Sri Lanka must be Declared Rogue State and Economic Sanctions Applied
by Malarthamil
The international community is slowly waking up to the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka which is quite overdue for the last few months. However it is regrettable that a discussion in the Security Council of United Nations, either about the humanitarian crisis or about the political settlement for Ealem Tamils, has been kept in abeyance due to the geopolitical considerations of the member countries. The day by day account of the last week indicates a stalemate in this issue.
Mr Ban Ki-moon called on for a “suspension in fighting”.
On 19 February 2009 the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, on a three day visit to Sri Lanka, stressed the need to ensure the protection of civilians caught in the conflict zone in Sri Lanka
On 20 February 2009 UK Ambassador John Sawers at the UN spoke of a Security Council briefing once Holmes return from Sri Lanka.
On 21 February 2009 while returning after the visit Mr.John Holmes urged combatants on both sides of the battle ravaging the northern Vanni region of Sri Lanka to make greater efforts to stop the rising toll of civilian casualties
On 23 February 2009, the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on for a “suspension in fighting” between the Sri Lanka government and Tamil Tiger separatists to allow civilians to escape. Ban further told “There is an urgent need to bring this conflict to an end without any further unnecessary loss of civilian life and destruction of Sri Lankan society,”. He also said the United Nations was renewing its call on all sides to work for a “political discussion to achieve an orderly end to the conflict.” But on the same day Sri Lanka Government rejected a call for ceasefire by LTTE.
On 24 February 2009 the U.S. Senate committee focused its attention on the situation in Sri Lanka.. Witnesses at the Senate hearing descried the actions of both sides. Anna Neistat, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, described a deplorable situation in the so-called safe zone, established by the government to protect refugees. “We received several detailed accounts from people who stayed within the safe zone, and these accounts suggest that the shelling by Sri Lankan forces killed dozens if not hundreds of people inside there,” she said.
[UN Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes addresses journalists during a press conference in Colombo on February 19, 2009-AFP pic by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi, via Yahoo! News]
Other witnesses in the US Senate Committee described what they called the Sri Lankan government’s growing assault on dissent and pointed out that nobody has been prosecuted for any of incidents of attack on journalists or abduction and disappearance of Tamils. Ambassador Lunstead said the world community could play an important role in shaping Sri Lanka’s future. He recommended that international donors impose conditions on economic aid to the government of Sri Lanka. He said those conditions should include an improvement in the country’s human rights record, the resettlement of displaced persons and a devolution of power from the capital, Colombo, to local areas to allow all Sri Lankans to have a greater say in how they are governed. Anna Neistat further urged the United Nations Security Council to hold a special session to address Sri Lanka’s humanitarian catastrophe.
On 24 February 2009 Britain’s Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, agreed with UK parliamentarians who said that the Sri Lankan government is “quite prepared to go ahead with acts of genocide.” Responding to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, MP, Mr. Miliband said “the resolution of [a] terrorist problem cannot be achieved at the expense of the rights of minority communities in Sri Lanka, and that is what we are trying to work on.”
But to the dismay of the Human rights activists, few days back, at the UN, it is learnt ,a move by Mexico to bring the Sri Lanka situation on to the Security Council was scuttled by Russia. Russia took up the position that Sri Lanka was not on the agenda of the Security Council. A Foreign Ministry source in UK said there was little chance that the Sri Lanka situation would be brought up before the Security Council. He said both Russia and China would oppose such a move because the Russians wanted to avoid its human rights situation in Chechenya being put on the Security Council agenda and the Chinese would protect their flank against any attempts to put Tibet on the agenda.
These happenings only show the diplomatic manipulations of the state of Sri Lanka in keeping the big powers beyond the focusing distance of the crisis at Sri Lanka.
But what the international Community could not ignore is that the State of Sri Lanka enjoys unabated impunity in spite of having engaged in extrajudicial killings, abductions, extortion, conscription, and the use of child soldiers. Despite confirming use of cluster bombs by the Sri Lankan Army, the United Nations could take no further action on such open crime.
Under these circumstances, Tamils are wondering whether any country in this world is concerned about putting the Humanitarian or Political aspirations of Tamils in the agenda of the Security Council.
Sri Lanka turning a deaf ear to the international community is understandable but the International Community showing a blind eye to the sufferings of Tamil population could not be explained by its own standards set in the United Nations.
In all their statements the UN, UK, USA or EU appeal to both GOSL and LTTE, accepting very well that LTTE represents the Tamil nation in the island of Sri Lanka and they equally deplore both parties for the crisis but at the same time have proscribed LTTE and allowed the GOSL to proceed with genocide. This is seen as an off-balanced stance and is not justified. Just blaming both sides or appealing both sides could not be considered as neutral if it is not going to stop the killing. They should either declare Sri Lanka a rogue country and apply economic sanctions or lift the ban on LTTE or openly discuss the issue in the security council putting aside the geopolitical compulsions of the big powers and come to a conclusion to stop the count down of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka first and to declare freedom to Ealem.
