Submission on Reconciliation Mechanisms
Posted on August 9th, 2016

Mahinda Gunasekera Past President On Behalf of Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada

By E-mail                                                                                                                     84 Tambrook Drive

Agincourt, Ontario

Canada M1W 3L9

Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu

Secretary, Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms

Colombo 1, Sri Lanka

Dear Sir,

Submission on Reconciliation Mechanisms

With reference to your undated notice received by me from the office of the Sri Lankan Consul General in Toronto on October 20, 2016 and subsequent notification extending the deadline up to the 10th of August 2016, I have pleasure in sending the following submission on behalf of the Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada.  A separate copy is being sent in attachment as well.

Yours sincerely,

Mahinda Gunasekera

Imm. Past President

Sri Lanka United National Association of Sri Lanka

Encl.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

By E-mail                                                                                                                                      84 Tambrook Drive

Agincourt, Ontario

Canada M1W 3L9

August 9, 2016

Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Sir Baron Jayatiilaka Mawatha

Colombo 1, Sri Lanka

Attention: Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu

Dear Sir,

Re: Submission towards improving the relations between the different communities in Sri Lanka

A process of reconciliation must look into the grievances of all the communities in the island and also take into account the historical injustices suffered by certain communities at the hands of western colonial powers that dominated the land for nearly 450 years from 1505 to 1948 and pursued a policy of divide and rule, which are the very same seeds of conflict left behind in the former colonies that hold people apart and even ignite bringing about intermittent conflagration. The Tamils who were earlier referred to as the people from the Malabar coast of South India benefited from the divide and rule policies receiving greater access to English medium education and more opportunities for employment.  On the other hand, the Sinhala people of Sinhale based in the former Kandyan kingdom had their lands confiscated under the infamous ‘Waste Lands Act’ in extent around 600,000 acres without a penny in compensation, only to see these lands being given to British capitalists at prices less than the cost of surveying the properties and Indian Tamils being brought in as indentured labour to work the land. The post-rebellion years against the British who did not live up to their treaty obligations around 1818 also resulted in the brutal massacre of over 10,000 Sinhala people with orders to shoot every male over the age of 14, and also carry out complete devastation of the region, burning the homes, destroying the fruit trees, food crops, and livestock, creating a waste land where no human habitation could survive.  Despite the setting up of the Kandyan Peasantry Commission post-independence, hardly any relief has been granted to these people, while yet others have been moved out of their traditional villages and livelihoods following the Mahaweli Diversion Scheme which flooded the plains where they lived. It is incumbent on the state to firstly to look into the dispossession of these indigenous Sinhala people and file a claim for compensation from the British for their dire plight for which the British colonial regime is  directly responsible, more so, as the British today seek to be identified as champions of human rights.

Proposed Plan of Action

The proposed approach on reconciliation appears to be rather narrow with focus on the recent armed conflict where a war was thrust on the Government of Sri Lanka by the internationally designated terrorist group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which launched a series of armed attacks from about December 2005 calling it their final war of liberation. The LTTE had already committed serious violations of the ceasefire agreement numbering over 4,000 as reported on by the SLMM and a further 3,000 complaints remaining to be reviewed by the Nordic Monitors, making it a worthless piece of paper.  LTTE’s acts of open aggression through the early part of 2006 and the forcible cutting off of drinking and irrigation water from the Mavil Aru in July 2006 to a large segment of farming communities located downstream forced the government to respond militarily to restore order. These terrorist acts go farther back to the 1970’s with numerous violent incidents causing deep rifts and a crisis of trust amongst the two main communities, i.e. the Sinhala and Tamil people.  If we are to seriously look at the issues that have caused irritations, anger and violent confrontations, we need to go much further back than the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan authorities and the armed LTTE terrorists which raged from 2006 to 2009. Digging into these wounds and seeking out victims and aggressors could cause the pain and hurt to resurface giving rise to a fresh burst of anger and hatred making it difficult for the meeting of sober minds and treading a new path to reconciliation and friendly ties between the communities. India’s treacherous role of training, arming and funding the Tamil separatist terror groups in the early 1980’s to destabilize her tiny neighbour Sri Lanka, and her military interventions in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1990 including the spate of war crimes and crimes against humanity by India’s military too needs to be looked at to understand the international dimensions and intrigue in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs.

