Darusman Report, UNHCR, Otero and White flags
Posted on March 3rd, 2012
Asada M Erpini
It seems strange coincidence that on 02 February when some media reported Darusman and his panel members resurfacing, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights saying that the Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s LLRC Report is not up to UN standards and the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights of the US pointing out that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-time is slipping away in Sri Lanka for lasting peaceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
An interesting twist to all the accusations and warnings that poor Sri Lanka has to face for the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”crimeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of militarily defeating a band of terrorists that violated not only the human rights but more importantly the right to life of a population of 20 million for nearly three decades is that a former British paratrooper is reported in the Daily Mail of the UK as having said that when he served in the Falklands war, the enemy came with white flags and shot the British soldiers.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Darusman and his two colleagues, as reported in New York Times on 02 March, state that tens of thousands of traumatized civilians were surrounded by and surrendered to the Sri Lankan Army. The trio naturally fail to mention the fact that the civilians in question had been moved from the North West to the North East of the island by the LTTE and were being herded and corralled to serve as human shields by the terrorists.
The Darusman team happily goes back to the figure of 40,000 deaths that has been bandied about since Sri Lanka, to the surprise of many, managed to annihilate the military wing of the LTTE, and continues ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the bulk of that total was attributable to deliberate, indiscriminate, or disproportionate governmental attacks on civilians, through massive shelling and aerial bombardment, including on clearly marked hospitalsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. The evidence for such statements implying the culpability of the government and the armed force is yet to surface.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The team that was appointed as an advisory panel by the UN Secretary General, but in no way had received the legal authority to produce a UN Report as sanctioned by the Security Council or the General Assembly of the world body, based their conclusions on hearsay and statements of LTTE supporters who naturally would have an axe to grind against the armed forces and the political leadership.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What is most unfair by the accused, in this case Sri Lanka and its government, is that DarusmanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s key witnesses can remain as ghosts with no names or other identities for a period of twenty years. The writerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s only hope is that the credible sources that Darusman and his team of legal luminaries relied on are not akin to the former UN spokesperson in Colombo: the UN Office in Colombo, which had Mr. Gordon Weiss as its spokesman, had stated that the number of deaths per day was 700, and extrapolating that to ten days, it had deduced the total deaths to be 7000.
Yet, quite logically, it did not release the figure as an official death toll as it did not have any witness to the incidents on site. Mr. Weiss later quoted a death told of 20,000, but within a few days of his arrival in his native Australia, the figure magically had ballooned to 40,000 deaths, which now is the Gospel truth for all and sundry determined to attack Sri Lanka.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The US is impatient that not enough is being done by Sri Lanka for reconciliation. Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Permanent Representative to the UN mission in Geneva has given the most apt response to the unwanted impatience of the mighty US. The learned lady Ambassador from Sri Lanka points out that it is only three months since the release of the LLRC Report and three years after the three decade-old terrorist conflict was brought under control. Surely, the US need not be that impatient if what eggs it on is a genuine concern for human rights in the island nation.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights obviously does not want to be left out from the circus. The report produced by the Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), according to the lady from South Africa, is not of the standards of the Panel of Experts of the UN Secretary General. One would wholeheartedly agree with her on this point. But, the impartiality of all three members of the panel as regards Sri Lanka was open to question, and pressing anyone to emulate their procedures and recommendations is not what a high official of the UN should advocate.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ An allegation that keeps on surfacing when the West and its human rights crusaders harp on their favourite theme of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-atrocities in the final stages of the warƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ is that the top rung LTTE leaders who came with white flags to surrender were killed on the orders of the military high command.
A statement that should deflate all the accusations, warnings and threats at least to some extent is that British soldiers were shot by enemy troops waving white flags, according to an ex-serviceman. The former paratrooperƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s enemy was the legally constituted soldiers of the sovereign State of Argentina who would be expected to go by the Geneva Convention when fighting a war. In contrast, Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s battles were against a rag tag group of terrorists, who had the luxury of getting themselves elevated to a parallel government with the blessings of countries such as Norway and the dollars sent in from Canada, the US and Australia.
How a woman, a pregnant LTTE activist, attempted to blow up the then army commander of Sri Lanka in Colombo and how another female LTTE cadre killed Tamil refugees waiting to obtain help from the Sri Lankan armed forces as well as members of the latter during a suicide bomb during the final stages of the Eelam War IV are facts well known to all. The LTTE did not abide by the Geneva Convention ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” it was in no way a legally constituted entity of any sovereign nation.
