Shenali D Waduge

 One of the biggest fallacies in Sri Lanka is to get excited by false propaganda manipulated through print/electronic media that has misled public officials, government & opposition ministers including the general public. Let’s not get caught again to any further traps. Another mistake has been the lack of preparation by those representing Sri Lanka and their inability to prepare Sri Lanka’s defence and counter plans. As a sovereign nation we must stand for the rights of our nation and our people and defend those that defend the nation. Since previously we had been fooled by various diplomat juggernauts and googleys that avoided our right to question the legality of the UNHRC Resolutions, the legality of UNSG using a personally mandated panel report as basis for investigations and thereafter having held an investigation now calling for another hybrid investigation, it is time Sri Lanka says ‘wait a minute, we want to analyse the last investigation by international experts and see if there is any basis to hold another investigation’. So far other than hysterical rants and LTTE-paid films there is nothing to prove genocide and even after 6 years none of those pointing fingers have been able to come up with names of the dead or even the skeletons!

 As things stand the public of Sri Lanka are annoyed and they have every right to be. The soldiers and military are also angry. The world was well informed of Sri Lanka’s military option. The Consultative Committee which met every week were appraised by the Defense Secretary and the Military of the progress made and notes on the disbursement of food, medicines and other essentials have been given and are on record. ICRC must be asked to make public these reports as well as the complaints made against the LTTE by the Tamil people. Where is the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission reports of 2002. These need to be made public too detailing the violations committed by LTTE.

 LTTE had been carrying out murders and mayhem for 3 decades. Where was the UN and the International Community? Did they come forward and demand an end to the chaos? NO. All they suggested was to talk with the tigers. That didn’t help at all and the killings continued unabated.

 So why has the UN and the IC come into action when the LTTE was defeated? Good question but they wont give any answers. Moreover, they are insisting that the investigations should be confined to only the last 3 months totally ignoring 30 years of terror. What is also hurtful is that the UN and IC feels the only victims are the Tamils what about the Sinhalese and the Muslims. The NGOs make repeated reference to genocide and colonization why have they never mentioned the ethnic cleansing of Sinhalese and Muslims from the North some of whom have been living in the North before independence?

 LTTE fought with sophisticated weapons purchased from overseas via the LTTE fronts that are now banned but freely operating from the very nations that have banned LTTE. That is quite strange but then the leaders of these organizations are VVIP guests inside the UN/UNHRC and hobnob with the UN & diplomats. No one seems to want to investigate how the LTTE were supplied material support for their killings.

 The LTTE were given 3 opportunities to lay down arms and surrender. They refused. In fact they even claimed the people were with them voluntarily. This was confirmed by C4’s star ‘witness’ LTTE cadre Vany Kumar who said the people did not wish to leave the LTTE.  That claim has been negated by the manner scores of Tamils who had been shot by LTTE trying to escape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waoUnN3NIHQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPl_sGpe3js

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwuX1nlVWc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6_qC0YrBIQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2vHs8CwteM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReeAGstHnyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReeAGstHnyk

 If the US / UK and NATO can defy UN Charter and militarily intervene and lie to the world and occupy nations and the UN and Ban Ki Moon as well as the UNHRC are chicken to take action against these nations, just because Sri Lanka is a small island nation we should uphold our pride and not squirm in front of bullies. LTTE were given ample chances to surrender. They did not and the fight concluded with a victor and a loser. There is no point crying over spoilt milk now.

 Thereafter because Sri Lanka’s officials and heads were too meek to take the challenge and ask the right questions a lot of illegalities and irregularities have taken place resulting in resolutions and investigations. The PoE described LTTE as ‘disciplined’ and quotes from LTTE sources. PoE experts are regular invitees to LTTE front events and are referred to as ‘comrades’ (Sooka).

 However, the last investigation by 3 international experts is the one that should be the focus of the government. This 260 page report needs to be evaluated for credible evidence that warrants another investigation. How many investigations is Sri Lanka to hold until the West is satisfied or has been able to buy time to frame charges that would fix the people they are angry with for ending a very lucrative terrorist network that gave them diplomatic and economic leverage.

 Sri Lanka’s leaders whatever color of party need to realize that their political relevance comes from the confidence the public have in them. They can be the darlings of the West but when the people despise their actions they cannot rule the country with ease. Therefore, any government should not fall for traps that are being laid out and the most sensible thing at this juncture is to before jumping and agreeing to what the West is dictating, instead to appoint a very high profile committee comprising members of the ruling and Opposition and give them the investigation report and ask them to summarize and analyse the findings and submit their recommendations on how Sri Lanka should proceed.

1. Appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to analyse the OHCHR Report & the OHCHR Heads recommendations
2. Committee to recommend how Sri Lanka should proceed
3. Until Committee studies and makes its recommendations, the Sri Lankan Govt, the SL Foreign Ministry should not make any commitments about holding any type of investigation (domestic or international / with our without international advisors/lawyers etc)
4. What we want to know from the Committee is whether the OHCHR international investigation by international experts have produced any evidence to warrant a further investigation
5. If the OHCHR has not provided reasonable grounds or established a prima facie case there is no requirement for Sri Lanka to hold any type of investigation whatsoever.
6. If any soldier(s) have been functioning outside of their line of command the Sri Lankan Military court can hold a trial and deem the soldier(s) guilty of any offence (if there is sufficient proof) and military court punishment can be given as is done elsewhere.
   So let’s stop the hysterics. Get back to fundamentals and start by first evaluating what the OHCHR report claims to produce and see if there is a prima facie case against Sri Lanka. If not, just shove it into the waste paper basket and tell UN/UNHRC to try another stunt.

   Shenali D Waduge