Sri Lanka stops South African Tamil Navi Pillay to use UN for Anti Sri Lankan Activities
Posted on September 26th, 2013
Sri Lanka News
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha strongly repudiated the UN Human Rights Chief Navinethem Pillay’s assertion that if certain concerns are not comprehensively addressed, she believes ‘the international community will have a duty to establish its own inquiry mechanisms’. He pointed out that she has no mandate to make such a claim.
In response to Ms Pillay’s remarks, Mr Aryasinha said, “having brought normalcy to the lives of the civilian population, GOSL has also taken positive steps to address issues of accountability. The GOSL strongly repudiates the High Commissioner’s assertion that if certain concerns are not comprehensively addressed, she believes ‘the international community will have a duty to establish its own inquiry mechanisms’. We also note that the HC has no mandate to make such a claim. Multiple mechanisms to address accountability have been put in place and are in motion as a continuous progression from the LLRC process.”
“The Sri Lankan government strongly refutes the HC’s view that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka remains critically important. As pointed out many times in this Council by my delegation, the disproportionate attention paid to Sri Lanka, largely at the behest of parties with vested interests, considerably complicates the on-going delicate process of reconciliation. Sri Lanka is not a situation that requires the urgent and immediate attention of the Council. Sri Lanka needs to be encouraged, not impeded,” the Permanent Representative said.
Full Statement made by Sri Lanka as concerned for the Oral update of the High Commissioner
Mr. President, I have already lodged a protest with you, that contrary to the rules of procedure which casts a duty on the OHCHR that acts as the Secretariat to the HRC to prepare and circulate documents in an “early and timely manner”, that the advance copy of the HC’s oral update to the Council on Sri Lanka was received at only at 1830 yesterday, leaving us only a night to prepare our response.
GOSL reply and the 22/1 resolution
It is recalled that the Oral Update of the High Commissioner which is presented today originates from Council resolution 22/1 which was rejected by GOSL. The resolution under reference was adopted with a vote in Council. Our position is that this resolution is not the result of an objective assessment of the ground situation in Sri Lanka, but the outcome of a politicised process, premised on a report which exceeded the mandate granted by previous resolution 19/2. The GOSL also submitted that the resolution 22/1 was in contravention of GA resolution 60/251 as well as the Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 that should guide the work and method of engagement of the Council.
However, notwithstanding our rejection of resolution 22/1, the Government has continued with its genuine and credible commitment to the reconciliation process within the framework of the National Plan of Action on the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC and kept the Council informed in this regard.
Provincial Council Elections
I take the floor today, not only in the aftermath of a visit to Sri Lanka by the High Commissioner from 25 to 31 August 2013 pursuant to an invitation extended to her in April 2011, but also as the Government and the people of Sri Lanka last Saturday (21 September) completed elections to 3 of the 9 provincial councils, which by all accounts have been free and fair – the ultimate ‘litmus test’ of any democracy. In it, two’ of the most populous multi-ethnic, multi-racial of provinces – the North Western and the Central, overwhelmingly returned the ruling UPFA coalition to office, with popular votes of 66.43% and 60.16% respectively, while in the Northern Province, where elections were held for the first time since the introduction of the Provincial Council system in Sri Lanka in 1987, the ruling coalition received 18.38%, the leading opposition United National Party (UNP) 0.68 %, while the ethnic Tamil party the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) secured 78.48%. As President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated earlier this week, “holding an election to provide the people in the North who were under terrorist control for three decades the right to elect their own administration, is a victory for the government”.
I want to assure the High Commissioner that GOSL will continue to work with all Provincial Councils in the country, which includes the new Northern Provincial Council. Therefore, the High Commissioner’s “recommendation” to work with the Northern Provincial Council is a misnomer and has hallmarks of prejudgment on the delivery of a sovereign government’s responsibilities.