Our eastern philosophies which give the highest place to non-greed, non-hate and non-delusion, which are alien to the west, could give a better basis for resolving our differences amicably and moving on peacefully through forgiveness added with a policy of restorative justice towards making amends to all those affected on all sides. In the uplifting and illuminating sayings of the Buddha carried in the first chapter of the Dhammapada titled Twin Verses, the supremely enlightened teacher has spoken of the qualities that one needs to develop in order to resolve conflict, attain peace of mind and contentment.      In this connection, I would like to quote just three of the verses recited by the Buddha on specific occasions to guide the laity to lead harmonious lives:

 All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.”

He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me, in those who harbour such thoughts hatred will never cease.”

For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love alone, this is an eternal rule.”

If we are to be guided by the wisdom of the Buddha, the parties to the conflict need to adjust their attitudes and thinking, release any hatred and anger and in its place develop a forgiving heart shedding all thoughts of revenge and make a new beginning to speak, act and think as fellow humans whose destinies are intertwined within the confines of the little island of Sri Lanka which needs to be shared and not torn asunder. Whilst acknowledging the past where wrongs have been committed by all sides, it is now necessary to let go the burden of such anguish and think independently to find ways of working together for the benefit of all.

Looking at the broad framework drawn up by the Consultative Committee, we see the usual solutions and terminology proposed by western powers who deem they are above the law having committed the worst crimes against humanity to plunder other people’s wealth and dominate those communities, without for a moment acknowledging their violent and invasive conduct, failing to even apologise for their inhumane actions leave alone paying compensation to the afflicted people. They want the differences leading to conflict in other parts of the world to continue, and hence the proposal to reopen the wounds and mete out punishment based on political motives, so that the divisions will linger enabling them to dominate and control the destinies of that region. They also seem to believe that following their conflict resolution proposals, one could prevent a future recurrence of hostilities, which goes against the universal law of constant flux or impermanence or anicca, where mere statements or rules cannot prevent new conditions from arising which could lead to fresh hostilities and new conflicts in the unpredictable future.

Reconciliation is a two way street, where the parties to a conflict need to genuinely acknowledge their errors, make positive overtures to the other side to win their trust and agree to forgive and forget the past and make a new beginning in peaceful coexistence. It is not an easy task and it cannot be achieved if one or both parties seek revenge for any harms real or imagined caused by one to the other, and for reconciliation and peace to follow, both groups must want to put the past behind, turn a new leaf and move on to build a relationship based on mutual respect and friendly ties. When misunderstandings and unwholesome actions take place within the confines of even a single family giving rise to conflicts between its members, it is not an easy task to heal the rifts and restore the harmony, understanding and friendship within the family unit. One cannot expect quick results as the hearts and minds need to be reshaped removing thoughts of revenge, giving the space for persons of goodwill on all sides to work towards a meeting of minds that takes the interests of every person in formulating plans under the normal laws of the land. Reconciliation cannot be rushed, and it will only succeed when everybody contributes to this idea not expecting only the majority community to reach out to others, as opposed to continuous friction and resultant hostilities disrupting the path to peace and harmony.

Comments on the Broad Framework proposed by the Consultative Committee

  1. Office of Missing Persons: Two Presidential Commissions have studied this subject and a wealth of material has been gathered after meeting with the affected people. The second commission led by Justice Maxwell Paranagama had the benefit of renowned legal experts from the UK and the USA led by Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, UK,who are all highly recognized legal luminaries in their respective countries, in an advisory capacity. They are similarly acknowledged by the UN authorities which retained their services in the ICC and other tribunals where leaders of several countries were tried for violation of international humanitarian laws and war crimes in past conflicts. The Paranagama Commission also had a leading military personality in Major General (Rtd) John Holmes, former leader of the British SAS, who had the experience and background to analyse and study the battle situations faced by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in facing the armed LTTE terrorists who forcibly used the Tamil civilian population as a pool of auxiliary forces to be conscripted for battle, exploited for their labour in building defensive berms, etc., or as a human shield or sandbags, in determining if the SLA took necessary precautions to minimize casualties and assessed proportionality in pursuing their military objectives. Based on the latest information gathered by the Justice Paranagama Commission, they were presented with a total of 19,000 complaints relating to missing persons of whom 14,000 were from Tamil residents of the north and 5,000 from family members of security forces personnel who are missing in action during the period from 1983 to 2009.

