Sri Lanka Risks War Crimes Probe – R. Blake March 2,2011
Posted on March 3rd, 2011
Ira de SilvaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ London, Canada
The Editor
The Island
Colombo, Sri Lanka
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Dear Sir:
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Mr. Robert Blake has once again spoken bringing to the attention of news media the “war crimes” allegations against Sri Lanka that he has been pedalling since his plan to save the leadership of the LTTE in 2009 failed.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Perhaps,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ prodded by his LTTE friends in the Tamil Diaspora in the U.S., notably the leader who has set up the Trans National Government of Eelam in the U.S., he feels the need to bring these unsubstantiated allegations toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the attention of the press. Let us examine his statements and, as he represents the U.S.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Government, compare what heƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ asks of the GOSLƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and what the U.S. does in similar situations.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
“Sri Lanka could be hauled before a war crimes tribunal over the alleged killing of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”many thousands of civiliansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the final months of its separatist war with Tamil Tigers”. The key word is “alleged” – up to now, no one has provided proof of these killings he speaks about incessantly. Even the initial estimate of 7,000 which was supposedly from the U.N. wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ disowned by the U.N. Since then, courtesy of the LTTE overseas, the number is rising daily! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the case of the U.S. there is definitive proof of their killings of thousands upon thousands in their illegal war in Iraq and the “war on terrorists”.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Further, they are killing so-called terrorists in other countries. In Sri Lanka, the GOSL was defending it’s citizens from Tamil terrorismƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which is a right and duty of every government. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
According to Blake,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”preferableƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for Sri Lanka to have its own investigation in line with internationally accepted human rights standards, rather than face an external inquiry. Has the U.S. set up it’s own investigations in line with international standards? If not, why not? If itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s important to say that if Sri Lanka is not willing to meet international standards regarding these matters, there would be pressure to appoint an international commission to look into these things, why does the U.S. notƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ lead by example and set up investigations into the numerous violations of human rights, targeted killings of civilians, indiscriminate bombings, killings hundreds of thousands and use of contract killers etc.? Should other countries push for the U.S. to be investigated and an international commission be set up immediately before more thousands are killed? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If the U.S. does not lead by example and justƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ tries to push for investigations in smaller countries,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it is merely a part of their foreign policy which is to bully and harass others while committing the same violations on a far larger scale themselves. For example, in one such “internal investigation” by the U.S. in December 2010, Robert Stevens,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a U.S. medic, was given a mere nine month sentence for shooting unarmed civilians in Afghanistan andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ can still remain in the army. Five of the twelve soldiers named in the caseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ were accused of premeditated murder, some even collected severed fingers and other human remains from the Afghan dead as war trophies and took photos with their corpses. By contrast, just a few months earlier, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was given 86 years for attempting to shoot U.S. soldiers, the “alleged” incident having taken place when she was herself in U.S. custody. This is the farce of U.S.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ investigation and justice. Is this the type of human rights Blake considers a “key element” the U.S. wants to see in Sri Lanka? Let us not forget Guantanamo where the detainees have been held for close to ten years withoutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ due process – a shining example of U.S. styleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ human rights.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Blake is also heavy on reconciliation and accountability, the other elements he says the U.S. wants to see to normalise ties with Sri Lanka. Again, the question to Blake is, what accountability is the U.S. showing or even thinking of regarding the hundreds of thousands they have killed and continue to kill in Iraq and Afghanistan,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in wars they are conducting in foreign countries? They are not holding their own soldiers and leadersƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ accountable, they are creating millions of refugees in other countries and no thought is given to rehabilitating or reconciliation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Words are cheap and Blake has an axe to grind as heƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was not able to save the LTTE leadership.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The U.S. has to show that they believe in accountability and reconciliation, not use it as a yardstick to bully others but ignore it in their own escapades. In Sri Lanka’s case, even after two years there isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ no evidence much less proof of war crimes except in the minds of the Tamil diaspora and Blake, who are doing their best to use these accusations to get what they failed to get militarily.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Yours truly,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Ira de Silva
London, Canada
March 4th, 2011 at 6:40 am
US Senate also has had the hide to pass unanimously a resolution on SL when it is the biggest war criminal in recent history:
Deposing President Arbenz if Guatemela in 1954 ; Mossadeq in Iran in 1953 : Allende , Lumumba etc etc.