(Malarthamil is a civil engineer and writer-poet inspired by Thirukkural.This piece appeared in Kalugu.com)
14 Comments
i welcome your article and agree with you.it's very regretable that the powerful nations in the world are promoting "state terrorism" and ignoring the ground situation in the conflict zone.
Your appeal is well intentional and I suspect that the International Community will take their own time to act. At the rate the GoSL is killing the displaced and the rate of disappearance will end up Too little too late for the suffering of the Tamils.
What UN failed to grasp is from the history in the Island Nation is GoSL is run by the Sinhalese and all the fight is going on in the Tamil populated area where the Srilankan Army has no respect for the Civilians as they don't care about this collateral damage ( certainly it is not their Kith and Kin are living there)
UN failed in its appeal to give as a mediator or guarantor to the LTTE when it asked to lay down arms knowing the Srilankan government will slaughter both the LTTE cadres and Civilians.
The least UN could have offered to supervise a Humanitarian Cease fire, Willing to receive the people who are willing to go out of the war zone.
I am not disappointed with UN as I expected the this long time ago.
Instead of blaming the Victims, the International community should act righteously so that they can Reject the LTTE if they were to continue the arm resistance. But I don't see any action but lip service. AS LONG AS THIS LIP SERVICE AND TONGUE TWISTING EXERCISE TO CONTINUE, THE KILLING WILL CONTINUE. THE END GAME IS FAR FROM OVER
Malarthamil had better stick to poetry. If he has read Sir John Holmes' testimony before the UN Security Council and the remarks by ambassasdors of states as diverse as Austria and Russia, Vietnam and the UK, he would see that international reality is NOT moving in the direction he recommends!
It is appalling that "United Nations could take no further action on such open crime", and is "unable to put aside the geopolitical compulsions of big powers".
The Tamils have suffered enough, and all attempts to politically resolve the problem failed, creating the LTTE. Now, even that has to "crushed".
Does the UK realise that this is a problem they created when they left? Instead of a federal system, based on the status of the country they occupied, they endorsed a unitary system of government.
Was this purposeful?
You need to first unreservedly denounce the LTTE before any reasonable parties within or outside Sri Lanka will look at a political solution.
All you tamil activists you chose to had over your struggle to your sole representative the LTTE are to blame. The barbaric methods of the LTTE are revolting to all right thinking people and that has destroyed any legitimate aspirations of the tamil people of Sri Lanka (not the diaspora or Tamil Nadu).
Time to make a drastic change of course.
Admit it you are to blame ..... for evil to triumph it only needs good men to remain silent
Learn to live with everyone in the counrtry and stop the distruction to all Srilankan.
Dear Dayan, as much as you wish Malarthamil should stick to poetry you should also stick to your leftist origins.
Raj.
UN decision is not unexpected. It does not serve the purpose it was originally created for. It is an institution that serve the purpose of big democratic powers of west and powers of serial human rights violators of East. What was reinforced in SL is that world will side the winner whatever the means to achieve their perceived goal. What Sinhalese community in not realizing is that Tamils have nothing else to lose, thus they will be willing to use any means without any restraints and also SL government is not only morally bankrupt now but also reinforced by International community- OK to use any means, will not hesitate to go on rampage on their own community ( they did before but that is going to look like a picnic).
Combination is lethal, and soon You will see sinhalese with better education leaving the country in big numbers as it had happened with other communities, leaving the country for Taliban like rulers.
Only God can help unless he also gave up on SL.
It has been proven time and time again that no military group has been successful in the struggle against the government of Srilanka. The government has prevailed in the end. What happened to JVP in early nineties, will be the same for LTTE. It's only a matter of time.
Have you ever wonder why the entire world is not paying any attention to you now? You misinterpret the world you live in for the last 60 years. Difference between you and us-kind is that we admit our ills and grew up. You did not.
Jayathileka
While the germans were killing the jews also the international community stood by like the three monkeys see no evil hear no evil speak no evil. But your evil deeds are getting harder to hide. So all your supporters will have to run for cover soon. They are all hoping that the sinhala terror outfit can liquidate the LTTE soon. It seems to be a hard job. Also the pacified east seems to be anything but that. So we will see.
Venthan,
You seem to be not yet happy with the amount of blood already spilt. If you try to draw more blood, that's what you will get (not you personally of course because I suspect you comfortably live in some other country. It is the hapless civilians who pay for the folly of your kind). It is the kind of choices you make that would determine the outcome. Therefore, please don't blame anyone else for the choices you make/made.
Mahinda wants to be fair by the Tamils and do the right thing urged by India,
the E/U. UN and the IC. this seems to be fair and at last the people of this
country can have peace, unity and look forward to prosperity. But those Mahanayakes, the yellow robed Mullahs,
JVP/JHU, the Sinhala extremists gangs joined by the over-sized army won't
allow the poor man to do this. What to do, aiyo?
ISS
Hela and other urumayas
Who is spilling the blood. You know that a just political proposal will end this war, but now your dogs smell blood you cant stop. So dont blame the tamils for spiilling blood. Like I said earlier, if you keep repeatijng that the LTTe have killed more than your great army even you will start beleiving it.