The terms of reference of the Paranagama Commission was extended with a second mandate to study and report on the allegations of war crimes and violation of international humanitarian laws by Sri Lanka’s security forces. International legal experts were brought in on an advisory capacity as the Commission lacked experience in the particular area of international law to assist the Commission to deal with these issues. The report of the Commission had been duly presented to the Government by August 15, 2015, along with the detailed explanatory notes provided by the legal experts in support, wherein paragraph 49, a strong rebuttal of the grave allegations made in the UNSG’s PoE report and the OISL had been provided. Strangely, for some unknown reason, the current government failed to use this valuable report to defend Sri Lanka’s good name at the subsequent sessions of the UNHRC, which is a gross dereliction of duty for which no answer has been received up to now. It has also failed to provide the contents of these reports affecting the country in the national languages for the wider understanding of the general public. Does the government represent the people and nation of Sri Lanka, or is it a lackey of foreign sources which is unconcerned about its primary responsibility to the nation?

Valuable resources and time has been spent by the state in appointing these commissions headed by reputed Judges of Sri Lanka, and obtaining expert legal and military opinions from world renowned experts on vital issues facing Sri Lanka. The data gathered by these commissions is best acted upon by the respective commission with administrative support, without creating a new office which has had no hand in the work done so far. Is the proposed Office of Missing Persons starting once over from scratch, when the public has responded to the Commission’s outreach and provided information in trust? Have the members of the public to once again fill in forms and furnish the same details when no action has been taken to complete inquiries into their cases?  It is indeed laughable to have the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Prince Zeid, call on Sri Lanka to disband the Sri Lanka Missing Persons Commission and assign its work to a more credible body. Prince Zeid must be reminded that he has no business to interfere in Sri Lanka’s governance, as we are a sovereign country and an equal member of both the UN and UNHRC of which he is only a paid employee.

The administrative aspects of tracing those reported as missing will have to be conducted by the Police based on photos of the missing and information relating to the date, time and location they were last seen or heard of by a family member or other individual. If the time lapse has been fairly extensive, the possibility of finding the missing person becomes more difficult. In addition, priority should be given to checking on persons alleged to have surrendered to the army and police who are said to be missing either after release or in custody. Other aspects that need to be considered in the search strategy are the following:

  1. Did the missing person seek to join the LTTE or other Tamil militant separatist force?
  2. Did the missing person leave to India to join and train with any of the militant groups?
  3. Did the missing person lose his/her life in the internecine warfare among the militants?
  4. Did the missing person seek to obtain refugee status in a western country?
  5. Many of the Tamil persons who sought to migrate to the west arrived without ID papers or

came with forged documents. The number of such cases ran into thousands in Canada, as they were given welfare and the refugee process fast tracked to reduce the backlog and shorten the wait times that ran from 4-5 years. One reported as having been murdered by Sri Lanka’s security intelligence services such as Kathiravelu Thayapararajah of the US funded NGO called the Vanni Tech was subsequently arrested in India on arrival with his family in a smuggler’s boat. Another Tamil person involved with the JVP insurrection had moved to Australia and was latterly arrested in Sri Lanka and deported back to Australia where he had acquired a new identity with a Sinhala name, i.e. Mudalige. Yet others who were involved with the LTTE had avoided arrest at the conclusion of the battle in May 2009 and travelled by smuggler’s boats to Canada, Australia, or other means to Europe where they claimed refugee status, some having alleged rape, torture, etc. Those who travelled to South India to seek refuge too number over 100,000. Some who sought this mode of escape could have drowned at sea and remain unaccounted for, just as much as some may have perished in the 2004 tsunami and claimed as missing on account of the conflict.

