Dr Kamal Wickremasinghe

The unbridled freedom of expression the West is advocating around the world is subject to certain well known restrictions in their home countries – the word ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”conspiracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for example, is subtly censored in the West through the labelling of opinions, ideas or observations on certain subjects as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”conspiracy theoriesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

At a social level, the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”conspiracy theoryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ label carries pejorative connotations subliminally, arising primarily from the historical association between charges of a global conspiracy and antisemitism in Western Europe.

In the US in particular, raising legitimate questions about dubious official narratives and irrational foreign policy decisions ranging from the September 11 events to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-weapons of mass destructionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ pretext used for the Iraqi invasion is considered major ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”thought crimeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ falling into the category of conspiracy theories. Such transgression is punished with castigation and marginalisation of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”offenderƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. The questions remain unanswered.

The motive behind the current convention against the use of the word conspiracy in contexts where its use is semantically requisite is being cleverly used to stifle public inquiry of dubious foreign policy decisions of Western governments.

One of the UNHRC sittings. File photo

Paid Western agents in developing countries, mainly NGOs who are increasingly camouflaging themselves as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”civil society groupsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ also adopt such name-calling in their own domestic environments as a means of keeping public scrutiny away from their dubious sources of funding and the nefarious anti-national activities they are engaged in.

Conspiracy is a reality in international affairs

Fact-based views on the confluence of anti-Sri Lankan forces leading up to the 22nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) scheduled to begin on February 25 is the sort of discourse that is likely to attract the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”conspiracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ theory label – However, no other word in the English language could describe the current neocon controlled anti-Sri Lankan moves with adequate accuracy and precision.

The release of numerous reports, videos and other forms of propaganda on alleged ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by the Sri Lankan Army in 2009 to coincide with the HRC sessions points to a conspiracy by a group of anti-Sri Lankan Forces led by the US and British neocons – they simply would not accept the strong sense of independence being displayed by the Sri Lankan government.

The elaborate planning of the neocon operation is focused on the use of the mechanics of the HRC session to include Sri Lanka on the agenda during the month-long HRC sessions, with the ultimate objective of coercing the member countries to consent to some form of international intervention.

They are focusing primarily on influencing the Indian Central government position on the US resolution at the HCR by appealing to the emotions of the hell-raising leaders of the caste ridden South Indian political establishment. They are relying on fabricated stories of child murder and other anti-Tamil atrocities to achieve their aims – nearly four year old photographs of dead bodies, mainly of women and children, and other gory scenes common to any theatre of operations are being put out by neocon operatives. Their strategy is based on winding up the puny minds of Jayalalithaa Jayaram and the geriatric K. Karunanidhi.

A fascinating feature of the conspiracy is that the well-known neocon funded INGOs such as Human Rights Watch (HRW), the International Crisis Group (ICG), and the discredited rabble rouser Callum Macray are almost competing against each other to appear inconsolable in their effort to display phony grief most convincingly about the war dead.

Anti-Sri Lankan conspirators are trained operators

Navanetham Pillay

K. Karunanidhi

Jayalalitha Jayaram

Ban Ki-moon

The NGO operatives launching the strategy are extremely familiar with methods of influencing the UN and HRC processes, due to the training they have received from the UN itself – the sinister neocon conspiracy of undermining national governments of developing countries involved converting the UN system that began as an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inter-governmentalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ friendship society into a body that currently grants NGOs, while spreading the myth they are non-governmental, representation rights almost equal to national governments by equipping them with such training.

Beginning around 1995, the neocon led moves to exploit NGOs as a means of undermining national governments was formalised with the creation of an NGO Section with powers of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-overseeing partnerships with associated NGOsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, attached to the UN Department of Public Information.

Currently the Section provides weekly NGO briefings, and holds communication workshops, an annual NGO conference and an annual orientation programme for newly recruited NGOs. Providing information to the UN clandestinely through the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-special ProceduresƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ mechanism is a vital service provided by the NGOs.

It is noteworthy that the first official document issued by Navanetham Pillay after assuming duties as High Commissioner for Refugees in 2008 was a 157 page publication named ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme – A Handbook for Civil SocietyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that outlines the methods of getting involved in the work of the OHCHR.

