SPUR ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka Inc) Reg: A003 0777 M P.O. Box 4066, Mulgrave VIC 3170, Australia

Most Reve John Alexius BathersbyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
The Archbishop of Brisbane
The Archbishops Office
790, Brunswick Street
New Farm Brisbane
Queensland 40005

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 1 June 2011

Your Honour

Campaign against the democratically elected Government ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka

In a press release, Mr. Peter Arndt, the Executive Officer of the Brisbane ArchdioceseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), states that CJPC has launched a campaign ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-to encourage the Australian Government to support UN recommendations on accountability for human rights violations in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ He added: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The fundamental concern of the CJPC and Pax Christi Queensland campaign was the establishment of lasting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights (SPUR) and a number of other Civil Organisations in Australia have considered this statement carefully and wish to state the following:

1.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Mr. Arndt refers to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-UN recommendationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ when the report on Sri Lanka was prepared by an Advisory Panel of Experts (APE) appointed by UNSG, Ban Ki-Moon without the approval of the UN General Assembly, Security Council or the UNHRC, the three official bodies that represent the UN. The APE were commission privately by UNSG and, therefore, the so called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-recommendationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ do not represent the views of the UN at any official level. To date there has been no response to the APE report by the UNSG.

2.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is surprising to find a respectable religious organization like CPJC and Pax Christi repeating the identical political agenda of the agents of the LTTE who have launched a global campaign against Sri Lanka in an attempt to get even with the Sri Lankan government for ending the 33-year-old separatist war and liberating Sri Lanka from the grips of LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s unbridled terror. The LTTE is a group banned and classified internationally as a terrorist organization in many countriesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ including USA, EU and India.

3.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  To our knowledge there has been no corresponding appeal from the CJPC urging the Australian Government to encourage investigations into the violations of international and domestic law in Australia by the clandestine supporters of LTTE living in Australia raising funds for purchasing arms for the LTTE (reference FBI). Though the LTTE had it’s Waterloo in Mullaweikkal in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, the fund collections are continuing in Australia under the guise of humanitarian aid.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The real intent is to use this money to fuel violence in Sri Lanka sometime in the future. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

4.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Fund raising, spreading propaganda and supporting terrorists are a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and these illegal activities have been carried out on Australian soil by the agents of the LTTE. There have been many prosecutions in Australia pursued by the AFP for LTTE sympathizers collecting money for purchasing arms, blatantly violating Australian law.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is disappointing to note that the CJPC has not raised its voice or launched campaigns to prevent these activities of the Australian agents of the LTTE. This purchasing of arms and explosives enabled the LTTE to commit crimes against humanity including the murdering of little children in their mothers arms at The Dollar and Kent farms in Sri Lanka.

5.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Quoting the Advisory Panel of Experts (APEs) appointed by the UNSG, Ban Ki-Moon, to inquire only to a short period (from September 2008 to May 2009) Mr. Arndt repeats ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the allegations against the GovernmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ which included shelling of civilians in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”safe zonesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, hospitals and humanitarian facilities and denial of humanitarian assistance to victims of the conflict. The Sri Lankan Government has not only rejected these allegations as unverified and untested statements made by the APE sitting in New York but has also appointed a Commission of its own (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)) to investigate the events over a longer period from 2002 to 2009. This Commission was appointed well before the establishment of Ban-Ki-MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s APE. Furthermore, Drusman was invited to present their case to the LLRC. The LLRC so far has conducted inquiries from a cross-section of Sri Lankan population. The CJPC should have had the courtesy and the patience to await the findings of the LLRC before prejudging the case and rushing into demand another inquiry. Judging from their past partisan records, it is not surprising to find Pax Christi and certain Christian denominations, particularly theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Uniting Church, promoting the political agenda of the Australian sympathizers of the LTTE. However, post 2009 we were expecting a more considered response from Christian organizations based on facts and operating reality in Sri Lanka. We urge you to contact Bishop Malcolm Ranjith in Sri Lanka or better, visit Sri Lanka and be familiarized with the current ground reality. The reality is far removed from the fiction painted by Mr Arndt.

