US sponsored Resolution against Sri Lanka passed – what next
Posted on March 24th, 2012
Shenali Waduge
The worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s worst perpetrator of war crimes & crimes against humanity went to great lengths to canvass nations to support a Resolution on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-accountabilityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ against a UN member state that has been the only country in the world to eliminate terrorism. That Resolution was passed with 24 countries favoring, 8 abstaining & 15 voting against. If India could vote against US on Iran why did India not vote in favor of Sri Lanka? If IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s excuse is the concern of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-accountabilityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ we next need to remind India & tell the world that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s terrorism was given birth in India! How many nations are actually aware of this? Sri Lanka would understand the decision of any country to vote against Sri Lanka but India had no moral right on account of its own guilt in being the root cause of the existence of the LTTE.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yes, a Resolution has been passed frankly it was nothing to be surprised about when it is being tabled by a global bully. Yes, a terror conflict concluded in Sri Lanka that too after it was made to continue for 30 years. Yes, there were civilian casualties ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” we are talking about a scenario where LTTE were amongst civilians, shooting at civilians who tried to flee, depriving civilians of food sent by the Government. There are so many ways civilians can die when they have been hounded and made to walk across thick jungles and marshy land. But what is significant is that 30 years of terrorism ended in less than 3 years giving Sri Lanka a country without bombs and its people the chance to start life afresh.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s objections to the US Resolution was primarily because the country tabling it is plagued with crimes it simply refuses to acknowledge while projecting itself as guarding of human rights! Moreover, it is a country that has been vetoing every Resolution the UN has passed against Israel. The General Assembly has passed over 100 resolutions condemning Israel of this Resolutions 44 have been vetoed by the US.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The underlying message is that UN Resolutions cannot be applicable only to smaller & less powerful nations. The 2012 UNHRC sessions drama revolving around Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Resolution had the US stretched to lobby for endorsement which itself should be regarded a victory. A lot of expense for nothing.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ How many member countries were really aware of the LLRC or even read it. If it was only the US & India that was privy to it how can the entire membership be made to vote on US clauses that refer to the LLRC. Moreover, is the LLRC really sufficient for its mandate too covered only the period of the final war against the LTTE? If that is so then LLRC has not tabulated the roots of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s problem failing to name the culprit that nursed the tigers and failing to name the factors that led to LTTE prevailing for 30 years. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t need an LLRC report to know that if there are issues related to missing persons, disappearance & abductions, the underworld must be handled & rule of law must prevail. If the LLRC had been commissioned genuinely then before making it public it should have been properly reviewed to ensure none of its recommendations serve to compromise the sovereignty of the country nor allowed foreign interference in any way. It is aspects of these recommendations that are being twisted against us presently.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ No Resolution can dictate to Sri Lanka not even India to demilitarize the North, reduce high security zones and devolve land & police powers. These echoes IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s clear intentions that India wants Sinhalese out of the North and with the ferry and accusations on fishermen issues it simply spells IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s plan to send more illegal immigrants into Sri Lanka and populate it with Indians! Indian PM clearly said that IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s objective was the self-respect, dignity & justice for Sri Lankan Tamils. What more excuses do we need? If the Sri Lankan authorities cannot read this clearly then something is drastically wrong. Do we need to beg Sri Lankan authorities to immediately do away with the 13a & abolish the provincial council system? There is no better opportunity than now.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If Sri Lankan authorities plan to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-forgiveƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ India for voting for the Resolution simply because it has ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-tweakedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ it then our leaders are more naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve than we thought. Whatever tweaking India did was only to ensure India had a say in matters going global as India does not want to tolerate too many nations involved in Sri Lanka despite the Chinese factor.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Resolution itself makes clear that there are shortcomings in the LLRC and this gives the Government the onus to brave the odds and come out with an action plan that makes sure India, US and allies do not have any provision to interfere in Sri Lanka. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Since the LLRC covers only the final period of the war with LTTE the Government must stop playing to the gallery and start functioning professionally. The Government need not adopt the policy of ridiculing the opposition to secure its popularity amongst the masses. What the Government needs to remember at all times is that all these foreign pressures are meant to oust it from power. Therefore, the President needs to call upon his merry men to pull up their socks and start functioning properly. The local administration setup must be fine tuned and simplified to cater to the needs of the people. This needs to happen without delays.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On an international front the Government needs to seriously address its shortcomings. As a nation grappling different types of enemies we need to be aware of what our representatives must do. We cannot plan to fail or fail to plan. We now need to be a proactive nation and not one on the defensive and certainly not one functioning on emotions.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Internationally, we are faced with a situation that merits greater attention. We cannot deny the influence of the Tamil Diaspora. They have been able to even buy over foreign MPs, diplomats, UN officials and human rights groups. In such a scenario one way to handle this would be to apply universal jurisdiction against the Tamil Diaspora for financing terrorism.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This then brings us to the TNA ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a political party that has shamefacedly aligned itself to the LTTE. That India openly encourages Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Government to negotiate with the TNA spells a dirty fish. The TNA has been functioning against the Constitution of Sri Lanka & it demands action.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Another error made has been to allow ethnic based parties to register as political parties. This has encouraged divisions among ethnic groups by politicians who use ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ethnicityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to come into power. If changes can be made to reverse this it would be a great facilitator for reconciliation.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What needs to be reiterated and repeatedly so is that commissions or resolutions cannot change how people function. Humans are a complex species. The divisions were first created by the British ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” they called people majority & minority, then we became Sinhalese, Tamils & Muslims. It further divided into castes, classes and we all function amidst these complexities.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Accountability & Reconciliation maybe excuses for foreign interference but given that we are aware that nations are going to be using these themes we need to now start planning to overcome them. We must now turn the tables to our advantage.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
March 24th, 2012 at 4:08 am
The United States was the PRINCIPAL OPPONENT at the United Nations to successive UN resolutions calling for the dismantling of the Apartheid Regime of the White South African Government controlled by the Afrikaner Boer minority. US vetos delayed the fall of the Afrikaner government in power and caused tens of thousands of native South Africans to lose their lives.
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced through legislation by the National Party governments of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority non-white inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained.
There were multiple reasons for US support of the Apartheid regime. In addition to the latent racism in favor of the European Boers, they included securing naval access by sea around the Cape of Good Hope, and preserving access to South Africa’s valuable and rare mineral resources. These mineral deposits included industrial diamonds, rare metals such as gold and high grade uranium, rare earths used in weapons, magnets, batteries, and superconductors, and rare metals such as chromium, vanadium and platinum needed as catalysts to accelerate chemical reaction rates. The price of gaining access to all of these mineral resources were essential to the Military Industrial manufacturing complex of the United States, was the denial of freedom and the basic human rights of the native African majority of South Africa. They were driven away from the most fertile lands reserved for the Boers, were declared foreigners in their native lands, and were herded into a patchwork of small ethnic Bantustans in the least fertile waste lands of that country.
Over a period of over 40 years, the United States repeatedly cast vetos at the United Nations to defeat every resolution brought against the White Apartheid Afrikaner government. ALL of these UN resolutions to restore the basic human rights of black south Africans were steadfastly supported by Sri Lanka, AN UNDENIABLE FACT etched deeply in the memory of the VAST MAJORITY of South Africans today. Contrary to US expectations, that memory burned into South African minds compelled them to support Sri Lanka against the recent UN resolution sponsored by the United States against Sri Lanka.
Even as the United States seeks to DEMONIZE Sri Lanka, and dangle UN human rights resolutions as RED HERRINGS to cover its own gross violations of human rights in developing countries, SOUTH AFRICA gratefully remembers who STOOD FIRM IN SOLIDARITY with them in their struggle for their HUMAN RIGHTS against Aparthied Policies; Policies that the US repeatedly supported at the United Nations!
The EVIL OF APARTHEID … OBVIOUS to all Sri Lankans … was PIOUSLY SUPPORTED by the human rights champions of the US then!