We must however remember that sections of the Tamil diaspora had strongly opposed Tamil parties participating in this election. It pertinent that the High Commissioner in her press statement at the end of her visit to Sri Lanka High Commissioner conveyed a strong and clear message to sections of the Tamil diaspora affiliated with the former LTTE, by declaring that “the LTTE was a murderous organization that committed numerous crimes and destroyed many lives” and that “those in the diaspora who continue to revere the memory of the LTTE must recognize that there should be no place for the glorification of such a ruthless organisation”. We consider this assertion by the High Commissioner to be important given that much of the action against Sri Lanka in the Council is emanating from a politicized process led by countries whose interests and compulsions are driven and influenced by certain extreme elements of the diaspora, offering electoral favours.
High Commissioner’s visit
There is no doubt that there remains work to be done to complete the ongoing reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. However, given the High Commissioner’s own admission while in Colombo that her visit was her “longest visit”, and that she was able to “go anywhere and see anything” that she “wished to see”, there was legitimate expectation in Sri Lanka that she would adopt an objective and unbiased approach to the country in her Oral Update to the Council. It is unfortunate that this is not the case.
Many of the issues flagged in the High Commissioner’s report have already been comprehensively responded to in our statement under Agenda Item as well as the numerous other interventions made during the course of this session as has been the past practice. However, for purposes of record, the full text of my statement that is being circulated reiterates the main points.
Having brought normalcy to the lives of the civilian population, GOSL has also taken positive steps to address issues of accountability. The GOSL strongly repudiates the High Commissioner’s assertion that if certain concerns are not comprehensively addressed, she believes “the international community will have a duty to establish its own inquiry mechanisms”. We also note that the HC has no mandate to make such a claim. Multiple mechanisms to address accountability have been put in place and are in motion as a continuous progression from the LLRC process.
In this context, our comprehensive statement details action underway to probe alleged killings including the 5 students in Trinco where the case commenced earlier this month and 30 witnesses have summoned to appear on October 29th, the lines of investigation into the ACF case, the status on’ the Army Court of Inquiry into the Channel 4 allegations, investigation into custodial deaths of prisoners in Vavuniya and Welikada. It also provides details on the 3 member Commission appointed to Investigate Allegations of Abductions and Disappearances related to the conflict, cooperation with the ICRC on the missing persons and engagement with the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance (WGEID).
With regard to the vulnerability of women and girls to sexual harassment and abuse in the North as referred to in the Update, The GOSL deplores all such acts of violence against women and girls and has taken concrete action against reported cases and will continue to do so. It is noteworthy that a comprehensive study undertaken of incidents of sexual offences which have occurred in the North has revealed that out of a total of 375 reported incidents during the conflict and in the post conflict periods (2007-2012), only 11 incidents (involving 17 security forces personnel) can be attributed to the security- forces. Therefore, the inference that the presence of the military contributes to insecurity of women and girls in the former conflict affected areas is baseless and disingenuous. Pursuant to the LLRC NPoA, the need for counseling and psychosocial support for those who have been affected by the prolonged conflict, counseling and psycho-social support programmes are conducted in the North and East have reached 45,991 persons in the two provinces.
GOSL has at no time ‘downplayed’ allegations of attacks against religious minorities, and strongly rejects accusations of “state patronage or protection given to extremist groups”. Such generalizations lack credibility. It is for this reason that the GoSL has requested specific information on such allegations. While existing provisions in the Penal Code and the ICCPR Act criminalise ‘hate speech’, steps are underway to further strengthen the law against hate speech through a new amendment, under which those found guilty will be liable to imprisonment for a period not less than five years and not exceeding twenty years. We would welcome any technical assistance on the scope of such legislation.
The issue of intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders was comprehensively addressed in our statement under Agenda Item 2 – General Debate on the first day of the Council. The GoSL is fully committed to the protection of human rights defenders and have requested the OHCHR to provide us with specific information with regard to the allegations. Sri Lanka has been consistent in its stance that it does not condone any attacks on freedom of speech. Investigative authorities have always taken all measures to conduct effective investigations relating to any complaints regarding harassment and or assassination of journalists, whenever, credible evidence is available, steps have been taken to prosecute the offenders.