Considerable advancements have been made to ensure the wellbeing of the Tamil civilians held hostage by the LTTE including targeted reconciliation efforts, rehabilitation of child soldiers, integrating ex LTTE combatants back to civil society, building infrastructure such as rail and road,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  de-mining vast areas of land occupied by the Tamil people in the Vanni, rebuilding the lives of Tamils in the North. Mr Arndt seem to be either incapable of comprehending the facts or wantonly disbelieving the facts to prosecute his own misleading agenda against Sri Lanka. If one visited Sri Lanka you will observe that most Tamil children now attend schools rather than being forcibly recruited as child soldiers and suicide bombers. It is also worthwhile to note that people in the North and East of Sri Lanka recently had free and fair elections after 30 years to choose their own parliamentarians

6.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  CJPCƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s tendency to go along with the LTTE lobby is clearly indicated when it states that the Government of Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-denied humanitarian assistance to victims of the conflict.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ To begin with the UN officials have commended Sri Lanka for being the only state that has delivered food, medicine and other essentials to rebel-held territories. CPJC picks on this unfounded statement without referring to the illegal and inhuman practice of the LTTE siphoning off the essentials delivered to the Tamil civilians to feed and maintain its terrorist cadres. furthermore,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Sri Lankan government had never blocked supplies of essentials like the UN sanctioned cordon thrown round Iraq which led to the death of 600,000 children (refer UNICEF). In fact, it was the LTTE which blocked and sank ICRC ships ferrying essentials to the Northern Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is said that the first victim in war is the truth. But when a Christian organization like the CJPC departs from the truth known to the cognoscenti it reflects poorly on its moral authority to speak on behalf of the oppressed and/or the victims of war. How can CPJC ask others to take ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-accountability measures which ensure respect and dignity for the victims and survivors of the conflictƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ when it canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t observe the basics of being truthful ground realities?

7.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ CJPC and Pax Christi Queensland claim that the primary purpose of launching their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-campaign was (for) the establishment of lasting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ The partisan politics of both institutions, as outlined above, question the hidden agenda and the bona fides of these self-appointed guardians of human rights. Rather than supporting peace and reconciliation, fanning the dying embers of the LTTE undermines the peace and reconciliation efforts in Sri Lanka and Australia and strengthens the extremist elements operating in Sri Lanka as well as in Australia.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

8.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Ironically, CPJC talks about maintaining international standards. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We agree. But first we would like CPJC and Pax Christi to define their international standards without ambiguity. Are they referring to the international standard of Henry Kissinger ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the Secretary of State who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize even though he bombed the palace of the democratically elected Chilean President, Allende, killing civilians and replacing him with the fascist and dreaded dictator, Piinochet? Or are they referring to the international standard set by President Barack Obama who takes the Nobel Prize handed to him in Oslo and goes back to White House to bomb civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq? Or. are they endorsing the international standards of allowing the British to ethnically cleanse the Chagossians from Diego Garcia to make way for the establishment of an American base in the Indian Ocean? Then what about President Obama stating that they have the right to invade any sovereign nation in pursuit of any person or organization threatening America’s National security and that collateral damage would be considered acceptable as in the case of Osama Bin Laden’s assassination? Are these the standards that you want Sri Lanka to emulate? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

9.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Finally, in the name of peace and reconciliation we call upon the CPJC and Pax Christi not to be seduced by the vindictive politics of the LTTE rump operating in Australia by demanding their pound of flesh to square off the death of their terrorist leader Prabakaran, but to be more charitable towards the war-weary people of Sri Lanka and give peace and reconciliation a chance to take root.

Your Honour

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We will be grateful if you could inquire in to this matter urgently as our members including many Catholic and Christian Sri Lankan members of our organization await your considered response. We would like the CPJC to discontinue the campaign against the Sri Lankan Government as it is not based on facts and shows the hallmarks of a carefully choreographed attempt by the LTTE rump operating in Australia to misinform the CPJC, and use it as its catƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s paw to achieve it’s violent and repugnant goal of undermining the peace currently prevailing in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We also urge your Excellency to consider to call Mr Arndt to account as he has sullied the good reputation of the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese in Brisbane.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yours sincerely

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dr Dasarath JayasuriyaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Mr Wijaya HapukotuwaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mr Chanaka BandarageƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mr Anil Perera
President, SPUR VicƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  SPUR NSWƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka support groupƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ PRESIDENT SPUR Qld

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Copy to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Attorney General

Copy to Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs

Copy to Members of the Parliament/Senators

Copy to Pax Christi and CPJC, Brisbane