  1. Yet others had been abducted by the LTTE and trained as suicide bombers or storm troopers who may have perished in action, while yet others who attempted to escape from LTTE control may have been killed by the organization. UNICEF alone recorded over 6,000 such abductions by the LTTE and other Tamil militant groups. LTTE also killed a large number of IDPs who attempted to escape their control in the last armed confrontation.
  2. Some may have died in battles with the IPKF during the period 1987-1990 and buried in an unmarked grave.
  3. Members of the armed forces reported as missing most likely had been captured by the LTTE and extra-judicially eliminated and their bodies disposed of without reference to the ICRC. There were some soldiers and sailors who had been captured and held in dungeon prisons whose blood was drawn to treat injured LTTE cadre which came to light when some escaped from their prison environment. Yet others may be among the deserters who have neither been captured or surrendered, possibly forming part of the underworld gangs.
  4. What of the large number of Sinhala youth who were eliminated in the hunt for JVP supporters involved in the insurrection of 1989 – 1990 when the UNP was in power?
  1. Office of Reparations: It is inadvisable to open such an office without predetermining a proper scheme of reparations for losses suffered by innocent individuals who played no part in the ongoing terrorist violence ending with the defeat of the LTTE on May 19, 2009. Is it not possible for the relevant authority that handles court awarded damages payable by the state to be responsible for such payments, without creating a new institution?
  • Judicial mechanism with a Special Counsel: Any such mechanism should be a domestic institution created in accordance with Sri Lanka’s constitution and legal system and staffed by qualified Sri Lankan persons with the requisite legal background. The people have confidence in the Sri Lankan court system, and therefore such institution must fit in with the existing institutions which the people are familiar with. In the event, there are staffing deficiencies, you could always draw on the services of qualified Sri Lankan personnel serving in other jurisdictions within the Commonwealth or other countries having similar legal systems who would be willing to serve their mother country. Non-Sri Lankan persons should not be considered as there are enough and more highly regarded Sri Lankan persons working in the legal field outside the country. Before considering Sri Lankan personnel from outside, it may be possible to co-opt qualified Sri Lankans locally who may have retired under the age rules ranging from 55 years and up, who would easily fit the requirements. All persons engaged in the judicial probe must be required to take an oath to uphold Sri Lanka’s Constitution and the Laws of the Land in carrying out their assigned duties.
  1. Truth and Justice – Reconciliation and Non-Recurrence Commission: A Truth and Justice Commission is somewhat of a wasteful exercise, as it could be long drawn out hearing all the tales of atrocities committed over three decades from victims who have lost family members or suffered severe mistreatment by the authorities, or political/militant groups engaged in the conflict which dates back from around the mid-1970’s to May 2009. No doubt, it would provide some emotional comfort to the victimhood claimant to lay out the details of a particular loss suffered in open court, but unless such claimant has evidence to indict the potential perpetrator the matter will of necessity be laid to rest with no healing to the claimant of victimization. It will only amount to reopening of an old wound with no cure at hand. Only those victimhood claimants who can substantiate the wrongs done to them should be allowed to apply for redress by court. A legal committee instead of a Presidential Commission could be appointed to review all claims and determine which may proceed for further hearing including grant of free legal assistance or entitlement to reparations if any.

In Sri Lanka the people of all communities had equal rights including the right to form political parties and participate in electing governments, whereas in South Africa there was an apartheid system with racially enforced segregation where a minority of whites held power with the black majority being stripped of political and civil rights and subjected to discriminatory rules. As a result, a violent struggle for rights was being waged by the blacks against the oppressive white minority apartheid regime. With international pressure and economic sanctions against the white South African regime, the white people’s National Party government entered into an arrangement with the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela to introduce a democratic framework and remove the legal barriers faced by the blacks. The South African TRC was established to grant amnesty to those who had committed political crimes on both sides under apartheid; to record the story of (predominantly black) victims whose voices had until then been silenced; and to make recommendations on reparations, both symbolic and monetary, for those identified as victims. Michael Ignatief famously commented that truth commissions can only ‘reduce the number of lies that can be circulated in the public discourse’.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/faith-africa_democracy/article_1326.jsp

In evaluating the severe limitations of the TRC process, many contributors agree that the South African nation remains divided materially. Deep racial economic divisions remain and this presents the biggest challenge for peaceful transition and hopeful reconciliation in South Africa. Mahmood Mamdani’s beneficiary thesis (alluded to but not sufficiently evaluated in the book) seems to remain one of the most challenging aspects to be addressed by South Africans (political, academic and economic). As de Lange notes, ‘that if we do not deliver on economic justice, then no matter how reconciliatory we are or whether we know the complete truth about our past or not, the whole South African liberation project would be put in jeopardy’.

Will Sri Lanka merely open old wounds and widen the divide instead of healing and bringing reconciliation. Just as much as bogus statements could be presented to the UNSG’s PoE  or OISL under coaching by propagandists and activists and not be subject to identification or cross examination as the evidential material has been locked away for 20 years, similar tales could be woven for the ears of the proposed TRC which may most likely lack the capacity to determine the truth as the events are spread over a period of three decades. Are we to spend a great deal of time going over suspect narratives that could only further harm the prevailing relations between the communities? The negatives seem to outweigh the positives of this process. Would it therefore be preferable and more advantageous that a special legal committee review the victimhood statements and select those that are supported with adequate evidence to proceed for hearing before a judge and jury in a special court along with a package of legal aid for the victim to pursue the matter?

