by Shamindra Ferdinando -Courtesy The IslandƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The government yesterday strongly denied US allegations that rape had been used as a weapon in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s successful war against the LTTE. Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told The Island that nothing could be far from the truth. He emphasized that there was absolutely no basis whatsoever even to suggest Sri Lankan forces had raped anyone during the three-year campaign.

The US targeted Sri Lanka at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday (September 30). U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that rape had been used as a weapon of war in the Balkans, Burma, Sri Lanka and elsewhere and that in too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators had not been punished. She said that this impunity would encourage further attacks.

Government sources told The Island that Clinton had chaired WednesdayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s meeting on the last day of the US presidency of the council.

Sources said the US was trying to make a case against Sri Lanka.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution creating new tools to combat sexual violence against women and children in conflict situations.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Human Rights Ministry told The Island the government would like the US to reveal any specific allegations against the Sri Lankan Army. “Maybe she is confused with the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said adding a section of the international community working overtime to discredit Sri Lanka. He said that it was unfortunate that those who had failed to save the LTTE from being crushed at the hands of the SLA, was now harassing Sri Lanka.

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Wijesinha said the US should explain the basis on which the allegation was levelled against Sri Lanka. Both, the US Ambassador in Colombo and US Embassy spokesperson were in the Maldives.

Prof. Wijesingha said that some countries derived a sadistic pleasure by making baseless allegations against Sri Lanka. According to him, the Swedish delegation at the recently concluded Human Rights Sessions in Geneva had expressed concern over ill-treatment of children and women at government-run welfare centres in the northern Sri Lanka.

Wijesinha said that the Swedes had so far failed to keep their pledge to provide Sri Lanka with details to facilitate an inquiry. “They are silent now though I have contacted them on my return to Colombo,” he said. Responding to The Island queries, he said that Sri Lanka had a right to know the reasons for their claim made on behalf of many other countries.

The SLA said that a recent attempt to liken Vavuniya camps to Nazi-era concentration camps by a group of Sri Lankans supportive of the LTTE cause was part of the campaign.

Prof. Wijesinha said that critics had conveniently ignored that many worked against the Sri Lankan State for personal gain. He told the HRC that journalist J. S. Tissainayagam who had recently received a 20-year sentence for propagating lies, in fact accepted money from the LTTE. “It is regrettable that there is no recognition of the fact that he accepted funding from a terrorist movement,” he said. Recalling US criticism of the Tissainayagam verdict, he asked whether the US or the British would permit their citizens to receive funding from Al Qaeda or any other terrorist organisation.