Reposing faith in PSC vital

Over the past five years LTTE sympathisers have invariably timed their anti-Sri Lanka campaigns prior to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) sessions. This time around, there is no exception as the next UNHRC session comes up in Geneva next month.

A section of the Tamils outside Sri Lanka, LTTE sympathisers and several INGOs are making a concerted effort to sully Sri Lanka's image and bring the country's Security Forces into disrepute. They have already set their hidden agendas in motion in a well orchestrated manner, in the hope that they could impress the UNHRC by projecting a gloomy picture of Sri Lanka.

Only last week, it was reported that Amnesty International (AI) had received 50,000 Canadian dollars from the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), widely considered a front organisation of the LTTE, which was crushed militarily in May 2009.

The controversial donation to AI was made known officially by CTC Chief Suntharamoorthy Umasuthan at a recent Thai Pongal dinner at the Grand Baccus Banquet and Conference Center, 2155 McNicoll Ave., Scarborough.

It was disclosed that there were over 500 guests, each forking out a neat 100 Canadian dollars. Politicians representing major political parties, including the ruling party were among those present. Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty was a special guest at the fund-raiser, along with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran. At a time AI has descended to its lowest ebb by guzzling monies collected through LTTE shadow organisations, could anyone expect impartial conduct from the international human rights watchdog?AI is one of the few vociferous organisations campaigning for an international inquiry into alleged human rights violations and accountability issues in the final phase of Sri Lanka's relentless battle against terrorism. Surprisingly, some INGOs such as the AI and certain countries seem to be unduly perturbed over the human rights of LTTE terrorists who were killed, rather than the thousands of innocent civilians who had been harassed and brutally massacred by the same ruthless terrorists.

CTC has been spearheading a campaign in Canada to move a resolution against Sri Lanka at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva over accountability issues. Nevertheless, CTC's intentions became abundantly clear after its lavish contributions to AI.

Rather than making a sincere effort in Sri Lanka's reconciliation process, AI continues to level baseless charges against the Government with loads of false allegations and concocted stories merely to satisfy the CTC and other shadow LTTE organisations. AI, which is hand in glove with the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) and International Crisis Group (ICG) turned down an invitation to testify before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

The CTC Chief, in his address, thanked Canadian Premier Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for supporting their 'cause'. One could well and truly understand the conduct of Harper and Baird who targeted Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in Perth last year. At the time Canada raised Sri Lanka's 'accountability issue' at the UNGA and opposed Sri Lanka being the host of CHOGM 2013. Thanks to the majority support of Commonwealth member countries which firmly stood by Sri Lanka, crafty moves to take the 2013 CHOGM out of Sri Lanka were stifled.

Nevertheless, LTTE ghosts, backed by their international sympathisers, spared no pains in exerting pressure on Sri Lanka. A few countries, which project themselves as the godfathers of human rights and champions of the global battle against terrorism, seem diffident to come to terms that Sri Lanka was the only country to eradicate terrorism. They infer that the country's strong political leadership, which received clear mandates from the masses at every given opportunity, is the key to the country's success in all spheres.

Certain international organisations are flexing their muscle to create a political leadership that would dance to their whims and fancies. Knowing only too well that the masses have pledged unflinching support to the President and his Government, these 'elements' are doing their utmost to destabilise the country. By this, they are attempting to rob Sri Lanka's hard-earned peace, achieved amidst immense sacrifices by the valiant Security Forces.

All ethnicities in Sri Lanka should face this hidden challenge courageously and expose it to the international community. Sri Lanka's steadfast unity would send a strong signal to the international community. As President Mahinda Rajapaksa highlighted in Sri Lanka's 64th Independence Day address, the conspiracies and terrorists' overseas propaganda have still not abated. When such things happen abroad, some people resort to various tactics to destabilise the motherland. They look forward to achieve in Sri Lanka certain results similar to those countries. These groups are one and the same. The fuel and nutrition for this struggle in Sri Lanka are received from separatists active in foreign lands.

Sri Lanka would certainly not benefit by trying to appease the separatist groups which receive foreign funds. In the same vein, solutions cannot be secured by implementing the proposals of extremist groups of whatever persuasion, as emphasised by the President. The need of the hour is the formulation of policies based on a vision that is commonly applicable to the entire country.

The international community should let Sri Lanka solve its internal problems through a home-grown solution. They should not attempt to force any solution down our throat. When terrorism was at its peak, threatening to destroy the island, none of these countries, which shed crocodile tears over human rights issues here, uttered a word in support of Sri Lanka. But thanks to the indefatigable efforts of a few friendly countries which sincerely stood by Sri Lanka in its battle against terror, Sri Lankans today enjoy the dividends of peace.

As a democratic state in Asia, Sri Lanka has practised universal suffrage irrespective of gender discrimination for the longest period. It is committed to defend the rights of people to make and break governments through universal suffrage. Parliament, with its elected representatives from various political parties, ethnic communities and religions, is the supreme democratic institution.

Hence, the mechanism to meet the aspirations of all communities lies entirely with the Parliament. Sri Lankans, irrespective of caste and creed should repose faith in the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee in a true spirit of democracy, rather than relying on imported solutions and foreign influences.