The aspect of Non-Recurrence has been dealt with earlier, which is unrealistic to be expected as new situations in the future could create disputes leading to conflicts which one cannot predict at the present time. However, we certainly must take meaningful measures socially, legislatively, in the field of education and other areas of interaction to prevent unhealthy communal tensions through deliberate or indirect actions. We must expand the social interaction programs drawn up by organizations such as Sri Lanka Unites, Foundation for Goodness, Sports Bodies, and the school system to bring the communities together in order to build closer ties and friendship that will help in improving existing relations. Also, the good work done by the organisers of the ‘Brotherhood Train’ of November 2008 where over 14 railway goods carriages of food, drinks and other merchandise were supplied by the people of the south towards which even poor persons contributed a pound of rice/sugar or a single coconut to assist the Tamil IDPs housed at the relief centre in Vavunia which should be given wider publicity. Similarly, the excellent work of the organisers of the ‘Trails Walk’ from Dondra Head to Point Pedro in July 2011 led by Sarinda Unamboowa and his friend Nathan Sivaganathan to raise the equivalent sum of US $2.2 million to establish a Cancer Hospital in Jaffna should be brought to the attention of the people across the country. There are many other projects on a smaller scale that have been carried out by various groups which have also helped to build bridges and heal the communities. The excellent work carried out by the Armed Forces in rescuing, receiving and providing urgent care to the 295,000 civilians and ex-LTTE cadres earlier forcibly held as a human shield by the terrorist LTTE. The Army’s excellent program to rehabilitate nearly 12,000 former LTTE cadres with new life skills, demining the land for resettlement, repairing/building homes for IDPs, restoring infrastructure including the construction of schools, hospitals, places of worship, upgrading of roads, etc. should be more widely publicized so that people may appreciate their role in regaining the country and restoring the right to life and democratic freedoms including the freedom of movement of all citizens, which had been hijacked by the LTTE. If there are similar projects undertaken by members of other communities, these too should be made known widely, as it would contribute to improving inter-group relations.

Politicians of both the south and north who tend to exploit the communal differences to win votes should be ostracised and discarded into the political dustbin. Legislation should be brought in to criminalize such activity to enable prosecution of such offences. Also, political parties should be barred from identifying themselves as a purely communal or religious entity, such as the Tamil National Alliance, other Eelam Tamil groups, Muslim League, etc., as they are elected to serve people of all communities. Furthermore, as no part of Sri Lanka is the exclusive homeland of any single ethnic or religious community, the state should adopt a policy of selecting persons to be settled as agricultural workers or workers for other state ventures in any part of the island based on the National Ethnic Ratios, so that a healthy mix of the country’s population could be distributed island-wide. The private sector too must be encouraged to follow a similar policy, so that we could establish mixed ethnic surroundings everywhere within the island to enable the different communities to interact and live together in peace and harmony like in the Colombo district. Areas that are predominantly of a single ethnic or religious group are more likely to be intolerant of other groups.

  1. Any other mechanisms that could enhance inter-ethnic amity and reconciliation:
  1. I would endorse Prof. Michael Roberts’ proposals, especially the one relating to recording of one’s nationality in the Passport or other ID, using the hyphenated description such as ‘Sri Lankan – Sinhalese’; ‘Sri Lankan – Tamil’; ‘Sri Lankan – Moor’; Sri Lankan – Burgher; etc., so that the Sri Lankan identification precedes one’s ethnicity. His suggestion that the National Anthem be sung each day during morning assembly in all schools could help the children to feel part of the Sri Lankan nation.
  1. Personnel selected to serve on National Consultative Committees that invite proposals from the public should not be drawn from NGOs that receive 20 percent or more of their funding from foreign sources including foreign governments, as their ideas and loyalties are likely to be linked to foreign agendas which are contrary to the national interest.
  1. Most of these issues which are outside the usual political party manifestos but later promoted by governments after gaining power must of necessity be referred to the public for their views before decisions are taken. The government’s stance on the proposed ETCA deal with India, issues of accountability, war crimes and violations if any of international humanitarian laws before the UNHRC, appear to have been pre-determined by the GOSL in secret arrangements entered into with foreign governments and external groups even prior to their being elected into office. If that be the case, the present move to consult the public on matters of reconciliation for which barely 7 days ending on July 28th 2016 was allowed for public input, but later extended till the 10th of August 2016, leaves one to wonder if the GOSL has already agreed on a course of action as dictated to by foreign sources and are merely going through the motions to claim that public consultations have been carried out as required of a responsible government. If such deceptive tactics are being adopted to hoodwink the public, I am not surprised that the general public are fast losing their confidence in the government even before one year has elapsed of their first term in office.

I trust that due consideration would be given to the views expressed in this submission.

Yours sincerely,

Mahinda Gunasekera

Past President

On Behalf of Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada

 

7 Responses to “Submission on Reconciliation Mechanisms”

  1. Fran Diaz Says:

    Excellent article by Mahinda Gunsekera for which we thank him.

