Sri Lanka protests against UN echo anti-justice campaign-HRW
Secretary-General's Support for Expert Panel Advances Wartime Accountability
July 11, 2010
(New York) – Demonstrations led by a Sri Lankan government minister to protest a United Nations expert panel show the government's open hostility to investigations of alleged war crimes in the Tamil Tiger conflict that ended last year, Human Rights Watch said today.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's creation of and support for the three-person Panel of Experts on justice mechanisms – despite persistent Sri Lankan government opposition – shows important new resolve to promote accountability for war crimes, Human Rights Watch said.
"The demonstrations against the UN's Colombo compound are a threatening new turn in the Sri Lankan government's campaign against the UN Panel of Experts," said Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Anyone who ever thought this government would get serious about investigating wartime atrocities should look at the ruckus being raised over three advisors to the UN secretary-general."
Since July 6, 2010, the minister for housing and construction, Wimal Weerawansa, has led what were initially several hundred protesters who surrounded the UN compound in Colombo and harassed UN staff, blocking their arrival and departure. The crowds were protesting Ban's forming of an expert panel to advise him on accountability mechanisms for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
On July 8, Ban issued a statement finding it "unacceptable that the Sri Lankan authorities have failed to prevent the disruption of the normal functioning of the United Nations offices in Colombo as a result of unruly protests organized and led by a cabinet minister of the Government." He recalled the UN's ranking official in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, for consultations in New York and closed the UN Development Program's Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Colombo as a "direct response" to the situation affecting the UN compound.
On July 10, the United States, the European Union, and eight European heads of mission in Colombo issued a joint statement that "Peaceful protest is part of any democracy, but blocking access to the United Nations ... as well as intimidating and harassing UN personnel is a breach of international norms and harmful to Sri Lanka's reputation in the world."
"That Secretary-General Ban is standing his ground against the anti-UN protests in Colombo is a strong endorsement of the need for justice and accountability in Sri Lanka," Pearson said. "It's time the Sri Lankan government started working with Ban, rather than against him."
Background
Since the end of the quarter-century-long armed conflict in May 2009, the Sri Lankan government has failed to undertake any meaningful investigation of violations of the laws of war. Sri Lankan forces were implicated in numerous indiscriminate attacks on civilians, while the LTTE used civilians as "human shields" and prevented them from fleeing to safer areas. The UN estimates that more than 7,000 civilians died during the final months of the fighting.
Just days after the LTTE's defeat, President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised Ban that his government would address allegations of abuses, but has failed to do so. The Sri Lankan government has established two ad hoc inquiries, but both lack the mandate to conduct effective investigations.
On March 5, 2010, Ban informed Rajapaksa that he intended to establish a Panel of Experts to advise him on next steps for accountability in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government responded with a campaign that attacked Ban for interfering in the country's domestic affairs, calling the panel "unwarranted" and "uncalled for." The three-member expert panel, consisting of an Indonesian, a South African, and an American, was appointed in June, though it has not yet convened. The government promptly announced that it would not provide visas to the panel members to visit the country.
Human Rights Watch said that the expert panel should provide the secretary-general with a roadmap – which should be made public – for an independent international investigation to examine laws-of-war violations by both sides during the final months of the Sri Lankan conflict.
"The fracas around the UN headquarters is just the latest episode in the Sri Lankan government's efforts to ensure nothing is done to bring justice for war crimes," Pearson said. "The expert panel may be a small step towards an independent international investigation, but it's a real step forward nonetheless. Governments around the world who have pledged to end impunity for war crimes should back the secretary-general's efforts to see justice done in Sri Lanka."
8 Comments
Did the HRW stop any massacres or killings of the LTTE ?
Couldn't the HRW, which has strong connections with NGOs use its influence to restrain the Tigers at least to spare the civilians,specially women,children and the monks?
Why are they so determined now to investigate the "War Crimes" of the LTTE ?
Didn't their mates in the NGOs know what happened?
Come on fellows.
There are still places where you can do something concrete like saving lives in Palestine. Afganistan, Pakistan etc without trying to flog a dead horse.
Up-to two weeks ago, the cry was the EU take a hike, we can live without the GSP.
Yesterday the multi faceted Minister of External Affairs, states that we are still prepared to talk to the EU but they cannot lay conditions.
Is this not a gesture of a surrender ?.
The same this will happen as far the enquiry panel of the UN is concerned after lots of thunder without a lightening strike or two they will meekly surrender.
We saw it in 1987, when the Indian Air-force dropped humanitarian aid over Jaffna, not a single bullet was fired at the intruders, one and all went into hiding.
This is how brave they are, a ride to the Hague will bring out the best in them. a j.
It is reported that TNA parliamentarians went to India and three observations became evident.