Furthermore, its fighters often mingled with the civilians in civilian clothes, making the work of the Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s armed forces doubly difficult and placing the soldiers in a dilemma: if you did not pull the trigger first, you would be dead, but if you did shoot, the LTTE would have enough graphic images of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”civiliansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces, as propaganda to hoodwink the gullible West.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Leave Sri Lanka alone. The vast gatherings of humanity that protested in many towns in Sri Lanka the other day against the US manipulations is evidence that there are millions of Sri Lankans who detest the world policeman stance of the US.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
March 3rd, 2012 at 4:59 pm
THis report should be called the “Sooka” report.
I am sure most of the report was written by Ms Yamin Sooka, an Indian colonial parasite from South Africa. She was one of the commissioners of the Truth Commission in South Africa.
It is India and Indian colonial parasites behind all these.
March 3rd, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Its the black face of white west that are leading the accusations. They of course cant see the blatant human rights violations of the white races. This is the unacceptable face of racism. Until you unmask these traitors nothing will happen.
March 4th, 2012 at 1:47 am
Indiyanu jadawadaya is the worst form of human rights violations. They do it without your knowledge.
In this Geneva thing West is transparent and you can see what they are doing and get prepared to face and fight or flight.
Indian human rights violations are the worst on earth. The high caste only allow low cast body parts to be transplanted. No other contacts with them.
In Indian occupied Kashmir locals are butchered by one of the worlds most powerful armies.
We have been brain washed by Indians since their arrival with the British in 1792.
Most of the Sinhalese who live in the West hate the locals but praise the Indians, something I cannot understand.
Can someone explain this?
March 4th, 2012 at 5:50 am
“Its the black face of white west”
@nandamitra
These are Barak Obama and Naveentham Pillay.
Notice how they put them in front as spokespeople?
March 4th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Christie,
I understand your frustration with Sri Lanka’s enemies. But, it is important that we do not broadly demonize people on the basis of their nationality, race, religion etc. None of us can change what we inherited at birth; we can only change the way we feel and act during our lives.
Let us judge people on the basis of what they say and do, and not the situation they were born into.
As a Sinhalese residing the USA, I find Indians to be just like us, and especially friendly to us as Sri Lankans, who they view as cousins … as we do them. By the way, most Indians are not Eelamist Tamils; they do not support Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka, and they truly regret tha calamity Indian inteference wrought in Sri Lanka.
Americans come in all flavours, and very often do not like what their government is doing in their name. But, they, are intensely patriotic. Americans will rally round and come together to defend their country in times of war … without exception. If the issue is important, and sufficiently visible to them, that gets reflected in the elections. I hope that Sri Lankans will become as patriotic as Americans in the fullness of time. Reminding people of the hallowed history of Sri Lanka is not enough to do that; transforming Sri Lanka into the New Wonder of Asia to give Sri Lankans a nation to be proud of in their lifetimes may achieve that goal.
If we want the US to be fair to Sri Lanka, and get them to support us, we have to educate them on that subject, because while the US Government plying its global agendas under the control of ideologues on the left or the right of the political spectrum, Sri Lanka is off the map to most US citizens who vote these politicians into power. Our task is to be Sri Lanka’s ambassadors to world while we help defend the motherland.
The main point I am trying to make here is that when we strongly criticize Sri Lanka’s enemies, let us be very careful in identifying them NARROWLY. It is generally OK to criticize the LEADERS who orchestrate these activities inimical to Sri Lanka, because they can be easily identified by name. It is more difficult to criticize their NAMELESS and FACELESS SUPPORTERS. When we criticize the latter, we have to NARROWLY categorize them, so as to not insult and demonize the vast majority of innocent people belonging to any group the miscreants spring from.
For example, I am careful to say Eelamist Tamils, or the Eelamist Tamil Diaspora, rather than criticize all Tamils of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, or the entire Tamil Diaspora.
All of us have many Tamil friends who do not intend any harm to Sri Lanka, and love Sri Lanka just as we do. They must be made welcome in the midst of Sri Lankan patriots.
After all, what we are trying to do is to DEFEND & PROTECT Sri Lanka by unifying ALL of its people into ONE Nation, of ONE people, sharing ONE national Destiny, irrespective of their community affiliations.
