Human Rights Council 10th session ends without anticipated assault on Sri Lanka
by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha
The tenth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva has come to a close without the anticipated assault on the Sri Lankan state. This had been on the cards for quite some time, beginning with the motion against Sri Lanka that had been put forward three years ago. Fortunately some concerted diplomatic action, involving regular briefings of all states who were genuinely interested in the country, saw that motion scratched in 2007, and since then there was much less pressure.
This year however was different, for the LTTE saw this as their best hope of internationalising the issue. Hence the hordes of LTTE sympathizers who turned up, to buttonhole various ambassadors, to brief the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to make aggressive interventions during the debate. They were aided and abetted by a number of Non-Governmental Organizations, some genuinely if foolishly idealistic, others closely associated with the LTTE, still others not perhaps keen on the LTTE in itself but so bitter about the government that they had no qualms about the LTTE benefiting from their performances. Hence indeed the ludicrous situation of Nimalka Fernando, representing her grand sounding organization with its dead treasurer and its absence of accounts for years, joining with the London head of the TRO to denigrate Sri Lanka to a Navanethem Pillay harassed by a surfeit of e-mails.
The reason I find Nimalka's dead treasurer so fascinating is that the finances of all these organizations are very shady. I am not talking here only of the TRO and suchlike, which have been recognized in several places as LTTE fronts. What is equally worrying is the fact that so many of our local NGOs are funded by countries that want to criticize us, and then use the findings of these NGOs to claim that we deserve criticism. Thus the European Union funded an organization that then claimed elections in the East would be bad, whereupon the EU, claiming it had objective evidence, had the gall to call in our ambassador in Brussels and tell him that having elections in the East would be undemocratic.
Why is the EU so prejudiced against Sri Lanka? I should note that this is not true of all member states, indeed most are sympathetic or could not care less, but their leader has now got into the habit of claiming to speak for 27 states and their candidate members too, and whether these statements are carefully researched or not means little to most of the rotating leadership. Indeed we found the ignorance of some of them startling.
One Minister asked about a complaint he had received from a young Tamil lady resident in his country, who had claimed that babies were torn out of the wombs of mothers and killed before their eyes, though he at least had the grace to ask us if this story could be true, since he needed to respond to his Tamil fellow countrywoman. Sadly his Ambassador for Human Rights has not as yet responded to my query as to how they had responded once we had briefed them. And more absurd was the much younger Minister from another country who wanted to know whether our forces had stopped using child soldiers.
Such nonsense. Much of it springs of course from assiduous LTTE propaganda, but assuming these are intelligent people one realizes that they have to play along because they need votes. It is no coincidence that the vast majority of the small number of British MPs who scream about us come from marginal seats where the Tamil vote is quite influential. Indeed one Tamil Labour Councillor told what seems to be a local Harrow paper called the Leader that Harrow MP Gareth Thomas 'could be a goner at the General Election… if Harrow Tamils changed their allegiance.
At the same time, leaving aside folly and self interest, there is a streak of sanctimonious self-justification amongst some of the European politicians who criticize us, just as there is in the Nimalkas of this world. After they hold forth, they get very upset when they are accused of amorality themselves, in playing up to the Tigers in a manner that can only precipitate greater suffering for the Tamil people. In some cases indeed one senses an attempt to convince themselves that they are the standard bearers of all civilized values, even as they come to terms with the fact that Europe is no longer at the top, no longer indeed second or even third, as Russia revives and the Asian giants leap ahead. And when they are lectured back, with more logic and knowledge of facts than they can command, they can sometimes get very testy.
Of course economically they still call the shots, and will continue to do so for some time yet. But that has never been enough for the heirs of Greeks and Romans, and hence the attempt to assert a different sort of leadership with a country they think is small enough to knuckle under. Elsewhere I will look at the factors they bring up, and show that they have no evidence at all for the moral superiority they affect, and that in the end all their complaints boil down to the fact that there are civilians still trapped by the Tigers in the small area under their control, and that these civilians will continue to suffer so long as the Tigers continue in action. But my point here is simply the relentless self-righteousness of people who will not utter a word against the excesses of other countries to which they owe allegiance, including their fellow members.