Over 600 attempts on Fidel Castro’s life , even employing the Mafia once !
Introducing pig flu to Cuba and bombing factories sugar cane plantaions.
Bombing Nicarguan ports etc.
The list goes on.
USA refused to sign up to the ICC.
The writer Christopher Higgins is trying to bring Henry Kissinger before the ICC for crimes against humanity in Laos etc.
SL should ignore Blake & the White Western Mafia ; the US press was also recently exposed to have obeyed the White House to keep quiet about the arrested CIA agent Davis in Pakistan. Washington Pravda & New York Pravda published it only a week after The Guardian did so.
Fortunately the USA is collapsing economically with its massive debt .
Ira , Asoka W & the good Prof. Hudson should write stinging letters to the Senate President .
March 4th, 2011 at 8:15 am
As recently as March 2nd 2011, US tropps in AFganistan killed 12 children while they were collecting fire woods. I think this is a crime that should punished by ICC or have investigation by the Internationa community.
March 4th, 2011 at 9:06 am
The war crime crap is originated by the LTTE and it funders. Thier is no truth to it what so ever. Now carrying forward by the LTTE paid Sinhalese like $F and the like. No other Sri Lankan says this. The Sri Lankan soldiers risk thier own lives to save the 300,000 civilians held forcebly by the LTTE. Not only the civilians were resettled the 10,000 ex LTTE carder are bieng rehabilitated. Sri LAnka army loss 6000 soldiers where they should have loss none, if they did not care for the civilians lives. Sri alnka soldiers compassion and care for civilians are NON MATCHED in the world. This is GREAT injust to SRI LANKA and its people by a handfull of seperatist terrorists and Some idiots in the west who absorb all the terrorist info to get what they want. They want SL devided and they are using the terrorist to do that. It is time ALL SRI LANKANS show protest to this.
March 4th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
For twenty years Prabakaran was seen as the catalyst to break up Sri Lanka and India. That is why Hilary Clinton called him a “Good Terrorist”. An inhuman murderer who killed over 70,000 humans, cut bellies of pregnant woman, bashed babies on the ground, had great satisfaction in killing Buddhist monks was “good” for them, because he was seen as a pawn who would be king, and one day would serve them to break up India. History is not dead, it is in our minds, veins and bodies, we never forget and we must ensure generations to come will remember US role in Sri Lanka during the Eelam wars.
I can’t stop laughing when I read about US attempts to create war crimes probes about GOSL. In Iraq, US is responsible for 750,000 deaths, mainly women and children. Where are the human rights investigations? Are Muslims not humans? Are Arabs not human? Where did all the leaders go? Where are the national leaders of this world, who should be asking these questions? What is wrong with human beings? There are many things more important than prolonging ones life. Living with dignity is certainly one of them. Mahinda Rajapaksa may have shortcomings, but thanks to him Sri Lankans live with dignity. We should never forget that.
March 4th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Mr. Ban Ki Moon – How about appointing a panel to “advise” you on atrocities committed against humanity by USA around the world? This will definitely give you another term in that High Profile Office in UNO. Just try and see the results. Either you will be taking over the second term OR most DEFINITELY booted out. I know you do not want to try this. Good luck.
March 4th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
This Blake is a schizophrenic personality. He nevertheless has one thing in permanence, which is his ‘LEAN AND HUNGRY LOOK. That is his CASSIUS syndrome. But he is also a NERO shamelessly playing his harp while Sri Lanka burnt. Indeed this man is rotting in his present office. He has to produce or perish. So he will eternally continue with his Sri Lanka script and fry in his own meager fat. The future of Blake is bleak. So what else to do than cooking his own goose. This he does with great skill. Indeed this thin Blake with no brawn and less brain can only jack himself up on his bone. His end is predictable. I would say: bone cancer!
Mario Perera, Kadawatha
March 5th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
“You will note that, for example, over the weekend the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution against Libya on Saturday night. One of the provisions of that resolution was to refer Moammar Qadhafi to the International Criminal Court so that they could investigate alleged war crimes and abuses against his people. So this is a very common thing.” Blake is said to have said.
I say, Blake should be insane to compare Qadhafi’s forty years rule since grabbing power by a military coup with twice elected Mahida’s rule for just six years. He must be mad to compare Qadhafi’s shooting of unarmed protesters to killings of the killers that bombed our buses, trains and public places that killed and maimed thousands of young, old and the sick with more than three hundred suicide missions carried out by LTTE for more than thirty years.
