Rump LTTE portrays distorted view on Lanka

By Manjula FERNANDO

Plantation Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that the lackeys of rump LTTE working under the aegis of the so called human rights groups were again at the UN human rights council sessions to paint a tarnished image of Sri Lanka and rob the confidence and backing of the international community for its post conflict development effort.

He expressed confidence that their undertaking to destabilise the country will be thwarted by the Sri Lankan team. " can't see the disinformation campaign against Sri Lanka ever succeeding. If they could not achieve that during the height of the conflict, how would they be able to achieve it when all these developments are taking place ?"

Minister Samarasinghe who returned to the country early Wednesday after attending the inauguration of the 16th UN Human Rights Council Sessions in Geneva was met by the Sunday Observer the same afternoon.

The interview:

Q: In the past week, various allegations and rumours of moves to bring in a resolution against Sri Lanka over war crime charges filled the media. How would you respond to this claim?

A: This is just speculation being sent around by those who would like to see Sri Lanka being dragged into a situation like that. I met with almost all key permanent representatives based in Geneva during this visit and briefed them on the latest developments that had taken place in Sri Lanka. I answered all their concerns.

Almost all, appreciated the fact that there is a lot of progress made after the conflict. We never said that we don't have any challenges. There are bound to be challenges after a 30-year conflict.

We have come a long way and we will travel the full distance to ensure that the country will never be destabilised again. The revitalisation of a dialogue with the international community I consider a must.

You may recall that during the war we were doing this constantly. We were proactive. We did not wait for problems to arise and then try to overcome them. That was the reason why the resolution in 2009 against Sri Lanka was not successful.

There were a whole gamut of issues we discussed with the key players in the HRC. I had the opportunity to meet the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanetham Pillay and the President of the HRC.

Q: What was the response of the High Commissioner? At one time she took a tough stand on Sri Lanka?

A: The meeting with her was very constructive. She appreciated the fact that a lot of positive things have happened since the end of the conflict and that Sri Lanka was ready to constructively engage with her. The dialogue will be continued in the future, now that I have been given the responsibility of Human Rights.

We have seen an advanced copy of her speech to the Council and there is no mention of Sri Lanka this time. There is a host of other countries mentioned in her speech but we are not even referred to.

This shows that we have been able to demonstrate to her that we are committed to overcome peace time challenges.

Q: Does that mean that she was not properly briefed during the time of the conflict?

A: I don't think that was the case. But the situation in Sri Lanka during the conflict and after the conflict is something that anyone can understand. Today there is massive economic development; Infrastructure and reconstruction projects in the North and East; tourist arrivals and the stability the country enjoys.

The economic growth rate last year was nearly eight percent. Per capita income and foreign direct investments are increasing. The International community can see for themselves that we are working towards further stability and unity among people.

I discussed with her in detail the national action plan on the promotion and protection of human rights. This will be completed very soon. When we start to operationalise the national action plan we will be able to overcome the rest of the post war challenges in the area of human rights.

Q: What is expected to happen during the course of the UNHRC sessions up to the closing date on March 25?

A: There may be of course various comments and inferences made about the situation in Sri Lanka by the usual suspects, who are participating under the aegis of some of the non governmental organisations. These organisations had been putting forward distorted views on Sri Lanka, blatant lies in certain instances, even during the conflict.

The international movement of the LTTE is still there, although within the country the LTTE is no more. This rump LTTE is trying to portray a distorted human rights picture to the international community. Their disinformation campaign is to destabilise the country. Those things will not disappear any time soon. We will have to intervene and put the record straight.

I was the seventh speaker on the first day of the Council. I had an excellent slot. The room was packed to capacity. All key figures including the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Secretary William Hague participated. When I spoke either they or their representatives were in the room. There were a number of key foreign secretaries and other dignitaries because the issues of Libya and Egypt, were on the agenda. That was an excellent opportunity for Sri Lanka to put on record what the Government of President Rajapaksa has achieved in the aftermath of the conflict and go a long way in getting them to appreciate the positive direction we are moving in.

Q: If a move to take Sri Lanka to task at the HRC actually materialises, how ready is Sri Lanka to counter their allegations?

A: We are more than ready. There is a lot of progress that could be put on record. No one would, in that kind of background, be able to question the commitment of the Government in forging greater unity.

We won the war on terrorism. Now we are in the process of winning peace.

The progress in this country for the last two years speaks for itself.

We will of course counter that kind of disinformation. I don't see a major issue coming up. Our record speaks for itself.

Q: One concern Sri Lanka had was that the Panel of Experts appointed by the UN Secretary General (SG) Ban-ki-Moon will release their interim report ahead of the UNHRC sessions. Is there still a chance for something like that to happen?

A: The panel of experts that the SG appointed was to advise him on accountability issues. Once the panel was appointed there were all kinds of interpretations given by various people with vested interests. Our contact point is the SG not the Panel of Experts. He is adequately briefed on the domestic process we have initiated the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.

The LLRC has already released an interim report. We have an inter-agency committee headed by the Attorney General to start implementing the recommendations in the interim report. That domestic process is moving towards reconciliation, to ensure that we will never have to face the kind of destabilisation that we faced in the last 30 years.

I have no doubt that SG will also be watching the progress of the LLRC. Because he also wishes well for Sri Lanka.