So, as a couple of the Europeans themselves told us, there had been an attempt to have a special session on Sri Lanka. When that failed, encouraged perhaps by Ms Navanethem Pillay's increasingly strange statements about us, they wanted her to make a statement on Sri Lanka to the Council. There were attempts too to place the matter on the Agenda of the Security Council in New York. And, when we were advised of this by several nations that thought all this excessive, and made this clear to the European tribe, the story sprang up, as it had sprung up in 2007 when the European motion lapsed, that we had been saved by undemocratic nations.
When I heard this I was reminded of an African comment at a meeting of the Dutch Third Chamber, when a sanctimonious journalist said that he had been frightened by the Chinese presence in Africa. His argument was that they would prop up undemocratic regimes, but he was reminded of the various regimes the West had propped up when they were exploiting the place shamelessly. Human Rights now seems a tool to ensure the domination of regimes acceptable to the West, whereas some competition for influence might actually be more beneficial than the old monopoly under another name.
Certainly people change, and one must hope that there is some genuine feeling in some of those who pronounce. But remembering the support rendered by the West to that most racist and undemocratic of regimes, the Jayewardene government under which the Tamils suffered so much, one cannot help feeling that this strange coalition, ignorant European Ministers and characters like Nimalka - and Sunanda Deshapriya - who feed their ignorance, along with extraordinarily able and focused Tigers, is really rather disgusting.
(Prof Rajiva Wijesinha is secretary , ministry of disaster management and human rights and Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process)
14 Comments
The Secretary of Disaster Management is sent to the UN to manage the HR disaster. If everything is tickety boo in the NE and Sri Lanka why not open up to international observers from EU and US. Especially since issues of GSP+ and IMF loan are in the mill.
Throwing tantrums against Nimalka wont help.
What is your answer Prof. Wjeyasinghe, to the human rights work done by the magistrate Srinithi Nanadasekaran and recognition of it by the US Secreatary of State's awards.
It is on record that the SL army too has violated the human rights law and when the magistrate took action the GOSL was not happy and transfered her. She was also threatened to be killed at one point.
Full text of the press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo follows:
U.S. Ambassador Blake recognized Magistrate Srinithy Nandasekaran on 24 March as a South Asian Regional Finalist for the Secretary of State's Women of Courage Award. “Women of Courage” is an honor bestowed by the U.S. Department of State on women who demonstrate exceptional courage and leadership. In recognizing Ms. Nandasekaran, Ambassador Blake said, “Throughout her career as an attorney and magistrate, Srinithy has shown exemplary commitment and courage in the dispensation of justice to Sri Lankans of all ethnic groups, often while serving in the country’s most difficult conflict-torn areas.” Ambassador Blake noted especially Magistrate Nandasekeran's tireless efforts on behalf of Sri Lanka's children.
U.S. Embassies around the world annually select outstanding women leaders to receive “Women of Courage” recognition. This year, U.S. Embassies worldwide nominated over 80 exceptional women by for their extraordinary work in areas such as advancing human rights and advocating for the promotion of women’s issues. Srinithy Nandasekeran was a Regional Finalist for South Asia. The Secretary of State selected eight recipients to receive International Women of Courage Awards at the Department of State in Washington, including women from Niger, Russia, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guatamela, Uzbekistan, and Malaysia.
Tamils allways best. You deserve it and you proove it.
Thankyou.
allways loving
r.veera
Prof Rajiva Wijesinha can perhaps manage to fool some of the people all the time, and even fool all the people some of the time, but he must know that eventually the truth will catch up with him.
