LankaWeb Editorial

August 19th 2009
A recent item in the Toronto Star by Human Rights Watch ~ representative Jo Becker captioned “Canada missed opportunity to right Sri Lanka’s wrongs” mayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  be a bold instigation urging Canada to take an anti Sri Lankan Government stance while also sounding sympathetic towards the huge anti Sri Lankan Government Lobby comprising of many dissident diaspora Tamils residing in that country and needs to be put into proper perspective lest the global community is misled byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ this type ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rhetoric.

Jo Becker says that “In voting last month to approve a $2.6 billion (U.S.) IMF loan to Sri Lanka, the Government of Canada squandered an opportunity to press the Government of Sri Lanka on its treatment of war-affected civilians following its military victory over the rebel Tamil Tigers in May.” What exactly she is suggesting sounds unclear beyond being to a degree meddlesome into a transaction by way of a concessionary loan from the IMF to the Government of Sri Lanka with the nod of many other nations which rationally agreed despite abstainingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that Sri Lanka was in dire need of these funds towards the rebuilding of the areas devastated by the Tamil Tiger attrocities in theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  armed insurgent insurrection which lasted over three decades~ a safe enough assumption given there being no vehement disapproval~ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ so what is her real beef or does she have oneƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  at all beyond sympathies to the dissenting Tamil Diaspora’s anti Sri Lankan Government lobby?

Many discerning analysts aware of the felt need and importance of the loan are inclined to wonder inasmuch as the Government of Sri Lanka which has just about had it upto its neck on this measly issue of how the IDP’s are treated, handled and indisposed?
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True enough The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Argentina ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” holding more than 30 per cent of the IMF’s shares in the writer’s words made the highly unusual move of abstaining from the vote which she suggests was largely because of human rights concerns but she does not seem to see the logic that the abstenance could also nave been a non committal assent by these nations who did not want to be name called by just this kind of individual while also knowing fully well the Loan would be approved anyway!
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While lamenting that Canada, with 3 per cent of IMF shares, didn’t join them it might be curious to know how the Canadian Government would respond to this rather bold entreaty as Canada has taken the correct step towards assent to which the Sri Lankan Government must surely be grateful and a stance which previous Liberal Administrations would certainly have vetoed in all probabilities with sympathies linked to the pro Liberal Tamil vote in Canada which was corrected by the New Conservative Administration of the Hon. Stephen Harper and his very impartial and just Government which has taken a no nonsense attitude towards all the corrupt and covert activities of the prol LTTE Tamil Diaspora which was houndedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  by the Canadian Law Enforcement Agencies and virtualy disbanded or sent underground to a greater part.
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Jo Becker is in no capacity to assert with any confidence that during the final months of fighting between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), both sides were responsible for grave violations of the laws of war that resulted in thousands of civilian deaths.This is a matter of opinion based more on conjecture and hearsay as neither was Jo Becker present in the circumstances of fighting she boldly quotes nor would she have had carte blanche to go anywhere near these areas for her own personal safety as well asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  strong Governmental restrictions which entailed war measures which prevented military poicy being compromised as lessons were already learnt in this area by the leeway granted to countries like Norway previously whoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  turned the tables on the Government of Sri Lanka while aiding and abetting the LTTE terrorists which was unquestionably a move the Government had to take as a preventive measure!
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But in the typical fashion of other biased sources such as the BBC as well as many other news engines with minimal information where even what was available distorted to suggest to the contraryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of the real situation harping on the faults of the Sri Lankan Government fighting a deadly war against ruthless and merciless terrorists who hardly gave a damn who they were decimating including their own community this news item is no different towards bias!
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So what are these grave violations of the Laws of War Jo Becker is talking about? This was a war being fought by a Sovereign Democratic Republic against globally condemned terrorists and no case for anyone to suggest that the terrorists had any rights towards their existences which the Government very correctly addressed and saw to it was terminated effectively!
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Case in point that this is indeed a pro LTTE sympatheticƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  call, is visibly seen in the following excerpt!” As their territory shrank, the Tamil Tigers used the civilians under their control as human shields, shooting and killing people who tried to flee the war zone. The Government urged civilians to congregate in so-called “no-fire” zones, but then fired artillery indiscriminately into these densely populated areas. Both sides refused to take adequate steps to allow a humanitarian evacuation, despite public UN concerns regarding the unfolding bloodbath.” where firstly there was no bloodbath nor was there any indiscriminate firing by Government troops into densely populated civilian enclaves and Jo BeckerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ perhaps needs to do a bit of soul searchingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to find out where she really got these ideas into her head beyond the fairy tales she probably heard from her pals in the Tamil Diaspora!

She has however correctly cited the attrocities of the Tamil Tiger terrorists which wereƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  even then understated as the Military reports suggest they were heinous and inhuman and perhaps towads Jo Becker’s ownƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ chagrin, quite credible!
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To cite as an issue that “IMF officials and their directors typically insist that human rights are outside the IMF’s mandate, but in this case members’ revulsion with Sri Lanka’s conduct during and after the war delayed the vote on Sri Lanka’s requested loan by three months.” sounds more of a lament by a defeatist with no other hinge to prop her case towards her objectives than faulting the IMF andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  members entitled to vote where in the overall scheme of things the IMF has granted the loan whether Jo Becker likes it or not and to attempt to spoke the wheels of progress in Sri Lanka merely to appease the Tamil Diaspora and the huge anti Sri Lankan Government lobby in Canada even in the future, is a poor as well as unrealistic attempt on anyones part if what is cited is not tangible enough for Canada as well as the IMF grantees of the loan to accept!
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Next she goes on to quote( now sounding distinctly frustrated) that ” In May, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it was not an appropriate time to consider the IMF loan, while U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband called the situation a civilian catastrophe and expressed concern about whether the government would use IMF funds in a responsible and appropriate way.”

History has now proved where these two individuals were coming from and in a senseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  admonished by many as pro Tiger sympatheticƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  which has contained their rhetoric on the issue thus far although Milliband still offers a chirp or two not being an easy quitter and Clinton has virtually backed off in denial feigning ignorance on many related issues!
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ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Unfortunately for Jo Becker, Canada’s vote to support the loanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to all intents and purposes has toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ be interpreted as an endorsement of confidence in Sri Lanka’s credibilities and legitimate right to the loan with an unquestionable felt need.When Sri Lanka’s pro-government Daily News claimed that the vote “vindicated” the government andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ further stated with confidenceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that by refusing to make human rights concessions based on speculative accusations and fabricated circumstances pointing only to innocent civilians quite forgetting the danger of infiltrators of the terrorists plotting towards a re-surgance within the fold of the IDP, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has quite justifiably refused to compromise the country’s sovereignty and independence.
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The Sri Lankan Government’s Minister of Export Development and Trade, Prof.G.L. Peiris, called the loan “a clear vote of confidence.” and a very intellectual assesment which cannot be contested regardless of the sob stories and unmitigated paranoia created just for the purpose of spoking the wheels of progress in Sri Lanka as it appears!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The less interference by unwelcome meddlers into Sri Lanka’s handling of re-settling the IDP’s the better it would be towards posterity and would perhaps facilitate the progress required by all concerned.Organizations such as Human Rights Watch whose habit it appearsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is to interfere rather than aid the required progress, should focus on other areas in the world which truly have a visible and felt need towards restitution rather than bicker over a Nation’s progress equitably handled by its very capable leadership and his team of Administrators or be mistaken as pandering to its adversaries!