Submission To OHCHR Investigation On Sri Lanka
Posted on October 11th, 2014
Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM Spokesperson. United Sri Lanka Association
To:OHCHR
Investigation on Sri Lanka.
Dear Sir/ Madam
I write in response to your call for submissions on information …on alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes allegedly perpetrated from 21st February 2002 until 15th November 2011 in Sri Lanka by either party to the armed conflict.”
The main basis of the UNHRC instituted investigation on Sri Lanka, despite the longer period of cover, was the allegation that Sri Lankan forces achieved victory over the Tamil Tigers intheir armed conflict at the cost of an unacceptably high casualty rate quoted upwards of 40,000 among the Tamil civilians trapped by the Tigers as human shields , in the last few weeks of this armed conflict. Further that this was the result of indiscriminate and directed fire by the SL forces at these civilians.
These allegations however do not hold true against scrutiny and theinquiry instituted is fraught with many concerns as shown below.
The allegations are illogical since if it was true all three hundred thousand of the trapped Tamil civilians would not have fled the Tigers and into the arms of the same Sri Lankan soldiers at the first opportunity in full view of the world media. If they were true the soldiers would not have risked their lives for the next two years demining the land where the civilians homes were, to return them to their homes as they have done, nor would the soldiers have ensured their rehabilitation and reabsorption into civil society as they have done , nor ensured that over six hundred Tiger child soldiers were reunited with their parents , nor ensured that over 12,000 ex-combatants were rehabilitated and integrated into civil society, nor launched an unprecedented development program in these areas that has seen an annual growth rate of 24% in comparison to a national average of 8%. If these allegations were true it would not make any sense for SL government to launch in earnest a drive to make Sri Lanka a truly trilingual nation where Sinhalese, Tamil & English would have equal importance, nor to have Northern Provincial Government Elections that has seen the election of a provincial government and a Tamil chief minister , drawn from an oppositionTamil party. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VVlcUyEuxI&feature=youtu.be
These allegations also have no credibility since they were initially leveled by the Tiger Diaspora. They are best known for their capacity to disseminate misinformation. Theseallegations were initiated to destabilize SL & achieve their goal of Elam through propaganda having failed to do so through the war. These allegations were supported by two countries UK and Canada where the Tiger Diaspora exercised considerable political clout in several marginal electorates that ultimately determined which party won the countrywide general elections. They were also supported by the US whose geopolitical ambitions in the Indian ocean were better served by a weak , unstable &easily manipulated Sri Lanka. Western nations with no such vested interest like Australia & New Zealand have neither supported these allegations nor the inquiry. The allegations were also orchestrated by NGO’s, like Amnesty international and cash strapped media groups like UK Channel 4, all of whom did benefit or were well positioned to benefit from handsomeencouragement from the Tiger’s ill gotten war chest of Billions now devoted entirely to propaganda. The Darusman commission is the other frequently quoted supporter of these allegations . It was made up of commissioners with previously declared opposition to Sri Lanka. They refused to reveal the sources of their information for two decades. This has left no credibility with their findings. In contrast in the documentary Lies agreed Upon” http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=lies_agreed_upon_20110801 over 50 rescued Tamil civilians representing the 300,000 , doctors and Member of Parliament denied allegations of SL forces shooting any civilians and had only praise for them. Tracing the evolution of the casualty figure from an unknown to 40,000 also exposes the complete lack of credibility of the claim.
This inquiry is unwarranted and so intrusive as three earlier commissions, Sri Lanka’s LLRC,, Sri Lankan Army Commission & Sri Lanka’s missing persons commission had or were inquiring extensively into these allegations. The findings so far have not supported these allegations . However recommendations made where necessary were being implemented in earnest. This view was supported at the UNHRC in May 2014 by Sri Lanka’s South Asian neighbors including India and Pakistan, who were more aware of the ground realities of Sri Lanka than far away western nations. They did not support the inquiry . Therefore they have all refused the commission entry into their countries .Thailand is the closest to Sri Lanka, the commission was being permitted, in their investigation of Sri Lanka! . This would detract considerably from the credibility of their findings This view of unwarranted & intrusive” was further reinforced by statement at the UNGA in September 2014 by a 22 member Like Minded group” and by eight other nations in their addresses to the UNGA .
The inquiry is also a disproportionate . Three decades of Tiger Terror in SL drew no response from the UNHRC or it’s ethnic Tamil head Navy Pillai , but Tamil Tiger Diaspora inspired allegations relating to a few weeks of these three decades drew immediate response!. Additionally, conflicts that had seen much higher casualties, most notably US led invasion of Iraq on pretext of non existent WMD’s also drew only a deafening silence from the UNHRC & it’s head.
Many Tamil groups in Sri Lanka have similarly denounced the brief of this inquiry as one re-opening healing wounds” and have drawn attention to their possible counterproductive outcomes . The CHOGM experience served to warn Sri Lanka of the dangers of western backed inquiry where allegations could be selectively orchestrated to Sri Lanka’s disadvantage.
Consequently, the best course for the commission would be to recommend that UNHRC actively supports Sri Lanka’s processes of reconciliation identified above.
The one area that the commission could lead an investigation that Sri Lanka does not have capacity to do, is to inquireinto how well known Tiger Supporters of the past now internationally based like Father Emanuel leader of the Global Tamil Federation & the Head of the Trans National Government of Tamil Elam Mr Rudrakumaran, could operate so feely as they do now and investigate their culpability to sustaining three decades of Tiger Terror in Sri Lanka and bring them to book. Similar inquiry should also be instituted into the role of Adele Balasingham , ,who donned the cyanide capsule on hundreds of child soldiers before sacrificing them as canon fodder. Details of this activity are easily accessed on U Tube. Yet, she now leads a free & charmed existence in UK.
Thank You.
Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM
Spokesperson.
United Sri Lanka Association
Lower Hutt
New Zealand
October 11th, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Wonder what the response to this same OHCHR inquiry from the patriotic organisations in Auckland including USLA Auckland?