Does Sri Lanka need a US Resolution for it to continue to do what it is doing to reconcile the Communities and rebuild the country after 30 years of Terrorism?
Though the President of USA Barack Obama’s father was from a developing country, the President is not interested in poor developing countries, preferring to hobnob with the White Nations of the West, and those prosperous Nations in Asia. He visited India perhaps for political reasons and because pandering it would help US political strategy against China.
Kenya which he visited as the country of his father and where he met his relatives was not so much to his liking. In one of his books he says that his wife Michelle coming back after visiting Kenya said she was happy to have got away to find her America where she is comfortable and happy.
Hillary Clinton made a special trip to South India to meet Jayalalitha probably first to encourage Jayalalitha’s anti Sri Lanka stance and also perhaps as a leverage in case a US State Foreign policy may change to breakup India as it did to Russia. Robert O’Blake who recently said that he had known Sri Lanka for six years and considers he is a friend of Sri Lanka, did not arrange Hillary Clinton to come to Sri Lanka and see for her self Sri Lanka after terrorism.
America’s Foreign Policy remains the same who ever is the President. The President Barack Obama will have to follow the State Department, and the State Department will not follow the President Barack Obama. America’s foreign policies are not even made by the Secretary of State but by people like Robert O’Blake who comes from George Bushe’s era.
American governments had been from the very beginning trying to assert its National identity first fighting against the American aborigine Indians , then in secessionist wars, and now asserting its world leadership stumping underfoot the developing countries.
In recent times it helped rebels in Bengazi to oust Colonel Gaddafi, it helps rebels in Syria to oust Asad. And now with regard to Sri Lanka it is helping the pro-terrorist Tamil diaspora to oust the Government in Sri Lanka. The US resolution against Sri Lanka is without any valid substance. It has been presented merely to undermine the efforts of a fast developing Sri Lanka, to discourage its efforts to reconcile the communities and go forward as a progressive nation, without being dependent on USA or its allies of the West.
USA does not want any third world country to develop. It even tried to stop the development of China, recognizing Taiwan as representative of the Chinese people and keeping Peoples Republic of China out of the UNO.
Later on USA and the West gave Tiananmen square protest in China undue publicity expecting it would be the beginning of the break up of China. The cold war against Russia was planned to break up USSR. These are the tactics of USA purposely designed to keep away any Nation competing against Americas “established” leadership. USA would allow countries to develop to a certain limit subject to their being dependent on USA and the West. USA keeps Cuba inhumanly under trade embargos hoping it would succumbed to Americas superiority. That is America’s slave driving mentality.
USA made a big show at the UNHRCouncil in Geneva to bring a resolution against Sri Lanka, a small country which was terrorized by a group of terrorists trained by India purposely to breakup the country and annex the North and East of it as a Tamil Eelam State. USA went all out to help the terrorists to force the government to surrender to them. Robert O’Blake’s repeated attempts to dissuade the Sri Lanka Government from using a military solution to settle the terrorist problem was a planned project of the US State Department.
Having failed to make Sri Lanka comply to its agenda, USA State Department now seeks to divide Sri Lanka by making use of its pretended interest in the Sri Lanka Tamil Community , and accusing Sri Lanka for its just war against terrorism. It has selected only a part of the military operations against terrorism to make accusations against Sri Lanka and its Armed Forces. It has conveniently left out the previous 30 years of terrorism to avoid accusing terrorists and those who aided and abetted the terrorists in those atrocious years of terror.
There being nothing justifiable to present a resolution against Sri Lanka, US state Department held on to a biased anti Sri Lanka report presented by Navineetham Pillay who is not objective and independent in her position as the Commissioner of the UNHRCouncil. She being a Tamil her sympathies are with the eliminated terrorists of Tamil origin, and therefore biased against Sri Lanka Government and its Armed Forces.
Her report is based on a questionable report made by a panel appointed by the Secretary General of UNO for his personal use. The Panel did not visit Sri Lanka in preparing the report, but depended on documents, and evidence presented to it by the pro terrorist Tamil expatriates.
US resolution against Sri Lanka is a paradox. The resolution states in its preamble,
“Reaffirming also that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as applicable,”
What a hypocrisy ?
Is USA following these strictures it makes against Sri Lanka, in its wars against terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria far away from America? In Pakistan 40 000 civilians have been killed in drone attacks-is it within human rights Law ?
Then the US resolution goes on to give advice (which it does not follow), first by acknowledging the work so far done by the Government of Sri Lanka, adds to it :
“…..noting nonetheless that considerable work lies ahead in the areas of justice, reconciliation and resumption of livelihoods, and stressing the importance of the full participation of local populations, including representatives of civil society and minorities, in these efforts.”