While the Update refers to the abolition of the Constitutional Council via the 18th Amendment, it must be remembered that the legislature, enacted the 18th amendment to address the infirmities that had rendered the Constitutional Council non-operable. The fact that several Commissions and high offices have been operationalized since the 18th amendment and their robust functioning today, demonstrate its efficacy. Similarly, all constitutional stipulations inclusive of due process rights were followed in relation to the impeachment proceedings of the former Chief justice. Sri Lanka reiterates that similar provisions exist in other countries in relation to the removal of higher judiciary, and the impeachment process was in keeping with the constitutional imperatives.
In the above context, we strongly reject the unsubstantiated claims in the Update that the rule of law and democratic institutions are being undermined and eroded.
Mr. President
Over the years, Sri Lanka has demonstrated its commitment to be constructive and proactive engagement with the mechanisms of the Council including special procedures, treaty bodies and the UPR. The Government has already scheduled a visit by the SR on IDPs in December this year, and extended an invitation to the SR on Education to visit in January 2014. We will continue to schedule visits of special procedures mandate holders in the future following a consultative process.
The GoSL welcomes consideration of technical cooperation in the process of reconciliation and possibilities in this regard have been detailed in our statement. Sri Lanka however notes that technical cooperation provided in full cooperation and consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka, must complement the ongoing reconciliation process. We also note that the unwarranted call for a truth seeking mechanism would only be tantamount to duplication and multiplication of existing institutions and initiatives.
Conclusion
In conclusion Mr. President, the GOSL strongly refutes the HC’s view that “the human rights situation in Sri Lanka remains critically important”. As pointed out many times in this Council by my delegation, the disproportionate attention paid to Sri Lanka, largely at the behest of parties with vested interests, considerably complicates the on-going delicate process of reconciliation. Sri Lanka is not a situation that requires the urgent and immediate attention of the Council. Sri Lanka needs to be encouraged, not impeded.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
NAK (commenting on GR’s criticism of the US Embassy statement) must have read my mind, and shared my hopes, when he wrote:
“Now, if the TNA try to assert more powers than delegated to the PC’s,the government must act to annul the 13A in toto as a precaution in safegaurding the the national sovereignity or go for a nationwide referandum to asses the suitability of the PC in this country.”
However, it is is precisely this that the TNA, the Tamil Diaspora Eelamists, India, Tamil Nadu, UN’s Navi Pillay and the Western nations wielding “Human Rights” and “Democracy” pretexts to undermine and destroy Developing nations, are anticipating and rushing to forestall ALREADY.
The statements already made by the UN (see above), the US, the UK, Germany, and India after the PC election must be interpreted in this context.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka MUST put the 13th Amendment to a NATIONWIDE REFERENDUM and REVOKE it ALTOGETHER. One citizen ONE Vote to elect a candidate to the National Parliament is Franchise Enough for all Sri Lankans. Those who want special rights by race, language, religion, caste, and sex should not be placated at the expense of the basic right of all Sri Lankans to an EQUAL RIGHT to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, irrespective of community.
September 26th, 2013 at 3:49 pm
They key word is Tamil. Anything Tamil is CURSED with racism UNTIL saved from it.
Only 18% Tamils in SL are good Tamils.
78% of Tamils in SL and 100% Tamils outside SL are RACISTS.
September 26th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I am sincerely hoping that our leaders who appear to have been half asleep ‘until yesterday’ have now woken up in a panic to do what is needed at this eleventh hour and act with forethought to close ALL legal openings for the TNA towards elam – S de Silva – London
September 26th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Supreme Court battle was between GOMIN DAYASIRI (WON) and Sumanthiran kallathoni (LOST).
That has GREAT symbolic value.
