Sudath Gunasekara

Isn’t this man a traitor?  Why can’t the Government, of cause if there is one in this country, arrest this man and all others engaged in this type of traitorous activities immediately and institute legal action, at least now, under the provisions of the 6th Amendment to the 1987 Constitution? 

Wigneswaran off to Geneva

3 March, 2019

By Rajitha Jagoda Arachchi

Former Chief Minister of the Northern Province and current General Secretary of the Tamil People’s Front (TPF), C.V. Wigneswaran will visit Geneva this month to block the extension expected by the Government at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to fully implement Resolutions 30 (1) and 34 (1) passed at the UNHRC.

Leader of the EPRLF and former Member of Parliament Suresh Premachandran told the Sunday Observer that a majority of the political fronts in the Northern Province are of unanimous opinion on blocking further extensions to implement the Resolutions.

In October 2015, the Government co-sponsored Resolution 30 (1) presented to the Council by the United States. Later in 2017, the Government received an extension of two years to implement the recommendations to create peace and reconciliation in the country parallel to taking action against those involved in crimes during the war. In 2015, Wigneswaran hailed the Resolution saying that it was a comprehensive report and a dramatic step towards achieving reconciliation. Later, he complained on several occasions on the failure of the Government to execute those recommendations.

Giving more time wouldn’t help the Tamils and it would only benefit the Government” Wigneswaran, told the TPF Youth Wing in Mullaitivu, last month. Premachadran also objected to the Government seeking extra time. The Government has already spent four years and failed to achieve any progress. Therefore, there is no point in giving more time. In contrast, the President and some politicians spoke about getting away with the Resolution too,” said Premachandran.

As Premachandran said, the report submitted by Wigneswaran to the Geneva UNHRC calls for the release of all political prisoners, release of all military occupied lands in the North, investigations on missing persons, investigations on war crimes which the Government had failed to address during past four years.

Now, the Tamils are left with only two options – to have an international tribunal or intervention from the UN Security Council” he said. Despite several attempts, the former Chief Minister Wigneswaran was not available for comment as he is now on a private tour of India. He will return to the island after the Maha Sivarathri celebrations in India and will then leave for Geneva.

The Geneva sessions which began on February 25 will continue till March 22.

Tamil parties declare no faith in Prez, PM, call for UN office in North

March 4, 2019, 12:34 pm

By Jehan Haniff

A delegation consisting of representatives of at least four Tamil political parties is scheduled to head for Geneva to lobby the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for an international mechanism to speed up investigations into alleged human rights violations and accountability issues.

The delegation would also request the appointment of a UN Rapporteur for Sri Lanka, a top Tamil politician said, yesterday.

“Representatives of the ITAK, TELO, TULF, EPRLF and PLOTE attended a two-hour meeting at a hotel in Jaffna, from 11.00 am, yesterday, to agree on submissions to be made to the UNHRC and the second and final round of our talks will be held within the next few days,” former Northern Provincial Council member and TELO spokesman M. K. Sivajilingam said.

Sivajilingam told The Island that all those present at Saturday’s meeting had said they had no faith in President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

“We’ll seek redress through an international judicial process, and we would first request the appointment of a UN Rapporteur for Sri Lanka,” the TELO spokesman added.

Last week former Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C. V. Wigneswaran said that a UN office must be established in the North to probe wartime disappearances and human rights abuses.

Wigneswaran said that President Sirisena had publicly stated that he had no intention of implementing the recommendations of the UNHRC regarding alleged human rights violations. “Given this situation, the UN must decide whether there is any point in giving Sri Lanka another extension to fulfil its promises.

“This is why we want an international tribunal to probe these matters. The UNHRC must establish a mechanism to probe Sri Lanka’s war crimes and human rights abuses. Moreover to stop the continuing human rights abuses in the North, the UNHRC must establish an office here.”

The Sri Lankan government had continuously attempted to mislead the UNHRC by establishing toothless mechanisms, the former Chief Minister said. “The government has not released Tamil political prisoners. It has not yet fully returned private property that remains with the security forces. Tamil people are shocked by these developments and their mistrust has grown.”

I quote the 6^th A here for your convenience.

Sec 3 Provision against violation of territorial integrity of Sri Lanka

157A91) No person shall directly or indirectly, in or outside Sri Lanka, support, spouse, promote ,finance, encourage or advocate the establishment of a separate state within the  territory of Sri Lanka

(2) No political party or other association or organization shall have has one of its aims or objects the establishment of a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka.

The punishments for this offence are listed under sub sections 3 to 9 of Sec 3.

They include civic disability, forfeiture of movable and immovable property removal of civic rights removal from Office and proscription of his political party or organization to which he belongs.