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Allaince (TNA) and Democratic National Alliance (DNA) voted against the budget when Parliament went for division on Budget 2013 this evening, Ada Derana reporter said.”
– adaderana.lk
So the govt. STILL has 2/3. Jeyawewa!
Govt. had 161 seats. 2 for speaker and dep speaker. That is 159 votes. But only 156 votes. What happened to 3 govt. MPs who did not vote for the budget?
156 + 53 + 2 = 211 votes.
There are 225 in parliament. What about the 14 MPs who did NOT vote?
Are they on the fence?
We can potentially get 156 + 14 = 170 votes in favor of SCRAPPING 13 amendment.
This is VERY encouraging.
UNA, DNA, TNA (NA crowd) is ONLY 53 seats!!
CJ’s impeachment hearing this Friday. Very good timing.
November 18th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
As Budgets go..
The National Budget is the financial strategy (expenditure and income) of a government towards achieving specific economic and social development goals during the forthcoming financial year and beyond. According to the President cum Minister of Finance and Planning, the current budget proposals have been formulated targeting three important objectives in the next three years (2013-2015) which are (a) transforming the country into a poverty-free upper middle income economy, (b) strengthening food, water and environment security, and (c) putting the country on a path to realise quality education, skills development, and research and technology revolution. However, there is no coherent and convincing set of policies propounded by the Government to achieve these proclaimed objectives.
In a nutshell, the National Budget for 2013 presented by the Minister of Finance on November 8, 2012 promotes consumption and pampers the urbanites as opposed to promoting and rewarding production and productivity in the country. The critical elements of the budget are the pay rises to public servants and pensioners, and subsidies to farmers and other transfer payments which stifle empowerment of individuals, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. Amidst decelerating economic growth and accelerating fiscal and monetary vulnerabilities such benevolence of the Government is baffling.
Just a couple of weeks ago prior to the presentation of the budget Senior Minister and President’s brother Basil Rajapaksa publicly said that the public servants should not expect a pay rise next year. However, the recent confrontation between the Executive and the Judiciary and the subsequent impeachment motion against the Chief Justice seems to have made the Government to pacify the public sector employees through measures of fiscal opulence. Such short-fused and short-sighted management of the economy has been the hallmark of the Rajapaksa regime in the past seven years.
In his concluding remarks the President proclaimed that “A change in the prevailing Provincial Council system is necessary to make devolution more meaningful to our people. “Devolution should not be a political reform that will lead us to separation but instead it should be one that unifies all of us………The elimination of provincial disparities using national standards is the main weapon through which national reconciliation can be promoted.” Although the President failed to disclose what those national standards are, one of the lowest ministerial allocations of 532 million rupees to the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration tells-it-all.
Source: Daily Mirror
November 18th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
“Such short-fused and short-sighted management of the economy has been the hallmark of the Rajapaksa regime in the past seven years.”
What a foolish thing to say! But please live in your fool’s paradise.
May be that’s why they are doing very well for the past seven years and the opposition has been castrated by the people, REPEATEDLY. :))
Daily Mirror is owned by the Wijewardana family of Run-NIL.
“Orage ammaken pena aanawa”