Will there BE NO END to this CASCADE OF HYPOCRISY?
March 24th, 2012 at 5:48 am
“Therefore, the President needs to call upon his merry men to pull up their socks and start functioning properly. The local administration setup must be fine tuned and simplified to cater to the needs of the people. This needs to happen without delays”
Very true. Government must make Shenali a presidential adviser. This is not a joke.
Sack all local governement an provincial councils. Use 13A as toilet paper.
Reduce, reduce, reduce politicians so that you can control.
Reduce —king cabinet. Send Silvas to wash toilets which they belong to.
Again appoint Shenali a presidential adviser.
March 24th, 2012 at 5:54 am
I see India is the culprit.
There are a lot of Indians in the Democrati regime of USA. Navi Pillai is an Indian colonial parasite from South Africa.
It is India who trained, armed and managed the Indian Tamil terrorist outfit.
Sonja Gandhi wanted only Parabakaran killed to make Menaka happy.
March 24th, 2012 at 7:33 am
It’s time to get out of the United Nations. There is no point in pretending that this body can ever function in the way it was meant to. It can never be fair and just when a few rogue nations can declare themselves more equal than the rest. The US, UK, Israel and a few others can get away with anything. Any state that joins this club forfeits it’s freedom to deal with it’s internal affairs as it sees fit. Let’s say ‘Thank You & Goodbye’ to this corrupt organization.
March 24th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
I do not wish to restate my comments made in relation to the presentation made by Mr. Gomin Dayasiri, but add a few more steps that should be taken, in my opinion, by the Governing Authorities.
1. This Geneva Drama must be made an eye openner and without any delay undertake an “Internal Audit” and an “Appraisal” of the performances of the Government.
2. If in that process any of the key Ministries have not done their assigned tasks effecently and upto the expectations, those key personnel must be laid off. Also if any of them are more a hindrance than serving a beneficial role, they must be kicked out immediately even out of the political field.
3. The entire system of Local Government must be revisited and revamped to serve the needs of the people and should not be a burden on the country.
4. It must be borne in mind that Sri Lanka is a UNITARY STATE and its citizens ara all equal and should enjoy equal rights and privileges. Those rights and privileges are not to be defined as “Majority and Minority”entitlements. Let everyone have and enjoy his or her “dignity, self respect and justice” equally and no outside nation tell us to maintain those and we do not want them to “monitor” those functions.
5. Our country is only 25,000 Sq.Miles and do not speak of “devolution” but instead work out a system of “decentralization” of the adminstrative powers to serve the public better and efficently.
6. The Law and Order of the country must be made degnified by securing the Law Enforcement Agencies from the direct and indirect inteference by the Politicians. If any of the Politicians try openly or covertly to interfere with the Police functions, such authorities must be made free to bring such people to justice as speedily as possible. The Police function must be made to SERVE AND PROTECT the larger interests of the public.
7. Establish and independent Justice, Audit, Bribary and Corruptions Commissions and not even the Executive President shoud pardon any one dealt with such institutions.
8. The entire election and electoral system must be revised and the cadidates nominated must be of high intellectual and moral levels.
9. The above action plan needs personnel of high integrity, morel values and discipline. It is the duty of the Governing Authorities to search for such people and bring them to work for the country and the people. As a first step in this direction, all the Minsters must be provided with RESEARCH STAFF who are well educated, disciplined and experienced to work and lay off all the cronies now working as “co-ordinating secretaries etc” and not allow at all “cronyism” to be a criteria in such appointments.
10. If the need is found (cetainly it is present at this juncture) the entire CONSTITUTION must be re-drawn to meet the needs of all the citizens of the country to make it a UNITARY, DEMOCRATIC, SOVERIGN STATE. Our present Constitution is contaminated with so many amendments “enforced” by outside sources to cater to the needs of selected groups.
Senali – Please discuss this skeleton of an action plan (I know you are capable) with the Governing Authorities and at least waken them to act urgently to avert further damage.
March 24th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
A lot of people did not discuss LLRC. I myselft not interstet reading its rubbish too.
