UNHRC motion is unfair : Mawbima Lanka Padanama

Saturday, 8 February 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Following is a letter by Mawbima Lanka Padanama Chairman Ariyaseela Wickramanayake to all foreign missions in Sri Lanka Mawbima Lanka Padanama is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that strives to protect the interests of Sri Lankans. It is with grave concern we draw your attention to the potential unrest that could arise due to the hasty and unfair rulings of the UNHRC. Unfortunately, there has been much bias and vested interest involved in the scrutiny of Sri Lanka. We implore you to view the issues raised against Sri Lanka objectively and consider the validity of the unusually well-publicised accusations against our island. The people of Sri Lanka come from an ancient and knowledgeable civilisation that dates back to over 5,000 years beginning with the Hela tribe. For thousands of years the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils and Muslims lived harmoniously till the British colonised Sri Lanka in 1815. Based on the principle of ‘divide and rule’ the British began to incite racial tension between the Sinhalese and Tamils. The British did so by giving better opportunities to the Tamil minority and Christians, forming them into privileged communities, whilst marginalising the Sinhalese Buddhists, eroding their culture and opportunities for education and employment. The Sinhalese, though a majority in Sri Lanka, is a minority race of approximately 15 million in the world. Sri Lanka is their only country. In comparison, there are well over 70 million Tamils in the world, with nearly 60 million in neighbouring India alone. Ruthless and bloody war The LTTE, an extremist Tamil group and one of the most merciless and sophisticated terrorist organisations in the world (having also pioneered the suicide belt), leveraged the racial tension that was sowed during the colonial occupation to begin a ruthless and bloody war to carve out a separate state for Tamils in the island. The LTTE used bombs, suicide attacks and horrendous acts of violence to achieve their goal. They carried out regular suicide bomb attacks against innocent civilians, attacked significant economic sites such as the Central Bank and Sri Lanka’s International Airport, and attacked sacred places of worship such as the Sri Maha Bodhi temple and the Kattankudy mosques, murdering over 200 innocent devotees. The LTTE also carried out mass village massacres of Sinhalese and Muslims, gunning and hacking them to death. Even Tamils who did not support the LTTE’s cause were murdered, including former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and Member of Parliament Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam. The LTTE is also the only terrorist organisation to have assassinated two Heads of State; former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. This ruthless terrorist organisation was funded through illegal activities, extortion and voluntary funds given by some wealthy LTTE supporting Tamil Diaspora that mainly live in Europe and Canada. Peace after 30 years After almost 30 years of war, Sri Lanka finally defeated the LTTE terrorists on 19 May 2009 to bring peace to the war-torn island. Billions of dollars have been spent on rehabilitation and infrastructure to enable people in the north to resume their lives. Extensive demining was also carried out to clear nearly 1.2 million landmines before resettling civilians, and yet the necessity for this vital safety measure was often ignored by the foreign press who simply criticised Sir Lanka about delaying resettlement. The 297,000 civilians who were rescued from the LTTE have now been rehabilitated and resettled after the demining. Over 11,000 former LTTE soldiers have also been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. Much has been done in terms of rebuilding the lives of those affected by the war. Of course there are still many challenges ahead. Yet, it is important to note that as with any conflict, reconciliation does not happen overnight. Time is needed for healing, reconciliation and rebuilding. This can be seen even with the issues of tension and division that still persist in Northern Ireland even 15 years after its 30-year violent conflict ended.

International pressure It does not help ongoing reconciliation efforts when there is undue international pressure and criticism on Sri Lanka to hasten its reconciliation process at an unprecedented rate not expected of other countries. Broad, unverified casualty figures with regards to the last few days of the war have been used in a propaganda war against Sri Lanka that has been fuelled by the money of LTTE supporters abroad, and touted by overseas politicians who have their own vested political interests in terms of garnering votes back home. It is interesting to note that the most vociferous foreign politicians come from countries that have the largest and wealthiest Tamil Diaspora. Where were these persistent voices when the LTTE terrorists were massacring innocent people and carrying out ethnic cleansing for almost 30 years? The very countries that so readily point fingers at our island have carried out human rights violations globally with impunity for years. No one dares to take them to court. Are the American drone attacks in Pakistan that killed innocent civilians not human rights violations? It is also interesting to note that Britain, which adamantly accuses Sri Lanka of human rights violations, has not even apologised for the atrocities they committed during their colonial rule of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). For instance, in 1818 a General Order issued during the rule of Robert Brownrigg, the then British Governor of Ceylon, led to the British brutally massacring thousands of civilians in Uva Wellassa, including women and babies, killing their cattle, burning their homes, destroying ancient irrigation systems and setting fire to all their paddy fields. This region which used to be the country’s rice-bowl before this 1818 incident has still not recovered from the malicious destruction. Sri Lanka is not the only country that has suffered under the human rights violations and ruthless exploitation of British colonial rule, and yet Britain walks away with impunity and no apology. Trying to rebuild In contrast, Sri Lanka set up the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to carry out an objective, independent investigation into the conflict. The full report is accessible to the public. A national plan of action has been created to implement a vast range of LLRC recommendations, including the prosecution of wrongdoers in specific instances of death/injury to civilians and thorough investigations into alleged disappearances. Yet these positive actions are all ignored. The country is trying to rebuild itself but some of the international politicians with their own political agendas, misled by biased, unverified details in the media that are promoted by LTTE supporters abroad, are pulling Sri Lanka back. Living and working together Currently the majority of Tamils do not even live in the north, and instead live peacefully in the centre and south of Sri Lanka. In fact, the capital Colombo contains approximately a 33-33-33% split amongst the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Hence, it is neither productive nor fair for the foreign media and some Tamil diaspora to protest against the presence of Sinhalese in the north and east when Tamils are welcome to reside in all parts of the country. It is also important to remember that Sinhalese and Muslims lived in the north and east before the LTTE carried out ethnic cleansing by either killing them or forcibly driving them away. All Sri Lankans, irrespective of their race, should be allowed and welcomed to reside in whichever part of the country they wish to. Sectarian identity concepts such as that the north should predominantly remain a Tamil area and that the south should predominantly remain a Sinhalese area will only lead to further misunderstanding and tension, allowing politicians and other third parties to exploit the situation to create further ethnic divisions for their own selfish gains. Living and working together with all ethnic communities, as seen in Colombo, is the best approach to a peaceful and united country. International support needed The creation of resentment and agitation in the island by outsiders, without due appreciation of the progress made post-conflict, will only lead to unrest and further conflict. What Sri Lanka needs is international support, not a propaganda war that could lead to another ruthless war with yet another extremist group. Our island and its people have suffered for years at the hands of colonial rulers and then terrorists. We finally have peace and do not want again the chaos and suffering that has now befallen countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Egypt and Syria due to the destabilisation of their countries for the benefit of a few. Do not underestimate the power of overseas LTTE supporters that were powerful enough to fund a gory war for almost three decades. We kindly appeal to you to objectively consider the accusations made against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, and implore that you do not help plunge this beautiful island into more unrest. Supporting the UNHRC motion against Sri Lanka will bring back bloodshed to all the races in the island, and destroy what is left of an ancient 5,000-year-old civilisation.