    Going to the Root Causes of the Sri Lankan problem is most important. Even if nothing is done by colonial foreign countries to make amends, every citizen of Lanka must be made aware of what happened in the far past which has led to the problems of today.

    * Also suggest that the ILLEGAL 13-A be REMOVED.
    * As well, Tamil Leaders must OFFICIALLY REVOKE the Vadukoddai Resolution of 1976 (Eelam through Violence) which piece of violent misguidance is what led ordinary Tamils to Terrorism of nearly 30 yrs. ending with the final war with the LTTE in May 2009. The war was a just war to save both Sinhala & Tamil lives, and also saved over 300,000 Tamil people taken as a Human Shield by the LTTE.

    After all past facts are faced in a truthful way, then true and lasting Reconciliation can begin.
    Most Important : Make sure that Sri Lanka is NEVER divided, or colonised ever again.

  2. plumblossom Says:

    Mangala must be replaced by a patriotic foreign minister. Actually Ranil, Sirisena, CBK traitors must be replaced too. However Mangala must be replaced as soon as possible. A country’s government should first and foremost look after the country’s security. sovereignty, territorial integrity and in the case of a small country such as Sri Lanka its unitary status. Mangala has betrayed Sri Lanka by accepting the UNHRC resolution which no country with any integrity will accept. Mangala must realise that those LTTE terrorists who massacred the citizens of this country for over 26 years simply because they wanted a large chunk of this island for themselves, illegally, that they should be dealt with in a very careful manner without betraying the security. sovereignty, territorial integrity and in the case of a small country such as Sri Lanka its unitary status, even if extremely powerful forces such as the US,UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India are behind the LTTE terrorists. In addition, we must place forth the argument that those who settled in the island quite recently only during the past few hundred years i.e. the Sri Lankan Tamils who are only but 11.2% of the population do not have any rights whatsoever to demand over 28% of the land area, 66% of the coastline and 66% of the vast ocean resources which belong to Sri Lanka. This message should be conveyed to the TNA, the separatist terrorists and those who support them i.e. the US,UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India as soon as possible so that they understand our position. This is the task of a foreign minister. Mangala therefore has betrayed Sri Lanka and must go. Sri Lanka cannot afford large self ruling entities which are illegal anyway since this island as a whole belong to all its people in total. It is the foreign minister’s task to covey this message to everyone concerned.

  3. plumblossom Says:

    The missing persons commission, the name is a misnomer. it should be called ‘those combatants on all sides who died in the war i.e. Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force. Civil Defence Forces, IPKF, Tamil Armed Groups against the LTTE and the LTTE terrorists themselves and whose bodies have not be found’. Therefore the name itself is wrong and invented by the UNHRC to tarnish the image of the armed forces of Sri Lanka.

    The missing persons commission to date has receive 24,000 complaints from 1983-2009 period. Of this number over 5,000 are regarding missing Sri Lankan Forces members, whereabouts unknown, almost certainly executed by the LTTE terrorists. Over 12,000 complaints are against the LTTE itself recruiting young persons by coercion. Therefore over 70% of complaints are against the LTTE itself which amounts to over 17,000 complaints. The rest of the complaints are I am sure about the whereabouts of LTTE combatants or terrorists who died while fighting but whose bodies have not been found.

    My question is, why cannot the UNHRC the US,UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden and India accept that Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force, Civil Defence Forces, IPKF, Tamil Armed Groups against the LTTE and the LTTE terrorists themselves died fighting in this war and leave it at that. What is the point in looking for these combatants now? Why is it that the UNHRC the US,UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden and India never ever talk about the over 35,000 Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force, civil Defence Force members who died in the war? or the 1,200 IPKF members or the over 2,000 Tamils Armed Groups against the LTTE members who died in the war? or the over 6,000-7,000 Sinhala civilians and even Muslims civilians who were massacred by the LTTE? or the around (my estimate) over 3,000 Tamil civilians massacred by the LTTE?

    Why is it that the UNHRC the US,UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden and India is not concerned about the over 10,000 Sri Lankan Forces members permanently disabled by the war, or the over 23,000 Sri Lankan Forces members both temporarily and permanently disabled by the war? or the over 136,000 Sri Lankan Forces members who were injured due to the war?

    Why is it that the UNHRC the US,UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden and India not concerned about the over 65,000 Sinhala people and over 75,000 muslims ethnically cleansed from the North?

    Why is it that the only the around 35,000 LTTE terrorists who died inclusive of Prabhakaran are the concern of the UNHRC the US,UK, EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden and India? Perhaps this missing persons commission should answer that question first.