Similar to 13A, it is just an unnessary knee jerk reaction to sex acts between western monkey and Indian dog. ( with due respect to both animals – this would never happen in animal world). Rather than pointing the unnatural nature, government appointed a panel to produce a condom.
The world “Reconcilliation” was wrong. This is OK if the work startedand limited to North only where killing started.
Investigation shoudl have been thorough and every Tamil should have been interviewed to get their views why they hated Sinahal so much and what they think now to understand their mindset which wage this brutal war. Every Tamil then should have been suppiled with written explanationand facts ( signed by President) why their thinking is wrong.
This is important and then their mindset may change and reconcilliation become practical. LLRC may have to be sent to Tamil nadu as well. What rubbish is this ?
Now, based on a rubbsih we all talk rubbish. We answer to rubbish. We implement rubbish. We work har on rubbish. We become FOOLS.
March 24th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Dear President Man Mohan Singh,
We don’t accept your apology, in view of the damage already done to Sri Lanka by India in Geneva.
Several decades ago, India planted Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka, invaded our country, tried to divide our motherland in two in favor of those terrorists, imposed the 13th Amendment to our Constitution to legalize devolution of power on communal basis to separatists… FOR THE SAME REASON that India voted against Sri Lanka at Geneva.
Inability to CONTROL Tamil Racists in India conniving with Foreign Powers against India’s own National Interests will ultimately lead to the DISINTEGRATION of India itself… but that is India’s own funeral. But, it becomes Sri Lanka’s problem if India fails to CONTROL its own Tamil citizens, and mind its own business within the territory of India, leaving Sri Lanka alone.
Instead of ATONING for the Crimes India Committed against Sri Lanka, which has led to the deaths of over 150,000 of our citizens, arrested our economic and social progress, and created continuing barriers to our recovery from war as a UNIFIED nation free of communal divisions, India CONTINUES to act against the interests of Sri Lanka, STIRRING the POT OF COMMUNAL DIVISIONS and HATE.
We simply CANNOT accept this CONTINUING INTERFERENCE in Sri Lanka’s internal matters by India; we must look elsewhere for friendship, support and understanding in the future.
………………………
Sri Lanka warns US resolution against country sets a negative precedent at the UNHRC.
Therefore, please stay out of Sri Lanka’s internal matters in the future.
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Mar 24, Geneva: The United States sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday (March 22) sets a negative precedent that challenges the core values of the UN body, Ambassador Tamara Kunanayakam said.
The Ambassador addressing the Council at the conclusion of the 19th session of UNHRC on Friday said the resolution “reflects a blatant case of politicization that takes the Council hostage to the hidden agendas of the mighty.”
The resolution tabled by the US calling for the speedy implementation of the recommendations made by Sri Lanka’s domestic Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and the investigation of the allegations of international humanitarian law violations received 24 votes in the 47-member Council. Including Sri Lanka, 15 members voted against the resolution while eight abstained.
Ambassador Kunanayakam noted that the pressures exercised and the methods used to obtain support for a resolution whose list of co-sponsors, according to her, “constitutes a caricature of a divided world” were not unknown to the members of the Council.
“We reject all forms of unilateralism, threats, sanctions, blockades, conditionalities, and the orchestrated disinformation campaign whose aim is to diabolise Sri Lanka, but which only brings dishonour to its authors,” the Ambassador said in her concluding remarks.
“Today, one country deems itself the depositary of a mission to dictate to the rest of world its vision of Democracy, of Human Rights, of Development. Is any of us safe from becoming the next target, the object of pressure, even of military aggression, to the detriment of our peoples and their right to life?” the Ambassador asked referring to the heavy hand played by the United States to get its resolution adopted by the Council.
The envoy emphasized that it is Sri Lanka’s duty to unite in the common struggle to “defend our sovereignty, our independence, our territorial integrity, and the free choice of our peoples to shape their own societies and their destiny.”
“Humanity has entered a new period in which the very survival of the values we cherish and uphold is at stake. To rise to these challenges is our responsibility, a necessity, and no longer an option!” she noted.