The LLRC is an independent and transparent process. Anyone can log into their website and read the progress of their work. Their final report when it is presented to the President will be the basis of a solution based on lessons learnt.

Q: The mandate of this UN Expert Panel was extended till the end of February. Isn't there a chance that their report will be released during the course of the Human Rights sessions?

A: No. The Panel was appointed to advise the Secretary General. It did not materialise as a result of an inter-governmental decision taken at the General Assembly or at the Security Council. I presume at the end of their mandate they will submit the report to him.

Q: During the 2009 special Human Rights Council session on Sri Lanka, we had the backing of many African and Middle Eastern nations. Some of these nations like Egypt, Libya, Jordan and Sudan are experiencing instability in their own countries. In this backdrop are we not in a vulnerable position at the UNHRC?

A: No, on the contrary we are in a stronger position, because of the genuine progress the country has achieved after the conflict. We are in a much better position than during the conflict.

Those who supported us at that time are very happy at the progress we have made. Those who were not with us at the time have to be reached out to and engaged in constructive dialogue. That was part of my mission in Geneva.

We need to keep in touch with their heads of missions based in Colombo, maintain regular contact in a systematic, proactive and transparent manner. I don't want to mention the names of those who were not with us during the conflict. That's something in the past.

Sri Lanka being a relatively small country in the international community, it is in our interest to develop ties and good relations with everyone without limiting ourselves to a certain geographical region.

I can't see the disinformation campaign against Sri Lanka ever succeeding. If they could not achieve that during the height of the conflict, how would they be able to achieve it when all these developments are taking place? Of course there will be the negative constituencies who would like to continue to harp on war crimes and paint a different picture.

Q: Former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert O. Blake has commented that Sri Lanka risks a forced international investigation if the country fails to meet world standards in probing human rights issues domestically. Does this imply the LLRC is short of International Standards?

A: I don't think he's saying that. Anyone observing the kind of personalities appointed to this Commission would not say that. The personalities in this Commission are people of stature and eminence.

They are not lackeys of the government. They have held sittings out of Colombo, in areas where the conflict took place. They have met people from all walks of life and listened to their stories. There was an interim report with strong recommendations. I have no doubt that even the final report will be based on the true voices of the people. This independent commission was never appointed to whitewash, it was an endeavour to learn from past lessons.

The Government is already acting on the interim recommendations. An inter-agency committee headed by the Attorney General has been appointed to speed up implementation. I have no doubt the LLRC's final report will be equally independent.

No one can question the bona fides of this commission. It is in line with international standards. Before it was established, we studied the best practices world over on independent commissions. We looked at the South African model and the Chilcot Commission in Iraq as well.

Anyone looking at this commission objectively will never challenge its standards. Only if you have a different agenda one would say this is a commission consisting of Sri Lankans, therefore it is not independent. I think anyone commenting on this domestic process should reserve their comments until the LLRC completes their mandate and the final report is submitted.

Q: But, some international human rights groups have denounced the LLRC?

A: They have been given an opportunity to share whatever information they possess before the LLRC, but these groups have rejected the offer on the basis that this was a Sri Lankan investigation. This is wrong. It demonstrates that these people are not interested in finding the truth. They have preconceived notions that human rights violations took place here and that someone should be punished. That cannot be allowed.

Q: The debate on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka seems to intensify by the day, especially on the heels of the UNHRC Sessions each year?

A: We have done what needs to be done. Winning the peace is really our challenge. It is imperative for the country to prosper after a long dragged conflict. The LLRC is just one arm of the various other measures that the Government has put in motion towards reconciliation among the different ethnicities and greater stability in the country. The international community by and large understands our efforts.

If Sri Lanka needs to be probed on its war on terror, then how many other countries should be investigated likewise? There should not be double standards. Sri Lanka was the only success story in recent times.

This was a conflict which happened within the country. We did not invade another sovereign state to fight terror. This was a decision that had to be taken. What the international community should do is to acquit Sri Lanka and support us in this difficult time to win peace.

Q: Any discussions over the heightened activities of the rump LTTE in the West while in Geneva?

A: I made a specific note in my statement at the inauguration on this. I put on record several countries in the West who have arrested LTTE activists and pursued legal action while seeking continued and tougher action to curb their activities in the future.

I think those countries have realised that it is dangerous to allow people who are living in their soil to get involved in illegal activities. Not only would it destabilise a friendly country but it would also invite trouble in their own lands.

In a leading country in the West, when they had elections some years back, the candidates from the party in power got money thrown in by LTTE backers. The opposition at the time then made proscription of LTTE one of their election pledges. Following the election the opposition came to power and they did act upon their pledge. They saw this as a dangerous development. The LTTE earns money from illegal activities like gun running and money laundering.

The international community has realised now that nurturing the LTTE is dangerous and they are tracking down these dangerous elements. We saw the European Union renewing the proscription on the LTTE recently. We welcome their decision. We were not informed of the nitty-gritties of the EU decision but they may have done their own assessment.

We hope tougher legislature will be introduced by the countries where the organisation is banned to crack down on the rump LTTE - to stop their street campaigns and forcing people to participate in protests, holding placards of Prabhakaran and LTTE flags. These help propagate LTTE ideology.

The LTTE operatives have once again started extorting money from the Tamil diaspora.

The threatening calls have again started. Invariably this money is used to tarnish the image of the country and buy weapons.