March 4th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
“If we want the US to be fair to Sri Lanka, and get them to support us, we have to educate them on that subject, because while the US Government plying its global agendas under the control of ideologues on the left or the right of the political spectrum, Sri Lanka is off the map to most US citizens who vote these politicians into power.”
No point. They already know it but nothing happens.
USA is run by its military. Obama was against war before elected but once elected he is WORSE than Bush because ALL presidents MUST follow NSA rule. Just like Pakistan ruled by the ISI. Only the FACE changes. Policies remain same. People cannot decide the policy which is made by the NSA IRRESPECTIVE of what people think.
March 4th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Let us hope that NEW US Ambassador Michele Sison will have more EMPATHY for Sri Lanka as a Filipino-American than Amb. Patricia Butenis did. During Amb. Butenis’s tenure US-Sri Lanka relations deteriorated to a new low.
But, there is no guarantee of Amb. Sison’s appointment improving these relations and reducing the attacks being mounted against Sri Lanka.
Minority officials striving for acceptance in US govt bureaucracies rarely feel safe enough to rock the rock the boat by acting according to their conscience, and survive in their careers.
Often, they push themselves to be MORE EXTREME than non-minorities, to prove their “credentials”. An example of this is President Barack Obama’s aggressive current foreign policy against perceived and imagined enemies of the United States.
Minority officials are often appointed to lend their “minority faces” to get developing nations to swallow bitter pills while deflecting accusations of discrimination.
Let us wait and see .. Time will reveal the reality. We hope she will concentrate on protecting ALL of the people of Sri Lanka and building bridges its majority community, and not on destabilizing and undermining its popular democratically elected government.
In the meantime, I wish Ambassador Michele Sison well, and wish her every success in this appointment.
…………
New U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka nominated
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka, March 05, Colombo.
March 4th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Patricia’s exit is good news. It may be punishment for Patricia after the failure of the US resolution.
But Michel don’t seem any better.
[Quoted from Wikipedia]
U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan (1999-2002) and as consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, India (1996-1999). She also served at the U.S. Missions in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (1993-1996); Douala, Cameroon (1991-1993); Cotonou, Benin (1988-1991); Lomé, Togo (1984-1988); and Port-au-Prince, Haiti (1982-1984), as well as in Washington. Ambassador Sison is the recipient of numerous U.S. Department of State awards for exceptional service.
She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, on May 6, 2004 and sworn in by Secretary of State Powell on July 12, 2004. Prior to her appointment to the UAE, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs, charged with providing broad policy oversight of U.S. relations with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
She also had a short stint as chargé d’affaires of Lebanon, before officially becoming the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, in June 2008. Ambassador Sison assignment in Lebanon ended in August 2010.
[Unquote]
Looks like she was assigned to some key troublespots before where US sponsored violence broke out imediately after her. Many exceptional service awards to her credit. No wonder.
Pakistan (early Musharaf rule leading to total invasion in 2001), Ivory Coast, Lebanon (2010) where she was a key figure in blaming Syria for Hariri.
March 5th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Patali Champika Ranawaka, the minister of power and energy says the True Story of LTTE Conflict Is Not Highlighted Properly
1. The census had shown that it was the majority Sinhalese who had suffered most by the LTTE’s 30 year campaign for a separatist Tamil homeland.
2. There are only 884 Sinhalese in Jaffna and Kilinochchi from over 20,000 in 1981. The Muslim population has dropped to over 2600 from over 10300.
3. A total of 7934 people died during the last phase of the war with LTTE and not “tens of thousands” as reported by a UN panel which probed the allegations of war crimes by Lankan forces.
March 5th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
AMAZING!, The US ASSERTS the right to kill people, even Americans, who are even CONTEMPLATING/PLOTTING attacks against the USA, without having ACTUALLY COMMITTED such attacks.
Very LAUDABLE, I am sure. But, why is such a right DENIED Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka targeted only those who had actually joined terrorist groups, and had attacked the nation.
Different Strokes for Different Folks?
DOUBLE STANDARDS & PURE HYPOCRISY!
……………
U.S. defends killing Americans who join al Qaeda
By Andrew Stern
March 05, 2012
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The Obama administration asserted on Monday a right to kill Americans overseas who are plotting attacks against the United States, laying out specific details for the first time about a policy that critics argue violates U.S. and international law.