1. They had meetings with Manmohan Singh, the External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao.
2. They were hosted for a dinner by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in New Delhi.
3. Consequently, a TNA MP had said: "We depend hundred per cent on India for help to find a political solution acceptable to our people. We will be happy if President Mahinda Rajapaksa gives us what India thinks is reasonable."
It is alright to have discussions with any one. But is it not suicidal for the people of Tamil Eelam(TE) to trust and politically surrender to India; who is a war criminal and a traitor of the independence of TE.
TNA was " advised to drop the rhetoric and mindset of the 1970s and 1980s, be pragmatic ..."
Does India know what is pragmatic than the people of TE? Never. It failed miserably in the past and it will undoubtedly fail in the future.
It is the people of TE who have suffered tremendously and face genocide and not the Indians.
And the people of TE know beyond any doubt whatsoever that the only pragmatic solution is the independence of TE and SL in the island and their coexistence peacefully.
TE is not a plan but a vision of the people of TE from 1976-1977. Plans and strategies change but a vison of any people never changes.
In the past the mistake made by Tamils was that they trusted their enemies to deliver results. Here a stupid MP said "we depend hundred percent on India for help".
Time has come for stupidity to be replaced by wisdom in the political leadership of TE.
HRW Can you fight for Iraqi and Afghan Civilians as well?. And also (even though it's late) get justice for Mai Lai massacre victims and Korean War massacre victims. (130) None of the US Soldiers were convicted due to "lack of evidence" i.e South Korea does not want to rock the boat- relationship with US more important and Americans simply ignored the justice to Vietnam. We see this as - West using Tamil's paws to punish Sri Lanka for it's friendship with China. There is no love from West towards Tamils or to the Diaspora. You are simply part of this game. Nothing more nothing less. Why should we respect for your double standards? (Even thought we may not like Rajapaksha's or Wimal's)
On Sunday, the 11 July 2010, the people of Bosnia-Hertzogovina assembeled to remember the ethnic cleansing of 7000 of their Bosnian kith and kin, by Serbians in Srebenitza; a place declared as a "safe zone" by the UN during Bosnian war.
After more than 15 years of massacre, about 700 dead bodies were identified by DNA tests and Radovan Karadzic is facing war crimes charges in the Hague. Ratco Mladic is still at large evading arrest.
Last year, during Eelam liberation war, 40,000 civilians were similarly massacred in the "safe zone" area declared by the UN and the International Community(IC) in Sri Lanka(SL).
People were lured into a "safe zone" area to be shelled and bombed by soldiers to death.
Obviously, the soldiers, the government of Sri Lanka(GOSL) and their associate criminal countries are guilty of war crimes and crime against humanity.
Now, together, all the culprits are vehemently trying to prevent justice and punishment of criminals.
What is required now is not simple, powerless advisory Panel in the UN to report on the war crimes committed in SL but a serious war crimes tribunal to arrest the war criminals and bring them to justice quickly.
The GOSL is putting up "opposition frontals" against the UN. A cabinet minister, a notorious war criminal with hate speech, fearing death in the prisons of the Hague, started a "fast unto death" blockading the UN office in Colombo.
In the US, a few others from the criminal GOSL demonstrated against the UN.
The world has a duty to protect and preserve mankind. The IC is duty bound to bring the war criminals in SL and in other associate countries to an international court of justice.
The UN General Assembly should highly commend the constructive steps taken by Ban Ki moon, the Secretary General, and firmly strengthen his hands to bring the war criminals in SL to justice and find a judicial and political solution similar to that found in Bosnia.
Dear gamaya1,
My Lai massacre was nothing compared to what happened in sri lanka from 1951 onwards................
Please visit:-
http://nesohr.org/hrr/?show=all
cries for justice ///
During the 30 long years of seperatist struggle how many innocent lives were lost/
Thier blood was spilled on our motherland and shouting at heavens for justice .
Let all held responsible even in hell let there be a hauge terbunal.
My Dear Das,Justin, Thambipillai and et al:
I have gone through the web site that Das has given above. I truly feel sorry and regret for the program in 1983 in spite of the fact that it is LTTE who ignited it.
At the time, I was living near 'Shanti Vihar' after spending a very long spell in the UK. I have seen it all. It is a few UNP goons that carried it through. However you mustn't forget nothing of the sort ever occurred anywhere in Sri Lanka since. So much so, majority of Colombo population is Tamil, today. And more Tamils live in down south than North and East combined.
Now having said that just refer to this site and imagine the mayhem LTTE carried through for the last 30 years.
http://www.sinhaya.com/Sinhaya.com/Massacres_by_LTTE.html
Yet they couldn't provocative the average Sinhalese to attack Tamils who live among them. Come to Katharagama festival and see whether they walked all the way there freely or not not. But I tell you one thing you will not get you Eelam or a Tamil homogeneous region like Tamil Nadu.