Has USA that devastated Iraq, and Libya in their search for terrorists in the first and to assassinate Colonel Gaddafi in the second, gone back to those countries to reconstruct what it destroyed to allow the civilian population to resume their normal lives ?
Next item in the resolution is a groping in the dark without knowing the intentions of the Sri Lanka governments in appointing the LLRC, and states,
“………….Taking note of the National Plan of Action to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission of the Government of Sri Lanka …………Noting that the national plan of action does not adequately address all of the findings and constructive recommendations of the Commission. “
This is a wrong interpretation of the LLRC recommendations. The intention of the government is only to make it a catalyst to search essential ways and means to avoid perpetuating the existing compartmentalisation of the Communities, but bring all the communities together, whether they are Sinhala ,Tamil or Muslim to be united together as Sri Lankans. In order to make a reality of that intention only selected recommendations of the LLRC could be implemented to help in the greater task of building a Nation.
The US resolution demonstrates the inability of the USA to understand the underlying principle for which the LLRC was appointed. It also shows that a foreign country not conversant with the culture and social structure of the people of another country is unable to understand the reasons behind another nations progressive actions. USA jumps to accuse Sri Lanka having failed to understand the Sri Lankan way of reacting to a cultural and a social situation.
The US resolution continues to elaborate whole series of issues the Government of Sri Lanka is quite aware of and is preparing to solve these problems adequately at its own pace in view of the fact that the Government is dealing with a people who had undergone a perilous period of fear and uncertainty, and is still in the throes of psychological fear of what it suffered under terrorism., which US and its allies foreign to the way of thinking of a people will never understand.
The USA and its allies, insults the intelligence of the Government of Sri Lanka and its Armed Forces which without their advice, help or assistance fought on its own, adopting appropriate war strategies to defeat the aims of ruthless terrorists and eliminated them in a fair military operation.
Devolution of political authority is not what the ordinary Tamil people demand, it is the demand of the egoist Tamil politicians who are “descendents” of the defunct terrorists. USA and its allies have got the wrong “picture” of Sri Lanka and has the pretention to teach Sri Lanka what are its duties to its people.
“Calling upon the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its public commitments, including on the devolution of political authority, which is integral to reconciliation and the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of its population “,
USA in the absence of any reasons on which to accuse Sri Lanka, resorts to the biased report of Navineetham Pillay the UNCHR to state:
“Noting the High Commissioner’s call for an independent and credible international investigation into alleged violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,”
Why should there be a credible International investigation when the Government of Sri Lanka has already done an adequate investigation to attend to whatever sufferings the war against terrorists had caused to the civilian population. The fact that such findings are considered not credible by the USA and its Allies is not surprising as they look at it from their own point of view. Sri Lanka belongs to the people of Sri Lanka and it is to their satisfaction that investigations should be carried out to redress any wrongs the war has caused to them.
US State Department has burrowed the defective report of the Office of UNHCHR, which itself is not based on facts but on a report of a Panel appointed by the Secretary General of UNO for his own purposes. The defect of that report comes from the fact that the Panel did not move away from their comfortable office at the UNO and collected documents from pro terrorist websites and hearsay evidence from the anti Sri Lanka terrorist Front Organisations of the Tamil Diaspora. None of the facts stated in the report of the Panel is substantiated with eyewitness accounts or examination of the venue ware the violation of human rights is said to have taken place.
The item one of the US resolution based on these absurdities reads:
“1. Welcomes the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on advice and technical assistance for the Government of Sri Lanka on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka[1] and the recommendations and conclusions contained therein, in particular on the establishment of a truth-seeking mechanism as an integral part of a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to transitional justice;”
It is just meaningless verbiage and says nothing factual. Why should Sri Lanka now seek advice and technical assistance from foreigners, who did not come forward to give Sri Lanka any technical advise when Sri Lanka needed them during the military operations against the terrorists ?
What advice and technical assistance could they give to Sri Lanka when Sri Lanka is well equipped with knowledgeable people and perhaps with a higher IQ than any foreign technician, and can do without them to bring the Communities together and settle difference in intelligent dialogue.
The country needs no truth seeking mechanism as neither the Government of Sri Lanka nor the people engaged in reconciling the communities have anything to hide. The problem is only with the US State Department and its Allies, whose relentless interference to accuse Sri Lanka for its elimination of terrorism four years ago hampers its programme of development and the unification of the people.
