Re:’ A Sri Lanka Summit Discredits The Commonwealth – Gedeon Richman – Financial Times 24th June ‘13
Posted on June 29th, 2013
Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM FRCP/FRACP Spokesperson United Sri Lanka Association,
Gideon Rachman has brought discredit to the Financial Times by echoing the Goebellian rhetoric of the Tiger diaspora that has now shown to be patently untrue, & aimed at falsely discrediting and destabilizing Sri Lanka.
Numerous parliamentary delegations,especially from the Australia and the UKƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have publicly and in parliamentary debates ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ confirmed time and again that the impressive realities of post war Sri Lanka, in ethnic reconciliation , rehabilitation and reconstruction are quite different to what the Tigers and NGO ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”s , singing for their breakfast from the ill gotten war chest of billions of the Tigers,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ make out. The decision of Ausralia, New Zealand and England to attend and support the CHOGM in Sri Lanka comes following these revelations.
Julie Bishop , deputy leader of theAustralian parliamentary opposition in several media interviews following her visit to Sri Lanka in March ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢13has reiterated that when she pressedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for specifics on disappearances, the best that theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ TNA, the Tamil parliamentary opposition in SL ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ could do related to events before the end of the war in 2009. The human rightsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ watch who alleged widespread torture, also failed to come up with a single specific event when pressed.
Navy Pillai, the UNHRC chief, another fierce critic of Sri Lanka ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ besides being an ethnic Tamil herself, has also not availed her self of SL governments invitation for over eighteen months to visitƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ SL and verify for herself the realities there.
The Canadian governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stand is undoubtedly influenced by the electoral clout of three hundred thousand Tamil voters in marginal electorates especially in the Toronto region, provoking fierce criticism even from the governments own members.
As for the allegation of 40,000 civilians being killed as a result of SL forces fire, had that been the case would the remaining 300,000 stream into the arms of these very forces as they did , in full view of the world media, the momentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the tiger built embankment to prevent the escape of these hostaged human shields , was beached.
Further, in the documentary ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Lies Agreed UponƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, easily accessedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on U Tube, these 300,000 , through about 50 of their Tamil representatives,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ six TamilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ doctors who served them throughout their ordeal and a Tamil member of parliament who also was with them throughout,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ only had the highest praise for the SL forces and confirmed that theonly fire they faced were from the tigers to prevent their escape.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
These are the reasons why the Canadian call for boycott of Colombo CHOGM has failed to inspire even one of the other 55members of Commonwealth. The leadership given by itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s secretary general Kamlesh Sharma in the face of this onslaught ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ deceit and deception, not to change the GHOGM venue deserves the highest praise , not criticism. Had the CHOGM venue beenchanged buckling under this deceit, it is then that the Commonwealth would have lost itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s moral authority.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Unquestionably, those who had their most fundamental human right, the right to life, threatened for thee decades were the 20 million citizens of Sri Lanka , who wereƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ victims of Tamil Tiger Terror in Sri Lanka throughout this period. Those who sustained this terror through funds and propaganda raised in the west during these three decadesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ continue to torment Sri Lanka from the same safe havens as shown but under different names such as the Trans National Government of Tamil Elam and Global /British Tamil Federation.
Responsible media groups like the Financial Times , have an obligation to expose theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ culpability of these groups, particularly their leaders., for this monumental violation of human rights of twenty million people through thee decades and to bring them to book.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
This is what would enhance the moral authority of such media groups, no end.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM
FRCP/FRACP
Spokesperson
United Sri Lanka Association,
New Zealand
June 29th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
Well said.
June 30th, 2013 at 2:33 am
Thans Dr Chula for your excellent words on the FT. I believe you have copied this to the FT. However, I myself will do as follows:
Article writer: gideon.rachman@ft.com
Editor: eas@ft.com
June 30th, 2013 at 5:45 am
Christie Says:
June 28th, 2013 at 5:39 am
An Indian imperialist, Secratary of the Commonwealth (Indian Empire less the white (cold) colonies) Kamalesh Sharma has put a letter in FT in response’ but unfortunately you cant read it unless you subscribe to FT.
I could not post a response to Gedeon Richman as FT does not allow non-subscribers to comment, bur I have posted this in the Economist in a related item. Economist also pro Indoian like FT but FT has to suck to Indians to survive.