The Handbook details NGO training programmes financed by 36 Western countries that are designed to enable them to counter the official positions of their respective elected governments represented by professional diplomats who can ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”read the movesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the conspirators.

NGOs began their work in advance of the HRC sessions

The so-called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Fifth Geneva Summit for Human Rights and DemocracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, a soiree among 20 NGOs and other human rights activist organisations including those from Iran, North Korea, Syria, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, Kazakhstan, and Tibet that began on February 19, before the official opening of the 22nd session of the HRC was a case in point – this was where the NGO strategy was mapped out to raise additional thematic issues and country situations during general debates scheduled to take place through the one-month session.

The list of participant NGO operatives and the countries where they came from reveals that each of the countries is having ongoing disputes with the neocon operated US foreign policy apparatus. The participating NGO operatives are whoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s who of the neocon-paid celebrity human rights activist circuit including Marina Nemat, Pyotr Verzilov, and Lukpan Akhmedyarov – Marina Nematisan Iranian writer who has served time according to Iranian law for anti-government tirades, and fled to Canada.

Pyotr Verzilov is a Russian street performer and husband of one of the three Pussy Riot punk rock band members arrested while attempting to perform their brand of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”unholyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ musicat one of the holiest religious monuments in Moscow, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

Lukpan Akhmedyarovis a Kazakhstani journalist, a male version of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Frederica Jansz, who has been ordered by the courts to pay millions of dollars in compensation to government politicians and public officials who have won libel cases against him – for his troubles, Reporters Without Borders is spreading the lie that his is a case of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-persecutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, and he has been granted an award named the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical JournalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ at a ceremony in the US.

There could well be Sri Lankan operatives among this motley crew, for at the time of the last HRC sessions a Sri Lankan socialite named Sally Hulugalle lived in Geneva for several months prior to the meeting, lobbying country representatives.

The major thrust comes from past masters of deception on Sri Lanka

The pictorial presentations of the charlatan Callum Macrae, in addition to the ludicrously sensationalised language used, including the title of his movie, presents some stale photos branded as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”newƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ evidence. His ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”analysisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of those photos resembles a tea leaf reading rather than a convincing technical or scientific analysis.

The first of two photos that is supposed to be the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”smoking gunƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Macrae has unearthed, depicts a remarkably serene looking young boy in a bunker, and his second photo depicts the dead body of the boy with bullet wounds.

Based on this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”evidenceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Macrae submits his case of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-killing fieldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka, saying that the two pictures were taken by the same camera two hours apart. He draws the extraordinary conclusion that the killing was done by the Sri Lankan army. MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s story line defies common sense and logic, and his expectation that the members of the UNHRC are going to buy this story is an insult to their intelligence.

The boyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s face in the first photo does not show any signs of fear or apprehension expected of a young person allegedly held captive by men in military uniforms – He looks relaxed to the point of being serene, apparently munching chocolate. The disposition of the boy is indicative of his being sheltered in an LTTE bunker at some stage during the war. This view is reinforced by the absence of any evidence in the photo to suggest that the bunker is an army bunker rather than an LTTE bunker.

Macrae says the second photo depicting the boyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s corpse was taken two hours later by the same camera. Though the timing is irrelevant in any case, neither of the two photos displays a date and time stamp, a feature available even in the cheapest throw away camera these days – The HRC is asked to trust MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-metadataƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ magic as confirmation.

The only thing MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s case can possibly prove is that he is no forensic scientist, and he has no idea of what justice or rule of law means. MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s so-called evidence is fatally lacking in the two essential ingredients of criminal evidence of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”continuity ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”integrityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢- there is no intact ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”chain of custodyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the boy or unbroken continuity of events that is discernible from these photos. These photos do not provide any evidence whatsoever that the Sri Lankan army shot and killed the boy.

In the absence of integrity of evidence, all other speculation by forensic pathologists ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-respectedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by Macrae, on aspects such as the distance of the muzzle of the weapon to the boyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s chest, the direction the boy fell, and whether he has been made to watch the execution of his guards before the gun was turned on him etc. becomes irrelevant, and akin to a tea leaf reading by a clairvoyant.