As a supporter of the murderous Rajapakse regime, he is complicit in the murder of Lasantha and the attacks against the free media in Sri Lanka.
He must ask himself why it is necessary for the state to terrorise the media if Sri Lanka has nothing to hide.
I think that many states recognise Sri Lanka for the banana republic that it has become.
Segaran
Every article this guy writes he is picking a fight with someone or the other. Nimalka Fernando, Sunanda Deshapriya, Navi Pillai, Garath Thomas and the EU are the targets this time. Remind me what PISL, which he heads, stand for – surely not war-in-SL. Acting like a drunken loggerhead he is loosing his shine very fast indeed.
Would the good professor divulge the funding of the Peace Secretariat- the countries which gives it financial support including his salary?
A Peace Secretariat which seems to spend a fair deal of its time writing lengthy letters attacking all those they don't agree with. Of course, we know the professor's greatest achievement is his knowledge of english.
Unfortunately for Prof Wijesinghe his task is to try to make a silk purse out of the Sows ear he has been given by his masters. However hard they may try to hide their deeds in the vanni, it is being steadily documented and exposed. Their suporters hope that they will be able to vanquish the LTTE swiftly and then go about finishing the job of disapearing the tamil nation.However this is not going to the time lines as planned. So he has to come up with all these excuses. In the fullness of time, this regime will be exposed and put in the same category as Hitlers germany, the armenian genocide,Rwanda, darfur to name a few.So Prof Wijesinghe Make your excuses while you can. You will not escape paying for your crimes.
The fact is that Srilanka is under international scanner and scrutiny like never before. In the past three decades of Eelam struggle, the issue has never been internationalized to the extent it has reached now. United Nationas, Amnesy International, Human Rights Watch, European Union and the governments of United states, United Kingdom, Australia and so many other countries have made serious observations against the Srilankan government's disregard for human rights and serious violations amounting to war crimes.
The Srilankan government has reached a stage now that whatever step it is going to take is going to be watched carefully by the entire international community. For any significant deviation, it is going to be caught. And all such violations are only going to strengthen the cause of the Tamils.
Earlier it was only India which mattered. But now because of the clandestine military colloboration of the Indians with the Srilankan army, Tamils were forced to take it to the international community's attention and their efforts are bearing fruits. And to that extent, the present Indian establishment has also been sidelined. Tamils do not trust them anymore.
The damage this has caused to the Srilankan war efforts is being reflected by the literal 'pouncing' on the international community by the Srilankan government and hard core sinhalese. Politically, Tamils are scoring a major victory in making Eelam & Tigers acceptable to the international community. Gains in the warfront should follow.
People like Hon.Mano Ganeshan M.P. or Ms. Nanadasekeran being tamils & honoured for their
achievements by a US Dept. irritates the Professor.
I suggest he be nominated for a local "White-van"
Team award !
Veera,
"Tamils allways best. You deserve it and you proove it"
That is the mentality which has got Tamils in Sri lanka's north in to this situation, you lot think you are better than anyone else and you HAVE to get special treatment. That's what happened in Sri Lanka after the Independence, you lot lost the special privileges you had under the British, you want it back, that's all. there was never a discrimination against you lot in Sri Lanka, you get discriminated in North India, but not in Sri Lanka, accept it. you lot brought this catastrophe on yourselves, every man has to face the consequence of his actions, that's what you lot are doing now. You are paying the price for the deaths of over 50,000 murdered by the LTTE.
Reading this combative piece and the virulent GoSL reply to Sampanthan & Co for rejecting President Rajapakse’s invitation to come for talks, one wonders if the government has run short of capable persons of learning possessed of a calmer demeanour able to compose statements free of invective. This is the essential quality of language expected from civilized countries and this is what diplomacy to a large extent is all about.
As reader Velu Balendran here suggests Professori is in the raised-sarong mode here with an extra-ordinary attack on anyone – Lankan or foreign – who mutters a sentence against his valuable employers – “the three lokkas.”