Thank you, FT and the author. Yours is one view and let us see view of a subject of the Indian Empire. The British-Indian Empire was built with the British violence and Indian non violent aggression and oppression. The British colonised the colder dominions like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Falkl ands. Indians colonised the tropics like Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, KwaZulu Natal, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Fiji, West Indies, etc. British were the absentee landlords and Indian colonial parasites (a word I do not like to use but a perfect explanation) were the colonists. British were the gunners while Indians were the Sepoys and Coolies who extracted wealth. They kept a lot, gave few pennies to the land lord and send a lot to India and they still do. The most celebrated Indian colonial parasite is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who made his political and economic fortunes from Black Africa. He was a pole bearer with the British soldiers in killing poorly armed Zulus. Zulus did not have guns. British cocked them and barrels were cleaned by the Indian Sepoys.The so called Commonwealth; today it is the Indian Empire; from the British-Indian Empire. WWII saw the end of the British Indian Empire and the continuation of the Indian Empire. As soon as Burma got independence it kicked out a lot of Indian colonial parasites. Indians owned three quarters of the arable land of Burma and provided milled rice to the colonial parasites in the British-Indian Empire. Fiji has more Indians than the local native Fijians and Indian imperialists have managed to keep it out of the author’s “prestigious Commonwealth”.Ms Navi Pillai is another Indian colonial parasite from South Africa like Ms Yasmin Sooka who wrote some kind of a UN Report. “Canada has had the guts to say that it will not send its prime minister”; thanks to the ever expanding Indian population there, most of them Indian colonial parasites from Ceylon, Africa, West Indies, Fiji and of course from the UK. Kamalesh Sharma an Indian is no different to millions of Indian administrators who worked for the British Indian Empire. The human Rights Business is a multi billion dollar business engaged in bashing the poor, sick and hapless based on their some kind of morals. What the poor and helpless need is not these money making businesses but food, housing, medicine and their lands and ways of life back. Take Fiji, no the British or the Indians brought land with them to cultivate sugar cane to sweeten Ceylon Tea. Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch and others get a lot of money from Indians in India and Indians overseas. I recently asked HRW CEO about this and he said yes. I know Indians give a lot of money to AI because I was a past member of this nasty organization. Not only they give money to these organizations they provide other benefits.
The history is important to understand the situation today.
What we need is decolonization of Indian colonies. Indian colonial parasites should either integrate or return to India or go authors ““whites-only” countries.
I tried to post this comment in FT, unfortunately you have to subscribe to post a comment. The free sub is only 8 articles and it runs out before 8. Financial Times is in financial trouble and may be bought by Dubai interest or the News Ltd.
June 30th, 2013 at 9:43 am
Thank you Christie- why don’t you instead simply shoot off emails to the addresses I have given above if the idea is for the FT to just read it, they will get the message!!
June 30th, 2013 at 12:01 pm
If one is tormented then get rid of the tormentor. If the nations are involved in marginalizing Sri Lanka it would be best to close relationships with them and by that marginalize their role in Sri Lanka. Does the gains of being a member of the British commonwealth are greater than the onslaught of condemnation of major members of that same organizations such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia. if the answer is no then why stay with an organization that is counterproductive to Sri Lanka. By doing this Sri Lanka is not isolating herself but thinning the herd of those who are poisonous to Sri Lanka to those who are a benefit to her.
June 30th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Bernard- You raised an interesting point.
As far i know most Brits consider this “club” of Commonwealth a pain in the neck. Truth be told they would gladly get shot of it. Its a joy ride for most third world countries to boost ones ego.
Having said that, our own President thought fit to host the CHOGM for reasons i cannot fathom, similar to wasting vast amount of tax payers money in bidding for the Commonwealth Games.
Sri Lanka with its current Foreign Policy has developed a number of “Frenemies” as evidenced from the last two UN conflabs and it would be ill advise to isolate itself when its credibility is being questioned on a regular basis in the world stage.
July 1st, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Mr Wijesingha you raise an important point. What exactly is Sri Lanka’s relationship to this most criminal of western nations Britain. Yes its easy for everyone to blame the Americans for everything, however everything the Americans are doing. The US Govt that is, they learned from the Brits. The world is in a total mess and getting worse, a lot of it down to the policies of Britain. So why should anybody listen to what they have to say. They are number 1 human rights violaters yet accuse others of human rights violations the hypocrisy leaves me speechless.
Mahinda Rajapaksha has lost the plot.
His cockeyed ideas to build another expensive airport when the one already there was more than adequate for the Island.
Also it doesn’t help that many Sri Lankans still have a subservient colonial mentality to Britain. Hence why on earth should Mahinda Rajapaksha hold the Commonwealth organisation meeting in Sri Lanka when their are more important things for Sri Lankans to worry about and which they need help from their govt like cost of basics like electricity, food and water etc instead their leader holds an expensive meeting of commonwealth heads in Sri Lanka rediculous! Not to mention building an expensive airport, money could have been used to subsidise ordinary Sri Lankans to have cheap electricity, food and other things etc.
The commonwealth is a British Empire construct for forwarding British Imperial policies towards the rest of the world. British Imperial policies are always destructive as it only serves the Oligarchy in Britain it doesn’t benefit the rest of humanity.
Since 2001 Britain has violated international law many times in Iraq,afghanistan, Libya and Syria, all countries should brake their relationship with Britain until it becomes a civilised nation amongst community of nations. Since it was a never a civilised nation to begin with that respected human rights that change looks doubtful. Otherwise people should tell Britain to go to hell and take their silly organisation called commonwealth with them.
In my opinion its pretty disgraceful for Mahinda Rajapaksha to hold the commonwealth meeting in Sri Lanka. As if Sri Lanka is Britain’s number 1 ally or something. Its pretty clear that Mahinda Rajapaksha and many like him in Sri Lanka can’t mentally extricate themselves from the yoke of British domination and being trapped in a subservient British Colonial Mindset.
Even many Brits are disgusted at the criminality of their own country in places like Iraq, Libya and Syria.
Why Sri Lanka that has suffered so much because of British policies continues to pander to them is one of life’s great mysteries!