It is a direct DEFEAT of Tamilian aspirations.
We also thank the MINISTRY OF PLANTATIONS for creating the case.
GOVT ORGANISATIONS should create many more similar cases.
September 26th, 2013 at 8:12 pm
A Human Smuggling Network that spirits the Nations’s ENEMIES … even those serving hard labor in Prisons … out of Sri Lanka to become fake refugees in Western countries is FURIOUSLY at Work … with GOSL officials working hand-in-glove for money.
These TRAITORS should be IMMEDIATELY PROSECUTED, sentenced to DEATH and summarily EXECUTED!
Is the Defence Secretary aware of these TREACHEROUS NETWORKS and the need to PROSECUTE & PUNISH those who aid and abet WAR CRIMINALS to escape PUNISHMENT they RICHLY DESERVE to the FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW? Who is MINDING this SECURITY STORE?
Come ON NOW … lets have some ACTION … to DEMOLISH the sense of IMMUNITY they currently FEEL violating the laws of the land with IMPUNITY?
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Tiger’s escape: TID takes over probe
by Saman Gamage
Island.lk
September 25, 2013, 10:30 pm
Prisons Chief Chandraratne Pallegama yesterday told The Island that the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had been directed to probe the escape of a hardcore LTTE prisoner, while he was working in the Matara Vesak Zone last May.
The prisoner is believed to have fled the country about a month ago. A senior official said that the TID was in the process of investigating the circumstances under which the prisoner fled the country, while the Colombo Crime Division handled the other aspects.
Prisons Secretary G. S. Vithanage said that he was yet to receive reports pertaining to investigations conducted by the department.
Sources said that those who had facilitated the prisoner’s escape were being investigated by relevant authorities. A senior official of the Welikada prison is alleged to have given false evidence in court, early this month as regards the escape of the terrorist.
Prisons intelligence which probed the escape has found that the top official reported to the court on Sept. 13, in writing, that the jailer in charge of the prisoner had been interdicted and other officers who served with him had been disciplined.
A spokesman for the Prisons headquarters, however, said even on the day the particular jailer was on duty in the prison.
September 27th, 2013 at 7:32 am
We agree with Ananda-USA. Rule of Law has to apply strong in Sri Lanka. Laid back Sri Lankans have let all and sundry play havoc with the country for too long. It started with Colonisation, and the Cold War period. Time to take the country back for peace and a reasonable prosperity for all.
Buddhism is the religion of the country, not its Law. If necessary, make new Laws to protect the country and our People, and enforce them without fear or favor.
* It is probably time now to call for a Referendum on the 13-A. The 13-A is the great de-stabiliser of Lanka.
* Deport all Illegal Migrants from 15 yrs ago to now.
We want to be assured that Tamil Nadu fishermen poaching in Lanka sea waters when caught and brought to justice in Lanka, are DEPORTED when released. How are the Deportation rules actually applied ? How do Lanka authorities make sure that those Deported actually leave the shores of Lanka and actually arrive at their country/place of citizenship ? How do we make sure that they do not return to Lanka ?
September 27th, 2013 at 11:41 am
Fran Diaz,
I agree with you fully on Illegal Immigrants and Indian Fishermen.
I have a solution: A TWO STRIKES and LOSE YOUR BOAT LAW & STRATEGY.
Currently, Indian fishermen caught POACHING in Sri Lankan waters are given a comfortable prison vacation at GOSL expense, convicted, released, and are sent back to Inda in their fishing boat! That is just a SLAP ON THE WRIST that ENCOURAGES repitition of the offence.
I PROPOSE that a record be kept of the offenders and their boats. If the same BOAT is found poaching a SECOND TIME …. CONFISCATE THE BOAT & the FISHING GEAR …. and sell it to Sri Lankan Fishermen at a Govt. Auction. Of course, it is very likely that after the first arrest, the boat will be repainted and disguised … so the GOSL will have to implement a suitably effective counter to ID theft in boats!
