Et tu, Tutu?……….
Posted on August 3rd, 2010
Dr Bandula Kothalawala London N7
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, according to an AFP report, is the latest international dignitary to wade in to the debate on the UN Panel. The Archbishop and Mr Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, members of an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-EldersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ ForumƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, are reported to have urged the Sri Lankan Government to co-operate with the Panel. Of course, this is not the first time that the Archbishop has added his voice to the chorus of the LTTE propaganda and its protagonists. He has an uncanny habit of trotting out statements replete with bias and redolent with prejudice which are quickly flashed around the world by the acolytes to be lapped up by LTTE backers with great gusto. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
To Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s credit, many of her leaders in the post-independence era were acutely conscious of the importance of the long, arduous and painful struggle by African nations to win back their freedom from todayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s indefatigable defenders of human rights, democracy and whatnot and did everything in their power to support them. I still remember listening, as a school boy, to Mrs BandaranaikeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s first woman prime ministerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s – speeches at the UN and in other international fora, condemning the oppressive Apartheid regime in South Africa. The Government of Sri Lanka was instrumental in the adoption of the resolution against Apartheid at the Non-Aligned Summit held in Colombo in 1976. The Colombo Declaration condemned the racist regime in South Africa in strong terms and stressed that:
“The Conference reaffirmed that the minority racist regime of South Africa was not only unrepresentative of the people, but had been declared by the United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 3411G (XXX), to be illegitimate. The policy of apartheid practised by it is an international crime. It is the bastion of racism and colonialism in South Africa and a grave menace to peace in the region. In this respect, the Conference hailed the timely and valid decision taken by the United Nations General Assembly at the 29th regular session, excluding the South African delegation from participating in the Assembly proceedings”. The Summit also criticised France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America for their continued moral support and encouragement to the racist regimes through economic, military and other types of collaboration. In 1982, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka imposed a 25-year ban on all members of the countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fledgling cricket team who took part in a rebel tour of South Africa.
Meanwhile the ArchbishopƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s favourite defenders of human rights in the West were leaving no stone unturned in their odious efforts to prop up the stinking racist regime which caused untold suffering to black Africans. Honestly, the Archbishop needs to jog his fading memories (that is, if he was aware of them at all) of how France, the United Kingdom and the United States unashamedly vetoed resolution after resolution critical of the Apartheid regime in the Security Council. The Archbishop has been discreetly silent on the latest revelations of the massacres of civilians by the British and American forces in Afghanistan.
Sri Lanka had to wage a bloody war against a terror outfit for over 25 years. There is no denying the fact that some human rights violations may have occurred during the war. It is incumbent upon the Sri Lankan Government to take adequate and appropriate measures to address the issues, avert any repletion and, above all, to promote peace and racial harmony in the post-war period.
The Archbishop should know that Sri Lanka cannot, on the whole, hold a candle to her detractors when it comes to violations of human rights. Perhaps, the Archbishop should re-read Matthew 7.3 and stop worrying unduly about the speck of dust in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s eye and take a close look at the log in the eyes of his born-again defenders of human rights.
Dr Bandula Kothalawala
London N7
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
LOL a bunch of white worshipping morons (led by a white master) want to lecture Sri Lanka. They really need to grow up. Tutu should go fix South Africa first, 100 murders a day, non-stop crime and rape is a national sport. Really pathetic on the Africans part, still worshiping their masters. The white man conquered them, stole their wealth lowered them to and treated them as a class of dogs and here they are barking away dutifully. Nothing smacks of pathetic than that.
August 4th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Tutu ohoma hitu. You just wait Tutu. Have you ever been to Sri Lanka? How do you evaluate what was happeining for the last thirty years and what is happening at the present time in Sri Lanka against a comparative standard of what has been happening in South Africa. You were a slave to your white masters and are still willing to be one to point your accusing finger at our democratically elected regime that eradicated the terrorrism, at your masters’ command. You just can’t be holier than what your conscience says.
August 4th, 2010 at 2:11 am
Bishop Desmond Tutu, Father Emmanuel Pillai (of Global Tamil Forum) Father Saundranayagam, Father Rayappu Pillai, Anton Balasingham, Susai, Bishop Ranjit Malcom, Ranil Wicremasinghe,Jayalath Jayawardena, Ravi Karunanayaka, Rosi Senanayaka, Eric Solheim, Bernard Kouchner, David Milliband,Hilary Clinton and Kofi Annan, all had one agenda is that to create racist tamil eelam in Sri Lanka.
Common thing in this clique is all those are belongs to fundamentalist, Christian cult groups, which is Pro-Anglo Saxons, anti Sri Lanka, Anti Buddhist.
Tutu Nohada Hitu! Perapera Hotu! Don’t cry Tutu! We have sent your son Velupillai and his thugs to the hell to have a meeting with god! Amen!