Ajit Randeniya

Americans have colourful and usually crude ways of expressing themselves. A former colleague of this writer who is still employed at the US Department of State, and was involved in compiling the infamous Sri Lankan ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ report recently provided a classic example.

His description of the lack of clarity of objectives of the report, translated to more civil language, meant that his experience was similar to having been instructed to engage in a rather long sexual escapade without being given the opportunity to see its natural climax!

A cursory read of the subject report reveals that his allegory was particularly apt. The report does not go anywhere beyond making references to some ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢allegedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ atrocities by the Army and the LTTE. The ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”hearsayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ presented there, none of it presented in 70 pages of it, will certainly hold water in a court of law.

To begin with, the report only covers the period from January ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”May 2009 of a war that has been ongoing for nearly 30 years. As far as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ cited, the only one attributed to Gen. Fonseka relates to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-A report by a media outlet that at a celebrity event in Ambalangoda he stated that the military had to overlook the traditional rules of war.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ What a crime! In relation to LTTE crimes the report cites ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-allegationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that they took boys and girls to join their guerrilla force. You might ask, when did they find that out?

My friend has obviously missed the point. The report was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”meant to beƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ wishy-washy, and not present any concrete evidence or solid recommendations. Congress and the State Department wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want to test the world reaction to bringing charges against anyone holding a US Green Card (their powers are limited to that!). The world has seen how they treated the criminality of US soldiers (who are full US citizens) who raped women and murdered innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

All the neocons were after was an instrument to put ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”pressureƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ on the Sri Lankan government. By appearing to be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”even-handedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by including the LTTE in the report they made sure of it. After all, Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman and other murderers are not going to appear on day-release from hell to defend themselves against any charges, are they? Without the Tigers they will not be under (bogus) moral obligation to pursue the Sri Lankan government and its officials.

The report was put to one of its intended uses this week in the aftermath of General FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s rather premature announcement of his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”possibleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ entry in to politics. The sequence of events reveals a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”classicƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ case of a planned US diplomatic ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”operationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Fonseka was initially invited for the farewell ceremony to Admiral Timothy J. Keating. The invitation was later withdrawn, apparently ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”in the light of the release ofƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the State Department report! So we are asked to believe that the US Navy or whatever other part of the US system who invited General Fonseka was unaware of the release of the report? And then poor Robert Blake catches the flu! Finally FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s US trip becomes fully private and he is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”invitedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for a friendly grilling!

What really happened was that upon FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s arrival in the US, Blake was monitoring effects carefully as usual, and was informed of his announcement at the temple (Washington DC is a rather small town), and its reception back home. Blake decided to fall sick and create the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ charade to give the appearance of distancing themselves from the controversy Fonseka had created. So they are throwing punches at him with the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”velvet gloveƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

In another blunder, Fonseka has gone to Fred Fielding of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Deep ThroatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ fame for legal advice! Fielding is one of the hardest Republicans (Conservatives) in the US and has been deeply involved in the Watergate scandal (though he was not the Deep Throat as initially suspected). He was close to the mass murderer Dick Cheney until they fell out on the issue of a full pardon for CheneyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s office manager Lewis ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ScooterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Libby who was instrumental in fabricating the so-called evidence of WMDs in Iraq.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is on record saying that by refusing membership of the International Criminal Court (ICC) he ensured that Sri Lankan soldiers will never be taken before any international tribunal. Sri Lankans will be monitoring as to how he helps his intended ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”saviourƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.