This way, the GOSL can simultaneously 1. PUNISH the POACHING BOAT OWNERS in a way that will increase the power of DETERRENCE by hurting them very badly FINANCIALLY, and 2. Raise funds through auctioning the confiscated boat & fishing gear to partly pay for high cost of safeguarding the marine resources in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
Of course India will retaliate in the same way against Sri Lankan fishermen who poach in Indian waters, but given that the Indian fishing fleet poaching in Sri Lankan waters is MUCH LARGER, and the OFFENCES much MORE FREQUENT … it will benefit Sri Lanka more.
ALL fishermen, both Indian & Sri Lankan, who poach against the other country are committing a crime, and there should be PUNISHMENT that has a SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE IMPACT to DETER them if we are to succeed in solving this recurring problem. Let us at least remove the FINANCIAL INCENTIVE to poaching, by creating a HUGE FINANCIAL DISINCENTIVE.
I hope that the GOSL will implement this TWO STRIKES and LOSE YOUR BOAT LAW immediately with a FAIR WARNING PERIOD to the Indian fishermen.
September 27th, 2013 at 11:57 am
Ananda,
Good ideas re two strikes for boat confiscation.
Navy should also take the bio-data (finger prints etc) of the offenders and if a match is made for two strikes, make it hard labor imprisonment for them for a period of at least an year.
Yes, a fair warning should be given in Tamil Nadu to all fishermen – “don’t cross Sri Lanka sea boundaries”
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Shouldn’t Sri Lanka opt for a National Government ? The present Jnt Opposition only appears to hurt the country, don’t they ? With a National govt. Lankans will not feel this constant rocking back and forth, or like a football passed from player to player ! The Colonisation & Cold War are FINISHED – it’s time to go National in every sense of the word and create an atmosphere of real security and growth, within and without.
September 27th, 2013 at 11:59 am
Yahoo! Another Eelamist Criminal Bites the DUST!
To bad the 15 years is the maximum, and not the minimum, sentence!
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Canadian faces maximum 15-year sentence in the U.S. for supporting terrorism
CalgaryHerald.com
September 27, 2013 9:50 AM
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – A Canadian man who helped funnel military technology to a terrorist group in Sri Lanka should serve the maximum sentence of 15 years, U.S. prosecutors argue.
Suresh Sriskandarajah, also known as “Waterloo Suresh,” pleaded guilty in July in Brooklyn, N.Y., to conspiring to provide material support to the Tamil Tigers.
The 32-year-old is due to be sentenced on Oct. 28 and written sentencing arguments filed before the hearing show that prosecutors want him to serve the maximum.
“Conspiring and attempting to procure sophisticated submarine and warship design software, night vision equipment and other electronic equipment for an international terrorist organization is a gravely serious offence,” prosecutors argue.
“A significant term of incarceration will reflect the seriousness of the offence, promote respect for the law, and provide just punishment.”
Sriskandarajah is arguing for time served. He was arrested in Ontario in 2006 and freed on bail in 2009 during extradition proceedings. He appealed his extradition all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada and only after he lost that bid in December 2012 was he sent to the U.S.
Sriskandarajah, who came to Canada from northern Sri Lanka as a boy, earned university degrees in Waterloo, Ont.
While in Canada, he helped research and acquire aviation equipment, submarine and warship design software, night vision equipment and communications technology for the Tamil Tigers.
Several of his co-conspirators have also been convicted of terrorism offences.
He graduated from the University of Waterloo with an electrical engineering degree a few months before he was arrested following a joint FBI-RCMP investigation. Sriskandarajah was the president of the Tamil Students’ Association at the university.
Sriskandarajah used students to smuggle items in to Tamil Tiger-controlled territory in Sri Lanka between September 2004 and April 2006.