The Ambassador assured the international community that Sri Lanka will continue its policy of peace and reconciliation, which, she said, is an inclusive process that enjoys not only the support of its own people, but broad international support.
She also asserted that Sri Lanka will continue to defend the independence and the prerogatives of the Human Rights Council, against any effort to undermine its multilateral principles.
March 24th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
[ LankaWeb: Please delete the previous copy of this comment with an incorrect link to the news article. Thanks. ]
Dear President Man Mohan Singh,
We don’t accept your apology, in view of the damage already done to Sri Lanka by India’s vote in Geneva.
Several decades ago, India planted Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka, invaded our country, tried to divide our motherland in two in favor of those terrorists, imposed the 13th Amendment to our Constitution to legalize devolution of power on communal basis to separatists… FOR THE SAME REASON that India voted against Sri Lanka at Geneva.
Inability to CONTROL Tamil Racists in India conniving with Foreign Powers against India’s own National Interests will ultimately lead to the DISINTEGRATION of India itself… but that is India’s own funeral.
But, it becomes Sri Lanka’s problem if India fails to CONTROL its own Tamil citizens, and mind its own business within the territory of India, leaving Sri Lanka alone.
Instead of ATONING for the Crimes India Committed against Sri Lanka, which has led to the deaths of over 150,000 of our citizens, arrested our economic and social progress, and created continuing barriers to our recovery from war as a UNIFIED nation free of communal divisions, India CONTINUES to act against the interests of Sri Lanka, STIRRING the POT OF COMMUNAL DIVISIONS and HATE.
We simply CANNOT accept this CONTINUING INTERFERENCE in Sri Lanka’s internal matters by India; we must look elsewhere for friendship, support and understanding in the future.
………………………
Sri Lanka warns US resolution against country sets a negative precedent at the UNHRC.
Therefore, please stay out of Sri Lanka’s internal matters in the future.
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Mar 24, Geneva: The United States sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday (March 22) sets a negative precedent that challenges the core values of the UN body, Ambassador Tamara Kunanayakam said.
The Ambassador addressing the Council at the conclusion of the 19th session of UNHRC on Friday said the resolution “reflects a blatant case of politicization that takes the Council hostage to the hidden agendas of the mighty.”
The resolution tabled by the US calling for the speedy implementation of the recommendations made by Sri Lanka’s domestic Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and the investigation of the allegations of international humanitarian law violations received 24 votes in the 47-member Council. Including Sri Lanka, 15 members voted against the resolution while eight abstained.
Ambassador Kunanayakam noted that the pressures exercised and the methods used to obtain support for a resolution whose list of co-sponsors, according to her, “constitutes a caricature of a divided world” were not unknown to the members of the Council.
“We reject all forms of unilateralism, threats, sanctions, blockades, conditionalities, and the orchestrated disinformation campaign whose aim is to diabolise Sri Lanka, but which only brings dishonour to its authors,” the Ambassador said in her concluding remarks.
“Today, one country deems itself the depositary of a mission to dictate to the rest of world its vision of Democracy, of Human Rights, of Development. Is any of us safe from becoming the next target, the object of pressure, even of military aggression, to the detriment of our peoples and their right to life?” the Ambassador asked referring to the heavy hand played by the United States to get its resolution adopted by the Council.
The envoy emphasized that it is Sri Lanka’s duty to unite in the common struggle to “defend our sovereignty, our independence, our territorial integrity, and the free choice of our peoples to shape their own societies and their destiny.”
“Humanity has entered a new period in which the very survival of the values we cherish and uphold is at stake. To rise to these challenges is our responsibility, a necessity, and no longer an option!” she noted.
The Ambassador assured the international community that Sri Lanka will continue its policy of peace and reconciliation, which, she said, is an inclusive process that enjoys not only the support of its own people, but broad international support.
She also asserted that Sri Lanka will continue to defend the independence and the prerogatives of the Human Rights Council, against any effort to undermine its multilateral principles.