Like the discredited Cabral in the IMF saga, Professori will have to grin helplessly soon when the nternational community holds GoSL to account with facts and figures on mass HR and genocidal crimes against Tamils in the island – all during the tenure of the Professori who was sending his dialectical missives hither, thither and yon
with little regard to accuracy and the ground reality concerning events.
ISS
At the last session, the lankan minister assured the Council that more than 600 members of the armed forces had been indicted for crimes against civilians, but at this session,the SLDeligation failed to mention the progerss of these indictments.So far nothing has appeared in the media.Nimalka Fernando has to submit accounts to her organistion.Her litany of human rights abuses in sri lanka is claimed to benefit the LTTE - how this benefit accrues is puzzling. We have to fear for her safety.But the lankan government has yet to submit accounts of the auditor general's reports to COPE, to the people and also publish the reports of the many presidential commissions.This state of affairs in a socalled 'vibrant democracy' is not so fascinating.He says that there are 'countries that want to criticize sri lanka' which fund NGOs. Why such desire to crticize is not stated.He appears to claim that the elections in the east with the government sponsored armed TMVP campaigning was democratic.British MPs do respond to the concerns of their constituents unlike in sri lanka where only the governing party sycophants can approach MPs after the elections.In britain there are no MPs going around with goons like Mervin Silva.His concern that the european countries are "no longer at the top" is amusing.They are certainly at the top as far as Rule of Law,Human Rights,Economy,Industry,Way of Life etc.Why sri lanka is frightened of coming before the scrutiny of the security council if it is upholding human rights as claimed, is not stated.Surly this would be an opportunity to parade our human rights record to the world.
The writer is one of the team which valintly whitewashes sri lanka in international fora.Now his heart is bleeding for the travails of the tamils during the Jayawardene regime - but does not state how the present regime has failed to correct the situation. Now tamils are worse off than ever. A new Ethnic Census to identify tamils has begun.the purpose is not stated. Is it to prepare for the next pogrom - what with the daily arrests & incarceration without any reason being given,the extotions,disappearances,killings,robberies during curfew hours,etc. - this is to subjugate tamils as second class ctizens assisted by quislings one of whom even has its own hit squads in camps adjacent to each army camp in the north.
Dear Rajeeva,
Your essay is appropriate to a schoolboy recounting his performance a debate. You seem totally unaware of the reality if the Sri Lankan situation and the global response to what is happening on the island. You seem to have gone all the way out there at great expense to the Sri Lankan people, to concern yourself with Nimalka's (Who the hell is this Nimalka anyway - some silly aunt of yours with whom you are engaged in one of the many feuds that have racked your family for at least three generations?) treasurer and her accounts, the behavior and positions of NGOs and Navaneetham Pillai's e-mails.
Not a word about the threats of murder dished out by your president. Nothing said about the white vans that abduct people and move freely through check points without detection. Nothing about how the murderers of the six year old kid Jude are being murdered in order to prevent the truth of her being abducted and killed on the orders of our friend Karuna coming out. Nothing about the assassination of Lasantha by the 9 dogs. Nothing about the list of persons who have paid ransom to the Rajapaksa clan to save their lives. Nothing about the bombing of so many civilians. In fact nothing much other than the jibes you make at your sainted aunt and others.
If you do want to do a decent job you could take the time to let us know just what happened out there, what issues were raised and how your lordship responded. The rest you can reserve for banter with Mahinda over high tea next friday.
In a communique by the government "Conditions improve in IDP camps" - Rajiva Wijesinghe is quoted as saying "..............it is significant that not a single of 60000 IDPs has made a single allegation of harassment against the security forces,not even accidentally".
He conveniantly forgets that all IDPs are terrified of complaining about the security forces in camps run by them with very few civilian administraters who are under close scrutiny themselves. Anyone daring to accuse the security forces will suffer the same fate as that of an LTTE member.