  4. plumblossom Says:

    Even if the constitution will be changed since this idiotic government follows whatever instructions the US, UK, EU, Norway, Canada, Sweden, India, the TNA and the separatist terrorists tell it to do, we must ensure that the unitary status of the country is not compromised in any way whatsoever. The clause in the 13th amendment which says that ‘the North and the East is the homeland of the Tamil speaking people’ must be deleted since it is totally false when looking at the history of the island. This clause must be replaced with the clause ‘the entire island is the homeland of all its peoples’. The provision which allows for the merger between two provinces should be deleted. As much subjects from the concurrent list should be included in the national list. Under no circumstances should land, police or fiscal powers be given to provincial councils. All of us need to ensure that the above happens since if the system reverts back to a parliamentary system and the presidential system is scrapped, the only way to ensure the unitary status of the country is the make sure that the provincial councils do not get any more powers than they have at present. The Public Security Ordinance should not be amended in anyway as well. If any provincial councils acts out of line, the head of government should dissolved such a provincial council and direct rule by the head of government should be enforced under those circumstances.

  5. plumblossom Says:

    I would please urge any person who has any influence whatsoever with Ranil, Mangala, Sirisena, CBK to let them know that these Western Countries i.e. the US,UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India will only back off if Sri Lanka takes a very firm stance and refuses to carry out this unjust UNHRC resolution. Sri Lanka must do this without any fear since I am sure if Sri Lanka takes a very firm stance and refuses to carry out this unjust resolution the UNHRC, the US,UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India will back off. I can guarantee that will happen. So it is up to Sri Lanka or rather Ranil, Mangala, Sirisena, CBK whether they are going to place our Sri Lankan armed forces in jeopardy for crimes they did not commit or whether they are going to defend the country’s armed forces and the country’s sovereignty, independence, freedom, integrity, unitary status etc. by refusing to carry out this unjust UNHRC resolution which no country on this planet earth with any integrity will carry out. However, if they keep complying with whatever unjust demands are made by the US,UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India, they will have to keep complying with those unjust demands at the expense of Sri Lanka breaking up into pieces and placing the Sri Lankan people’s security in jeopardy. Sri Lanka will end up being partitioned too.

  6. plumblossom Says:

    When looking at Sri Lanka’s history, it is extremely obvious that from 600BC to around 1400AD there were three kingdoms, all Sinhala Buddhist, Ruhuna, Pihiti or Rajarata and Maya or Malayarata. Rajarata encompassed today’s North Central, North Western, Northern and even the Central Province. Ruhunu rata encompassed today’s Uva, Eastern and Southern Provinces. The Kandyan Kingdom from 1400AD encompassed most of the island inclusive of today’s Northern and the Eastern Provinces except for the Jaffna Peninsula. Even the Jaffna Peninsula was invaded and occupied by force by Aryachakravarthi (Pandyan) and actually did belong to Rajarata earlier and later the Kandyan Kingdom.

    Today’s provincial boundaries were drawn up by the British colonialists as per their divide and rule policy and the Sinhala people were not consulted when drawing up these provincial boundaries. In the meantime, most Sri Lankan Tamils of today were actually brought over during Dutch and British times to the Jaffna Peninsula and elsewhere to work on tobacco and indigo plantations which were planted extensively in all the colonies since they were much sought after and made a lot of money for the colonialists. Therefore they are recent arrivals and cannot claim homelands or separate states whatsoever.

    The usual practice when a colonial power hands over their former colonies is to hand it over to its original owners. Therefore the British colonialists should hand over the Kandyan Kingdom to the Kandyan Sinhalese from whom they took it by force. Since the Kandyan Kingdom encompassed the North and the East, these provinces too should be handed over to the Kandyan Sinhalese who are its rightful owners. Even the Jaffna Peninsula should be handed over to the Kandyan Sinhalese since it was part of Rajarata and was forcefully occupied by Aryachakravarthi (Pandyan).

    Since this has now been done already, the TNA and other separatist terrorists or the US, UK EU, Canada, Norway, Sweden and India cannot demand that present day Northern or even the Eastern provinces be provided any more powers or be made into federal states since this is totally going against the history and archaeology of the island and totally going against the rights of the Sinhala people who also have fundamental rights to claim the entire island inclusive of the North and the East as their homeland first and foremost. Therefore, the TNA , the separatist terrorists, the US, UK, Norway, Sweden, Canada and India has to respect the history and archaeology of the island and accept that the present day provincial councils are more than sufficient to run the affairs of the provinces. Sri Lanka must be a unitary state and no more powers should be provided to the provincial councils. In fact, when talking about the 13th amendment, the concurrent list subjects must be included in the national list. The provision where two provinces can merge should be deleted. The bogus claim of the North and the East being the homeland of the Tamil speaking people should be deleted. The entire island should be declared the homeland of all its peoples.