In all probability, the boy was sheltered by his father and his army in a bunker for security, and he was either the subject of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mercy killingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by his fatherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s friends following the failure of the family escape attempt, or was caught in the crossfire during the escape attempt. Macrae fraudulently hides such alternative explanations.

MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s evidence is similar to Catherine PhilpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s disgraced evidence of 2009

MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-evidenceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and analysis of events in this video is reminiscent of the method adopted in the infamous May 30, 2009 newspaper article on The Times by one of the Western reporters most ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”embeddedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by the US and UK armies in the stressful theatres of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Catherine Philp.

In that article, Philp alleged, citing an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-investigationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by The Times, that more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final throes of the Sri Lankan civil war, as a result of government shelling. She also claimed that her investigation was backed by aerial photographs, official documents, witness accounts and expert testimony.

Upon analysis, it surfaced that PhilpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s investigation consisted of two aerial photographs taken while accompanying the UN Secretary-General across the battle zone on Sri Lankan military helicopters, and a chat with Gordon Weiss, a neocon agent operating under UN cover.

The pictures showed two vacant areas, one sprinkled with some sand mounds and the other resembling a more orderly cemetery. Philp had come to the remarkable conclusion, having witnessed these sites from a height of at least several hundred metres, that the sand mounds marked makeshift burial sites of a mass killing by the army, and the orderly cemetery was an LTTE military cemetery – effectively, Philp had made judgements on the bodies literally ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”six feet underƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢!

PhilpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s investigation also cited infamous Gordon Weiss figure of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-7,000 civilian deathsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-confidential UN documents acquired by The TimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, supported by a Father Amalraj who was interned in Manik Farm refugee camp at the time. She quoted instructions by an unnamed UN official in Colombo (no prices for guessing) – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It would take the final toll above 20,000. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Higher, keep going.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Higher she went, by multiplying the reported number of deaths by five, making the random assumption that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-only one-in-five deaths were being reportedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚!

MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s evidence faces the same fate as PhilpsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

As expected, Catherine PhilpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s piece of investigative journalism, originally published in the neocon Rupert Murdoch-owned The Times, relayed by all associated corporate media in the West, compelled the UN to make public comment about the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”sensationalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ revelations including a possible UN cover up. Comment, they did. On June 1, 2009, the day following the publication of the lies, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the UN General Assembly that – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Regarding the media reports alleging that some 20,000 civilians may have been killed during the last phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka, I should emphasise that these figures do not emanate from the UN and they are not consistent with the information at our disposalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. He added – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I categorically reject ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” repeat, categorically reject ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” any suggestion that the United Nations has deliberately underestimated any figuresƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

The 20,000 figure was also rejected by the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes who told a media briefing – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I think a lot of the figures which are floating around donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have much justification behind them. That figure (20,000) has no status as far as we’re concernedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

This time around, MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fraud is being backed by the other subversive criminal organisations, the ICG and HRH – A report by Alan Keenan, the neocon intelligence agency ICGƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Project DirectorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, who probably did not have time to cook up some data, is demanding punishment on Sri Lanka, not on any specific human rights issues that fall under the HRC mandate, but for daring to be independent – his waffle reads – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Analysts and government critics have warned of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s growing authoritarianism since the final years of the civil war, but the impeachment has considerably worsened the situation.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ He simply canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be serious!

The dogs will keep barking, and at the end of the day, no one should be surprised by the fact that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s war, like all wars, produced some gory images. None more so than the gruesome images of massacres of innocent villagers by PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mlechcha forces committed at Gonagala, including those of pregnant women whose wombs were cut open, at Welikanda and the monks at Arantalawa, just to name a few. Heartless as it may sound, dwelling on those atrocities any longer and seeking revenge cannot be productive in any sense of the word. The way forward is the path the government has chosen – engaging in eradicating poverty.

The sooner the neocon forces get off our backs, leaving us to get on with it would be the better. The Times of LondonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reporters Catherine Philp and her collaborators seemed to expect the world to believe their lies without scrutiny, let alone the application of common sense. PhilpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lies died an ignominious death on the UN General Assembly floor after circulating limply in international media for a few days.

Callum MacraeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s, and Alan KeenenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and the HRHƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s frauds will go the same way.