Last year an Ontario man was sentenced to time served for his role in the group. Ramanan Mylvaganam was a computer engineering student at the University of Waterloo and he pleaded guilty in the U.S. to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the FBI and the RCMP into an alleged plot to buy weapons, launder money through front charities and smuggle equipment to the rebel group.
The Tamil Tigers, notorious for suicide bombings and political assassinations in their fight for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka, were declared a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997 and by Canada in 2006.
Piratheepan Nadarajah, a man from Brampton, Ont., was extradited alongside Sriskandarajah and is charged with conspiring and attempting to acquire equipment such as heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles and missile launchers, as well as conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Tamil Tigers.
Prosecutors there allege Nadarajah and co-conspirators negotiated with an undercover FBI agent to buy and export $1 million of high-powered weapons and military equipment for the Tamil Tigers.
He pleaded not guilty upon his extradition. His next court appearance is set for Oct. 8.
— Written by Allison Jones in Toronto.
September 27th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
To quote the article:” I have already lodged a protest with you, that contrary to the rules of procedure which casts a duty on the OHCHR that acts as the Secretariat to the HRC to prepare and circulate documents in an “early and timely manner”, that the advance copy of the HC’s oral update to the Council on Sri Lanka was received at only at 1830 yesterday, leaving us only a night to prepare our response.”
Obviously the OHCHRC holds Sri Lanka with a degree of contempt that normal procedures are not even an issue. Respect is never given it is earned. Time for Sri Lanka to refuse Navi Pillay on the grounds that she is prejudiced and cannot act in an objective manner. It is also time for the UNHRC to leave Sri Lanka sine their interests are not to deal with human rights but to give voice to the LITE and pro Eelam supporters. Such a radical element has no role in Sri Lanka just as the existence of LITE has no role in that land.
Many nations do not recognize the power of the UNHRC and do as they see fit for their nations. They include a good number of Muslim nations, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, who function quite well without these external powers and so can Sri Lanka.
September 27th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Fran Diaz,
I penned long articles to news papers and politicians calling for an ALL PARTY National Salvation Government at the height of the Eelamist terror …. especially during the years when Chandrika Bandaranayake was either the Prime Minister or the President. It fell on DEAF EARS!
As you can recall, those were some of the darkest days in Sri Lanka, when political power, and the Sinhala vote, was divided almost equally between the SLFP and the UNP preventing any solution to the problem of Separatist terrorism confronting the nation.
While the nation went to hell in a hand basket, the politicians continued to play politics as usual. With the Sinhala vote divided in half, the GOSL paralyzed, minority communal parties rising as kingmakers, and foreign NGOs calling the shots, the hapless citizens of Sri Lanka died by the thousands.
If the political leaders of Sri Lanka could not join to form a Nation Salvation Government on that tilting deck of the Sri Lankan Titanic, when our very survival was at stake, I very much doubt that they would do so today.
In particular, the UNP … the second largest party of Sri Lanka …. is riddled with anti-national elements … and cannot and will not find common cause with the PATRIOTIC forces of Sri Lanka, unless and until the current set of leaders of the UNP …. Ranil Wickramasinghe chief among them … are swept away by a flood of new patriotic younger leaders willing to rescue this Grand Old Party to its old prestige in the days of the Senanayakes.
Without the UNP, as the second largest political party joining in, I don’t see a National Government being formed to prevent the splitting of the voters right down the middle.
The UPFA that we see now … the largest political party with the broadest support among the people … is as close to a National Government … or more correctly, a National Salvation Government …. that we are going to see …. unless the anti-national snakes hiding in the grass, colluding with foreign powers, succeed in destroying the UPFA.
It is up to the PATRIOTIC citizens of Sri Lanka to recognize the enemy, confront their seductive and beguiling Siren Songs, and continue to REJECT them, and DEFEND and PROTECT our beloved Motherland.
September 27th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
My Comment at The Economist” “Harder Lines”, September 28, 2013
……………………………….