    Sinhala people should be resettled in the North in quite a large number if there is to be peace and harmony within the island since Sinhala people have every historical right to live in the North as well as the East. It is only due to ethnic cleansing of the North of Sinhala people by the LTTE and the other separatists that Sinhala people are not at present living in the North. Many thousands of landless elsewhere in the island especially Sinhala people should be provided land in the North since most of the vacant land in the country is in the North and in the East since both these provinces encompass over 28% of the land area of the island. Then only will there be peace since when people mix, there is more harmony. This is the only way towards peace and development in the island.

  7. plumblossom Says:

    There is absolutely no doubt about imperialistic US plans to build a US army, navy and air force base at Trincomalee. Please note that once the US builds their US army, navy and air force base at Trincomalee, they are not going to stop there. They will build other bases within the island. For example, Hambantota harbour could also end up as a US navy base and the Mattala airport a US air force base. Iranawila will again recommence their CIA operations and Palaly in the North in Jaffna will also be converted into a US air force base.

    This is the main reason that the US has, from the every beginning, supported the LTTE terrorists, who are their proxy force, wage a war against Sri Lanka to set up a bogus Eelam. The US knows that the only people who are standing against them are the Sinhala people who due to they being majority Buddhist and wanting to preserve Buddhism, being the indigenous people of the island with over 2500 years of history behind them and with our tribal ancestors having over 30,000 years of history within the island and due to they being very socialist in nature and supportive of socialist ideals will never, ever let the US set up any bases in the island.

    Therefore the imperialistic US, UK ,EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India supported the LTTE terrorists and the TNA set up their Eelam within the island for sure so that they can then set up US army, navy, air force bases within the island.

    Sri Lanka lies along the world’s busiest sea route or the maritime silk road. South of Sri Lanka is a the vast Indian ocean. Sri Lanka is located at a most strategic location with the Middle East, Africa and Europe to the North West, with India to the North and with South East Asia and East Asia to the North East of Sri Lanka.

    At present the US uses its Diego Garcia base extensively to subdue, bomb, decimate and dominate the rest of the world. However, due to sea level rises, low lying Diego Garcia may even be taken over by the sea. What better place therefore to build a US base than Sri Lanka? This is the reason that the US supports Eelam since sepoy, slavish LTTE, TNA will do whatever the US tells them to do. The only people standing in the way of the US building bases in Sri Lanka are the Sinhala people and they have been slapped with bogus US resolutions at the UNHRC with a view to partitioning the island and bringing on an Eelam with these constitutional changes to turn Sri Lanka into federal states or to even implement the13th amendment to the full which should never ever be implemented and no more powers should be given to the provincial councils, especially no land, police or fiscal powers should be given to the provincial councils under any circumstances. Also the concurrent list subjects should be given over to the national list.

    About Trincomalee Harbour, please visit this absolutely stunningly and vast harbour and then anyone can see its potential. Already, the road from Trincomalee has been built and the roads and bridges around Trincomalee harbour has been built. There are over 99 oil tanks near the harbour. There is the existing Sri Lankan air force, army and navy bases. Trincomalee town has been refurbished. Trincomalee harbour is the world’s second largest natural harbour. It has a submarine canyon along its sea floor which is a very deep canyon along the sea floor which can accommodate submarines which then cannot be detected by radar. The harbour itself can accommodate a large fleet of ships. There is also a railwayline all the way from Colombo to Trincomalee. All the infrastructure development was completed by the previous government.

    Therefore, there is no doubt that the US would want to build a US army, navy, airbase at Trincomalee. For that they only need an Eelam or federal state and this treacherous Ranil, Sirisena, CBK and Mangala will make sure that happens since they have accepted the bogus US resolution at the UNHRC and placed our armed forces in deep trouble when our armed forces are totally not guilty but the LTTE war criminals are now suddenly totally innocent of all the war crimes that the LTTE terrorists committed for over three decades. Also all Sri Lankans should totally oppose implementing the 13th amendment to the full or any more powers being given to the provincial councils than they have at present. Especially no land, police or fiscal powers should be given to the provincial councils under any circumstances. Also the concurrent list subjects should be given over to the national list.

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