Suicide bombing has been an expertise that was developed by Anton Balasingham, the LTTE ideological Czar. There are many images of Anton’s wife, Adele garlanding LTTE suicide bombers with cyanide capsules at their passing-out ceremonies. Anton is in hell for his contributions of many a killing by LTTE but Adele is still living comfortably in London. Yet, we hear no call by Blakes to investigate her part in any of those gruesome suicide bombings.
Amazingly, neither Blakes nor HR activists were nowhere when Wadukkoddai war mongers urged ordinary Tamils, ‘to take up arms and not to lay them down arms until Eelam is won’ in 1976. Does Blakes know how many innocents may have been maimed and killed by Tamil racist war mongers long before Al Quada attacked WTO.
How could they, when they do not know how many innocents the US and its allies killed while they invaded Iraq in the guise of searching for non-existent WMDs. Did not the number of innocents killed in that pseudo and illegal invasion passed a million? How many more bystanders must have been confined to secret torture centers like Abugarib to extort confessions where of non-existent WMDs was buried? The apathy is; killings are still going on unabated in various guise. Whether the perpetrators are big Blakes or little Blakes, they are the biggest war criminals on this planet. Yet, they are move about everywhere scot free. Worst, they are about to quit Iraq that they ravaged with impunity.
“If you look at longstanding cases like what happened in Serbia and cases like that, eventually people were brought to justice for crimes that were committed.” says Blake. What nonsense he is talking about; there is not a single war crimes probe on Iraq taken place to date.
The perpetrators of Iraq war crimes think by calling for war crimes investigations to enquire into so called deaths of 7000 as UN says, or 30,000 as HR activists says, or 100,000 as LTTE rump says could cover up their willful crimes in Iraq. Blake thinks, he can induce fear psychosis on Mahinda and compel him let LTTE rump to land their TGTE that is floating aimlessly in the Western skies somewhere in the North of our beloved mother land.
Blake should know very well that Russia, China and India does not share his thoughts. They know that US aim is to divide Sri Lanka, establish an Eelam in the North and have permanent US bases there period
Leela
March 7th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Mr Robert Blake is barking up the wrong tree if he is trying to eradicate human rights violations in this world. Mr Blake investigate these the Iraq war 1 (Use of Depleted Uranium) a warcrime. Iraq invasion 2003 based on lies crimes against humanity committed by in particular US and UK as well as other western nations using divide and rule sectarianism resulting in the deaths of 1,000,000 iraqi civilians. No fly zone by US and UK in the 1990s in Iraq bombing of civilians by Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and George Bush Senior and Junior, UN sanctions resulting in the deaths of half a million iraqi children, Attacking Afghanistan and occupation as well as the indiscriminate use of Drone bombers against civilians in Yemen,Afghanistan and Pakistan again resulting in the innocent deaths of thousand of women and children at wedding parties etc being killed going about their daily lives. Use of Depleted Uranium in Iraq and Afghanistan the list of crimes by the Evil Three : US, UK and Isreal since 1990 is considerable. It could be estimated that the Military forces of US, UK and Isreal as well as other Nato forces of the west have been directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of upto 7 or 8 million people since 1990 alone.
Since the UN is a creation by the US and UK and the west, the UN serves western interests as we see UN sanctioning NATO and the war mongerers of Britain and USA to bomb Libya and grab its oil. Seems like western imperialism and human rights abuses are alive and well on vast scale in the 21st century.
MR Blake how about a war crimes tribunal indicting US, UK,Isreal NATO. You are a hypocrit and a lier Mr Blake who is clearly serving a global imperialist agenda. Sri Lanka should tell this jackass and his ilk to go to hell.
March 9th, 2011 at 3:00 am
Strictly speaking there was no war but only a fight between security forces protecting the citizens and group of terrorists randomly exploding bombs and suicide bombers to kill civians. Even at the last stages when the Security forces rescued over 300,000 civilians from the Tiger terrorists, all available records show less than 100 died, even counting the escping civilians killed by the LTTE but excluding the terrorists and security forcves who died in battle.
It is time people like Rudrakumaran and Adele Balasigham are investigated for possible war crimes in supporting the LTTE terrorists.