The writer is biased against the Government and Majority people … the Sinhalese … of Sri Lanka … as is often the case in articles on Sri Lanka that appear in the Economist. To expose that bias, let me ask a few questions.
What did the victorious Allies do in Germany to the Nazi party, its leaders, and its supporters after WWII? The leaders were punished, many with execution, others with imprisonment; the Nazi Party was banned … still is today … and Nazi leaders were prevented from participation in politics and in government. Even today, the USA will not accept Nazi’s as immigrants. We applaud the Allies for preserving the peace; we wish the former Allies would applaud little Sri Lanka that has rescued itself at the cost of immense blood and treasure.
Was not Velupillai Prabhakaran made in the image of Adolf Hitler, attempting to create a racist, apartheid state for only Tamils? Didn’t the Allies station their combined forces in Germany for nearly 50 years to prevent a resurrection of the aggressive and murderous Nazi party and its warlike policies? Well, the Eeelamist Holocaust was Sri Lanka’s WWII, and Eelamists of all hues the Nazis of Sri Lanka, and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was the PROXY of the LTTE of yesterday. Most recently, it issued a Provincial Election Manifesto equivalent to Hitler’s Mein Kampf, outlining their continuing vision of a Racist Tamils-Only State. If Allies stationed tens of thousands of agents in Germany to gather intelligence on Nazi activities, is it not sensible for the GOSL to do the same against the Eelamists?
When the UK and US are threatened by fanatical terrorists, they immediately destroy them and station their forces even in foreign countries to preserve their security. We applaud them, but please allow Sri Lanka to do the same within its own territory. What is good for the Western goose should be equally good for the Sri Lankan gander. Please spare us the Hypocrisy and the Double Standards.
Having lost much to the Eelamist war of 30 years, Sri Lanka cannot, and will not, enable former Murderous Separatists to repeat their performance. Even the authors at the Economist must be able to understand that.
September 27th, 2013 at 2:01 pm
Ananda,
NOW is the time to bring up the topic of a National Govt. once more ! I remember the period you mention quite well, and
we ourselves supported a National Govt.
Let us keep pressing that point to the Parliament.
The UNP never got over the Cold War. That is because some of their leaders lived through the Cold War, and never got over
their fears of pro-communism. That Russia herself is with NATO and China the second largest trading partner of the US hasn’t sunk into their minds.
September 27th, 2013 at 3:32 pm
Thank you for your efforts, Ananda.
It needs an outside ‘enemy’ like a huge meteorite heading toward Earth (God forbid !), for mankind to really come together.
Anyway, we ought to explore the idea of a National Govt. and keep it in the queue of ideas for national salvation.
September 27th, 2013 at 5:45 pm
Ananda, did you see this one :
From : Outlook India.com
SL Court Orders 5 Indian Boats to be Handed Over to Govt
RAMESWARAM | SEP 26, 2013
” A court in Sri Lanka today ordered five of the 34 boats seized from Tamil Nadu fishermen two months ago to be handed over to the island nation’s government.
The court in Paruthithurai ordered five of the 34 boats seized from the fishermen, arrested on July 30 by Sri Lankan naval personnel and released on September 4, to be handed over to the island nation government, Rameswaram Fishermen’s Organisation President Emerite told reporters here.
Each boat is estimated to be valued at Rs 60 lakh and the total cost of the five boats would be Rs three crore, he said.
Sixty five fishermen of Nagapattinam and Karaikal were arrested by Lankan naval personnel on July 30. 34 of them were released on September 4 without their boats.
The other fishermen are still in Thungamalli prision in Sri lanka. The released fishermen reached India on September 22″.
September 28th, 2013 at 12:16 am
Fran Diaz,
No I didn’t see that article, but it is in the direction of what I had suggested. I wonder whether those 5 boats belonged to repeat offenders.
This should be spelled out as a GOSL policy for INCREASED DETERRENCE: POACH ONCE … LANGUISH in PRISON; POACH TWICE … LOSE YOUR BOAT TOO!