Allan Rock shocks and rocks Sri Lanka
November 14th, 2006
[TransCurrents NewsFeatures]
The findings outlined by UN special adviser Allan Rock in a Colombo press conference have shocked and rocked Sri Lanka!
For the first time President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL)have been put in the dock on a charge of aiding and abetting the LTTE breakaway Karuna faction known as Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP)conscript child soldiers in the Eastern Province.
The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), on behalf of its military wing Karuna, undertook to publish formal policy statements forbidding under-age recruitment, and to release any children who may now be in its ranks. The TMVP agreed to work with UNICEF in an effort to trace the whereabouts and arrange the release of those abducted children whose families have complained to UNICEF.
While the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been regularly accused of child conscription by the UN the charges against the GOSL and TMVP have jolted the Country and the International community.
Mr. Allan Rock undertook a ten day field trip to Sri Lanka as special adviser to Radhika Coomaraswamy the Special representative on Children in armed conflict to the UN secretary – General Kofi Annan.
Rock received assurances from President Rajapakse concerning the allegations that elements of the Sri Lankan security forces have been complicit with the Karuna faction in its child recruitment, and that they participated in or facilitated child abductions.
The President made clear to Mr.Rock in a face to face meeting that he will order an immediate and thorough investigation to determine whether such things have occurred and, should the evidence support that conclusion, he will take action to hold accountable those who are responsible.
The disclosures made by Allan Rock in this respect have evoked hostile reactions from the GOSL, Army and JVP.
Defence Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Morning Leader newspaper that President Mahinda Rajapakse had initiated an inquiry through the Foreign Ministry to ascertain whether Special Advisor to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Allan Rock exceeded his mandate by accusing the government.
“The President has instructed the Foreign Ministry to inform all relevant authorities for a strong explanation into Rock’s statement. The President has also called for an immediate inquiry into the allegations. However, such a serious statement accusing the government, was totally beyond Rock’s mandate,” Minister Rambukwella said.
Minister Rambukwella also criticised Rock by saying that if the UN official could make such a statement within hours of visiting the affected areas, then the government would willingly hand over the Raviraj investigation to the UN, rather than calling the Scotland Yard.
“If Rock is such an expert who could make these comments within hours of visiting the northeast, then he could solve the Raviraj assassination within days. We do not need the Scotland Yard then,” Rambukwella said.
Rambukwella also charged that the government would seek an explanation from the highest level and would also take appropriate action to clear its name.
However, he did not specify what action the government planned to take or could take.
Rock told the media on Monday afternoon that he had briefed Rajapakse of his observations and findings and informed him that he would make a statement to the press.
The UN Official told the press that Rajapakse had informed him that he would initiate an immediate inquiry into the allegations.
The government however expressed regret over certain statements made by Ambassador Allan Rock, Special Advisor to the UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict in a statrement issued by the President’s office.
Mr. Rock who left the country yesterday concluding a ten day fact finding mission in Sri Lanka accused government troops of recruiting child soldiers for the Karuna faction.
“Certain statements Ambassador Rock has made in public have led to many distorted media reports,” the President’s office said.
It reiterated that Mr. Rock’s statements were opposed to the long-standing zero-tolerance policy on the recruitment of children as combatants.
Ambassador Allan Rock brought to the attention of President Rajapaksa certain allegations against some elements of the security forces supporting the abduction and forcible recruitment of children by the Karuna faction.
In response, the President said if there was credible evidence of such incidents he would have them investigated.
Ambassador Rock expressed his appreciation to the President for his response, it said.
During Ambassador Allan Rock’s visit to Sri Lanka, the government provided him with unhindered access to all areas and facilitated meetings with a cross-section of government actors.
The Sri Lankan military said it was `perturbed at a couple of observations and comments’ made by Mr. Rock, and said the Mission’s allegation that “certain elements of the Government security forces were sometimes participating in the abductions and forced recruitment of children is regretted and completely misleading.”
Likewise, the Mission’s conclusions based on `eye-witness evidence’ that the `Government security forces are actively involved in these criminal acts’ deserve a deep sense of revulsion and explanation in view of their serious nature and repercussions.
“It is no secret that the Mission by innuendo has gone the extra mile to blame the troops of the Sri Lankan security forces deployed in government-controlled areas of eastern Batticaloa to contain LTTE violence and defend human rights in the region.” the army said in a statement.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has vehemently condemned recent charges levelled against the military forces by UN Special Advisor for Children and Conflict on Sri Lanka, Allan Rock and accused him of attempting to dilute charges against the LTTE on child recruitments by doing so.
“Most media, especially the foreign media highlighted this story under the caption of UN accusing military forces of supporting Karuna faction on child recruitments. It is clear that Mr. Rock is levelling these charges not based on actual facts and evidence,” the JVP politburo said.
They noted that if the Karuna faction was engaged in recruiting children, he should point his finger at the group and not at the government forces.
“Only those supporting the LTTE directly and indirectly were accusing government forces of having links with the Karuna faction. What Mr. Rock does is fulfilling the need of such groups to disgrace the government forces by adding more weight into the charges, by issuing the statement under the UN banner,” the JVP said, while charging that this was a mere attempt to lessen the charges on LTTE child recruitments internationally.
The politburo also noted these charges cannot go unnoticed because there is a ’serious and dangerous’ hidden agenda behind this charge.
“He is attempting to show the world that government forces are incapable of keeping law and order and fails to do justice to all communities. He also attempts to project that government forces were no more different than a terrorist organization by doing so. His charge should not be taken lightly because this was another attempt at paving the way to bring UN peace keeping forces into the country,” the Politburo added
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