Dr. Chu;la Rajapakse MNZM Spokesperson, USLA

The year under review was a quiet year by contemporary standards till on the 2^nd of March Al Jazeera carried a news item sporting a man with lash marks on his upper back alleging that these along with other evidence of torture”, were inflicted by the security forces in Sri Lanka recently because of his alleged links to the LTTE,. Al Jazeera to conclude that tortue by the security forces” was therefore still in practice in SL, even three years after the present regime came into power, apparently committed to ending such practices.

This gave me an opportunity to respond as follows:

All you have established is that the person in the picture has been tortured but not by whom , when and where. It has been clearly established as a fact and and confirmed in the courts of UK that there are organised rings providing for a fee, torture and tutoring on how to use them to support their claim for refugee status to enjoy the economic advantages of living in  UK  & cue jumping in immigration. A few tell tale marks of lashes was a small price to pay for these advantages and the ill gotten war chest of the Tigers is quite happy to fund these.The current desperation of these “refugees” on such engineered claims is that their charmed life in the west is now under threat, because of lack of violence in SL, and hence the sudden flurry of these allegations. These” refugees” have every thing to gain from these allegations and their demonstrations. On the other hand , the security forces have nothing to gain by inflicting this toture .

Please find below a detailed account of how this racket has operated in the UK for years and is probably only the tip of the ice berg of what goes on internationally.’

This response was carried on the AlJzeera website. I would urge USLA members to be informed that  torture for a fee is an established fact in the UK courts on more occasion than one” so that they could respond appropriately , when the subject of torture still continuing in SL” comes up. My face book page has the article containing  the details and specifics of torture for a fee”.

Looking to the coming year as to the possible challenges USLA could face in staying committed to it’s founding principle of supporting Sri Lanka to remain a sovereign and unitary nation, I foresee  that the advent of a Labour led administration vocally supporting refugee resettlement in  NZ, even offering to take some Australia wants to turn down, would not have gone unnoticed by the International Tiger Diaspora. They are for ever looking to expand their flock and influence in foreign lands like New Zealand, by attempting to settle their flock under the guise of refugees” and the  tortured and discriminated”. Boat people” was the ploy that  New Zealand became accustomed to some years ago but , thanks to a firm refusal by the previous administration, this threat had receeded. The kindness of the new administration would no doubt  be seen as a weakness to be exploited”, by the Tiger Diaspora  leaving some challenges ahead for USLA.

Another challenge may depend on which way the current racial tensions in Sri Lanka are protrayed and interpreted. USLA, would neeed to be armed with uptodate facts to counter mischeivious misinformation of the type seen in July 1983 , if it ever came to that. USLA joins Sri Lanka in hoping that the situation would not descend to that.

Dr. Chu;la Rajapakse MNZM

Spokesperson, USLA