A proper forum for world peace: Sri Lanka should initiate action
Posted on November 15th, 2012
Asada M Erpini
What baloney! Many in Europe and the US (assuming that the Americans are familiar with this expression) will naturally pooh pooh the idea.
On the contrary, Sri Lanka has every right to talk to the peace-loving nations in the world and get them together to establish a union of sovereign nations that does not have to cow down to the diktats of the USA and other rich and powerful nations, which only want to impose their hegemony on peoples who had their own cultures and civilisations for many millennia prior to what is known as US today came into existence. The so-called union of 193 nations that goes under the label of United Nations is not in any way a gathering of sovereign states that have an equal say in affairs that affect their peoples. A mere handful, led by the US, ensures that the others tow their line, and these other countries have no choice other than to abide by what is demanded as they do not have the military or the financial might.
Is Sri Lanka qualified to be the initiator of establishing a body, the goal of which is world peace? Yes, by all means. The puny island nation, which is labelled poor, Third World or developing ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” depending on the lexicon in vogue at the time in the multitude of world forums – is the only country in the world that managed to take a vicious terrorist organization head on and defeated its military wing, in spite of the roadblocks erected by many of the powerful and affluent countries that threw a lifeline to the terrorist gang. Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s armed forces under its able, political and military leadership vanquished the marauding LTTE bandits in May 2009, and the country has been able to enjoy peace ever since. This is after a near three-decade period of indiscriminate killings of civilians and destruction of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s infrastructure by the Tamil terrorists who had usurped a third of the land mass and two thirds of the coastal belt of the country.
The UN Secretary General is reported on 15th November to have stated that the organisation (meaning UN) headed by him had failed in Sri Lanka. Many Sri Lankans will wholeheartedly agree with the gentlemanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sentiments. Others in the wide world who have no interest in Sri Lanka, or even have no idea where the country is, will venture out to boldly proclaim that the UN has failed in its main goal ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” that of promoting world peace. They would say that UN is only doing the bidding of the US and a handful of affluent nations in the West, caring a tuppence for its raison d’ƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚ªtre. A classic example of how the UN is manipulated to serve the interest of the US is the UN sanctioning of the invasion of Iraq two decades ago on the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which evidently never existed.
The armed forces of Sri Lanka rescued nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians from the North and the North West of Sri Lanka, who had been herded by the LTTE and finally corralled in the North East to serve as a human shield. Sri Lanka is yet to hear a word of appreciation from the UN or its human rights arm of this massive and unprecedented effort by the Sri Lankan armed forces. A woman ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”legal luminaryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ from South Africa who heads the human rights crusaders of the UN has only seen human rights violations. How pathetic!
There are many countries in the world that are far ahead of the US and its lackeys when it comes to human rights. They may be poor, but they do not invade other countries on the pretext of selling democracy, when in fact the real reason behind the USƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s involvements in Iraq. Afghanistan, Libya and many other countries in the Middle East is the latterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s oil and minerals wealth that the US is eager to grab.
In 2009 Sri Lanka succeeded in a war that was waged within its own territorial boundaries to rid the county of a terrorist curse that spanned nearly three decades. Many other nations have a great deal to learn from Sri Lanka: it is time that Sri Lanka came forward to lead moves to form a union that the peace-loving nations deserve to have.
November 15th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
I had the same idea and was hoping to come out with it, but I was happy to read your article. It is time UNO is changed as a Global Forum for peace among nations. It has become a sort of a NATO nosing into affairs of developing countries under the dictates of Nations which seek aggressivity in place of peaceful dialog.
November 15th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Twitter has become a battlegorund!
Israeli and Arabic posters going at each other BIG TIME! Making threats, claiming victory, history, blah, blah, blah…
Paleastinains will die in thousands in this war like Lebanese in 2006 unless they acquire REAL weapons like chemical or biological stuff. No hope in hell for them otherwise. Hatred cannot win wars. Weapons and plans can.
Bangladesh September 29 is now happening to these Sunni people. No wonder no one comes to their rescue!!
Sad and bad!
I wish this violence stops. But for Christ’s sake SL should KEEP OUT of these hell holes.
November 15th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Lorenzo, your last sentance is what I agree. SL MUST keep out of Paleastinain-Israeli Issues. It is because we killed the terrorist leader Prabhakeran. Yesterday Wednesday Isreali Air force did a massive air strike on the convey of the Hamas military leader, Ahmed al-Jabari. His vehical was surrounded by other vehicles full of woman and children. Should SL rejoice of condemn? I think SL should rejoice. I am sure Charles will not agree to this but facts are stubborn. By the way Hamas is baned in SL. Long time ago UNO became an arm of NATO not visible to the naked eye.
November 15th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Main point is Tamil Tigers were and are supported by Zionists.
This wars Wahabis vs Syria and Zionist vs Palestine and Iran has will affect us in many ways.
On the other hand now we are recieving Ugandan advice !
November 15th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Kithsiri,
The point is IDF and their popular secret service was HEAVILY involved in SL war on govt. side.
SL restarted diplomacy with them in 2008 to thank them for the help. Planes, ships, missiles, sub-machine guns, STF, KP, the intercepted LTTE ship in Indonesia, DPU, pro-SL Tamil paramilitary groups are their help.
On the other side, SL has to manage local and international Muslims (despite Saudi voting against SL).
So best to stay neutral. MIDDLE PATH!
We must not forget our MAIN THREAT since the times of Ellalan is Tamil Homelanders.
By getting into other problems, we lose BOTH sides and they gain BOTH sides.
Tamil Homelanders are like crocodiles, the more you give them meat, the more they want.
When we have settled the entire island, all what the Tamil Homelanders will be able to do about it will be to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle!!
November 16th, 2012 at 1:35 am
Kit,
If you rejoice any killing including Prbhakaran you should not call yourself a Buddhist. You can stay nutral and say “Anichchm Dukkham Sansaare”. However you can rejoice if that killing brought happiness to masses , like the end of eelam war because you are rejoicing the peace, not seeking revange. If you seek revange, it aversion that drives you and I need not say anything.
No matter what, terrorism is terrorism and it is governments and military duties to get rid of it at the very outset.
Our leaders did not do that and they let it grow to their own benifits and had to kill a lot of LTTE children, which is sad.
November 16th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Asada M Erpini reads INI PREMADASA