The second item in the US Resolution reads:
2. Encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner, and also calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct an independent and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as applicable;
Sri Lanka does not trust the UNHCHR and her report which the US resolution refers to as a panacea to solve problems of Sri Lanka. Her “cut and pasted” report is not worth the paper on which it has been written. The US State Department should stop talking about the Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian law as USA acts in breach of those laws with impunity with its Armed Forces posted in foreign countries, looking for Al Qaida terrorists. USA stands as the police man of the developing world without any one to questions its own deplorable breach of all Human Rights and Humanitarian laws.
Sri Lanka has ended terrorism in its own country with its own Armed Forces, and rescued 300 000 of its own people held forcibly by the terrorists. Sri Lanka is not answerable to any one for deaths of “Civilians” which in USA parlance is “ collateral damage”. If that explanation is good for the “goose it is also good for the gander”.
Those civilians who voluntarily stayed with the terrorists were aiding and abetting the terrorists and Sri Lanka is not responsible for the death of such “civilians”
The next item in the US resolution is the most ridiculous. It states:
3. Reiterates its call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to implement effectively the constructive recommendations made in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, and to take all necessary additional steps to fulfil its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity and accountability, and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans;
It demands Sri Lanka to implement the report prepared by its own LLRC. US State Department as usual is unable to understand all the implications of the issues in Sri Lanka. The LLRC was appointed to study the terrorist situation and the conflict that ended with the elimination of the terrorists. The LLRC was not mandated to make recommendations.
The recommendations they had nevertheless made cannot be implemented without taking into consideration other vital factors that ensues the end of a 30 year struggle and a suffering of the people. The Government has to evaluate the situation and forge a different progressive path of development, reconciliation and unity. That is some thing that had to be undertaken by people who understand the culture , customs, and social values of different communities.
It is therefore some, thing that had to be undertaken by the government of Sri Lanka and not at the behest of the USA and its allies or Navineetham Pillay. This was well spelt out by the president immediately after the elimination of terrorism, when he said “ there are no more minorities and a majority, but there are only good or bad Sri Lankans”.
This is a profound philosophical statement made by a generous man who would not hesitate giving up every thing for the betterment of his country and its people. It is a clarion call for an essential unity. This the Americans, the West or the separatist Tamil Diaspora will not understand.
It is better they take a moment to understand what it involves. This makes the US resolution against Sri Lanka a worthless impediment to a greater project the President and the Government of Sri Lanka has in mind for the people of Sri Lanka. Implementation of the US Resolution to the letter will only help separatist politics putting one community against the other when what is needed to day is Unity of all Communities.
The next two items, propose continued interference into Sri Lanka’s reconciliation and development efforts. If it is allowed Sri Lanka would only be a subject State of USA and the West. Sri Lanka should refuse any mandate holders or interfering NGOs or specialists into Sri Lanka, either by invitation or as visiting dignitaries. We have had enough of interference from the USA and the West ever since we rid ourselves of the terrorists. None of them came to our rescue then , therefore there is no reasons to invite these “disasters” into, our midst now.
4. Encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate with special procedures mandate holders and to respond formally to their outstanding requests, including by extending invitations and providing access;
5. Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner and relevant special procedures mandate holders to provide, in consultation with and with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka, advice and technical assistance on implementing the above-mentioned steps;
The last item in the US resolution is to bind Sri Lanka to their “ beck and call”, making Sri Lanka a subject Nation. If this is allowed we will have this self same comedy being enacted at the UNHRCouncil in Geneva every year in and year out, until Sri Lanka or USA and its allies put an end to it.
Therefore, it is best that Sri Lanka take the initiative to end it refusing to cooperate with the UNHRC. The resolution if allowed to stand will see the end of the reconciliation of Communities , encourage enhanced activities by the separatists Tamil expatriate groups against the Unity of Communities to take the Nation forward, and perhaps revive terrorism once again in Sri Lanka.
6. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner, with input from relevant special procedures mandate holders, as appropriate, to present an oral updateto the Human Rights Council at its twenty-fourth session, and a comprehensive report followed by a discussion at the twenty-fifth session, on the implementation of the present resolution
In considering the whole of the US resolution against Sri Lanka, it is evident that it is going to be an annual exercise of the US State Department and its Western allies against Sri Lanka, therefore, the US Resolution against Sri Lanka is only good to be thrown into the waste paper basket.
It is not just and fair that USA that is violating human rights, human rights Law and International Humanitarian Law in its different theatres of war go scot free without any one making any resolutions against America’s blatant violation of human rights.
Sri Lanka should propose China, Russia and the SAARC to set up a Committee to make America answerable for its violation of human rights, in Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan and helping rebels arming them and assisting them to fight against Governments in place.
Posted on March 31st, 2013
By Charles.S.Perera
