Dr D.Chandraratna, Perth

There is a dire need to revisit UN Conventions in the light of changing world conditions of the modern era. Be it refugees, humanitarian law, torture, friendly relations, human rights etc., the conditions of the modern world demand a revision of these Charters. There is a reason to take a dim view of the United Nations for the abject failings, which we are witnessing on a daily basis. Diplomacy has become a duplicitous activity suggesting an ominous meaning befitting the worst of interstate relations. The activities of foreign missions in Sri Lanka are beyond credulity and in fact the external affairs department has cautioned the diplomatic community in Colombo in polite terms as lacking in objectivity. Lakshman Keerthisinghe in one of his substantive articles to the Daily News reported that following an incident of protesters disrupting a meeting between some Colombo-based diplomats and relatives of disappeared persons, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry had stated that while it recognized the fundamental right to freedom of assembly and expression, ‘a certain section of the diplomatic corps (US, UK and the usual Western cavalcade) appear to be involved in a manner lacking in objectivity, in events organized for a particular region and community. The Ministry politely requested the missions to be ‘conscious of local sensitivities when attending events of an emotive nature.’

Sovereignty, multilateral relations, diplomacy and international mores are breached daily with dire consequences to millions of people. In regard to interstate relations it is noteworthy that Dr. Subramanian Swamy, who visited Sri Lanka recently, to attend a special workshop, at the BMICH, on ‘India under Modi’, said India regretted the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, being instrumental in promoting terrorism in Sri Lanka. Apparently Dr Swamy alleged that she funded the terrorists, including LTTE, PLOTE and helped them procure arms to continue their struggle against Sri Lanka. But in a redemptive note Dr. Swamy re-iterated that the BJP Government would never ever repeat Indira’s mistake. It was praiseworthy that senior and wise counsel of the BJP to have reported that BJP government would not interfere in internal matters of Sri Lanka nor allow such interference in the future or encourage western countries to meddle in Sri Lankan domestic matters.

A delegate at the BMICH conference even said that Human Rights are used as a tool by some quarters to belittle Sri Lanka’s achievement in crushing one of the most ruthless terrorist outfits in the world. The reference here was to Pillay’s outfit that is acting as a PR front for the White Europeans. The reasons are obvious and need not labor the point. As the Indian delegation mentioned no other country has so decisively defeated terrorism, which alone is unpalatable to the many European countries. Many tend to entertain the view that the European countries are in ‘love’ with the Tamils which is a misnomer; the naked truth being that it is the Tamil Diaspora that is available for the moment as a camouflage for the pro China stance of the Sri Lankan state.

It is because of the duplicity and unpredictability of the international mechanisms that we are compelled to take a dim view of the doings of UN. Human Rights chief Navaneetham Pillay whose tenure will fortunately ends this August comes up with various efforts to put Sri Lanka in trouble. She tried to come to Sri Lanka to conduct the investigation, which was categorically turned down by the Sri Lanka government. Tainted by partisanship and conflicts of interest she has done the worst possible degradation to the concept of human rights and any organization that stands for human rights. These people in high places have been corrupted by money and the good life when millions are suffering in the world. When we hear of human rights gurus shouting what immediately comes to mind are international picnics, travel jaunts, good hotels, international cuisine and good pay packets. The utter arrogance on the part of Pillay is not to take seriously her total lack of objectivity against the Sri Lankan issue when not one country in the region is prepared to issue visas for her team. Navi Pillay tried to access the closest country to Sri Lanka, which she failed. Even with SAARC she was unable to push her clandestine efforts to damage Sri Lanka. She does not take the non-European nations seriously and that speaks a lot about the manipulation of the UN by the Nordic countries.

The Sri Lankans are justified in asserting that the rebuff to her team, led by a woman who was expelled from another country, was a moral victory to Sri Lanka. With the backing of Western counties she is trying her best to execute this unwarranted probe with representatives from Britain, France, and America. Totally disregarding the rejection from the SAARC region she is trying to do a remote controlled investigation with some members ‘who have not seen Sri Lanka in their lifetime’. We have been well aware of the disgruntled groups who are heavily funded, as some NGO’s in Sri Lanka, and some foreign states are hell bent to concoct evidence against Sri Lanka’s heroic security forces to be presented to the UNHCR investigation team interviewing these persons who are said to be relatives of disappeared persons through Skype. The numbers of the disappeared also grow similar to the numbers of 40,000 civilians killed in the terminal phase. The bishop Rayappu came out with 170,000 today as the number and surely he must be having divine powers to multiply the dead. The interesting news is that interviewees prepared to give falsified evidence are offered Rupees Two Hundred Thousand each to provide such mis-information assisted by some interested diplomats. This must be from Pillay’s book on jurisprudence. Is it any wonder that Sri Lankan people are mad with the diplomats who are behaving as prostitutes and pimps? It will be a sweet day for the world when this woman leaves the UNHRC.

Look at the terrible tragedies, which are reported daily. The ongoing carnage of innocent civilians in many quarters is grim and horrendous. There is plenty of reason for us to be angry with the UN for its inertia and inaction. Where is the international reckoning for the travesty of justice in the Middle East? Who must be blamed for the group that pressed the button for the heat seeking missile (?) that destroyed the lives of innocent passengers in MH 17? If the government that pressed the button is responsible then the outside agents that initially created the chaos in Ukraine must equally be responsible. Those agents for NATO cannot escape culpability for provoking, fuelling and sustaining the unrest in Ukraine. The Western Press will be the last to give a balanced analysis of the event any day. Their sole objective is to get at their No 1 geo political foe, Mr. Putin. How can anyone believe in a multilateral force to redeem the violation of the right to life of many people in the world with the current organizations? Is it time for us to think of a better world with a newer UN or may be demonstrate to the world of such revision of Charters by creating an Asian equivalent of the same as a demonstration model for the Asian countries. The time is right now.