Peace prevails in Lanka - no travel advisories needed

by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

Various countries, especially those in the West, issue travel advisories from time to time. At the early stages, these travel advisories were issued with good intentions, based on the security and other ground situations in various countries. Travel advisories were earlier issued purely with the intention of protecting their citizens who travel to other countries.

But it is high time to question whether present day travel advisories are issued solely with the intention of protecting and advising their citizens or with a hidden agenda to paint a gloomy picture of countries which don't dance to the melody of the West.

We don't deny the fact a country has to issue travel advisory with the sole purpose of warning their citizens who intend to travel to risky destinations. But such travel advisories should be based purely on the true security situation and not to suit their political agendas against other nations.

LTTE vanquished

There had been various adverse travel advisories against Sri Lanka when LTTE terrorism was at its peak. Such travel advisories were quite understandable as there had been an uncertain situation in Sri Lanka then, not knowing when the Tiger terrorists would explode their next massive bomb targeting the public. But all such terror acts are now things of the past as the Security Forces had vanquished the LTTE and the Government has ushered in peace.

Since the LTTE was militarily crushed in May, 2009, there hasn't been a single act of terrorism and peace and normalcy have been fully restored. The resettlement and demining process have been successfully completed and the entire nation is peaceful with the people in the North and the East too being given a new lease of life.

The Government, under the unmatched political sagacity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has not only restored peace for all nations to live in harmony, but has also developed infrastructure facilities.

Apart from mega development projects across the country, including the North and the East, the city of Colombo has been given a new look. Colombo is now on par with any city in the world, be it in beauty, cleanliness or security.

Sri Lanka much safer

If one takes only the security aspect, Colombo is much safer than any major city in the West, especially in countries such as the US or the UK. While most Western countries take extraordinary security precautions fearing Al Qaeda attacks, Sri Lanka looks much safer without a single terror act being reported for over four years.

Surprisingly, the self same countries which struggle to protect its citizens from terror attacks still issue adverse travel advisories against Sri Lanka.

If the security of their nationals is the sole concern in issuing travel advisories, they should never have done that as their own cities are risky for the people in those countries.

The Ministry of External Affairs recently requested the United States to lift its travel advisory on Sri Lanka. The Ministry took prompt measures to correct the rumours spreading in the US about travelling to Sri Lanka.

The US State Department's latest travel advisory warns that foreign women should exercise vigilance in Sri Lanka, due to an upswing in sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas.

It states that travellers, especially women, should consider travelling with other people whenever possible as Western women continue to report incidents of verbal and physical harassment by groups of men.

Isolated incidents

The Ministry of External Affairs affirmed that such a situation does not prevail in Sri Lanka. Ministry representatives had made submissions as to why Sri Lanka should not be considered in such a manner and why the advisory should be removed.

Foreign Secretary Karunathilaka Amunugama said that a delegation from the US Embassy had informed them that they would make representations to the US State Department in this regard.

It is sad that some countries in the West try to project isolated incidents as common acts and paint a different picture. Moreover, women are more vulnerable to various attacks in most Western cities than in Sri Lanka.

Apart from such adverse travel advisories issued with other agendas in minds, human rights is another tool that has been effectively used on countries which do not blindly believe what the West pontificates.

Certain Western countries have bandied human rights and reconciliation to intimidate Sri Lanka after the Security Forces liberated the country from the grip of LTTE terrorism.

Instead of hailing Sri Lanka's spectacular achievement, which set an example to the world in eradicating terrorism, certain international organisations and Western countries pontificated on reconciliation and human rights to appease LTTE cohorts in their countries.

Plethora of statements

Some politicians in the West, who survive on the vote of adopted Tamils from Sri Lanka, dance the fandango around the LTTE cohorts.

On the pretext of advocating reconciliation, they only exerted pressure on the Government to gratify LTTE cohorts and a section of the Tamil diaspora. Two successive Resolutions against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had only rekindled fresh hopes among LTTE cohorts.

It is still fresh in our minds how some world organisations and certain Western countries spared no pains to thwart Sri Lanka's humanitarian operation and pump the last drop of oxygen to moribund Tiger terrorists. They issued a plethora of statements to retard the advancement of the Security Forces.

However, Sri Lanka's friendly countries proved their mettle and overwhelmingly supported President Rajapaksa in his praiseworthy efforts to liberate the people from the clutches of LTTE terror. Some international organisations and certain Western countries took Sri Lanka to task during her relentless battle against terrorism. The UNHRC was no exception and the statements by its head Navi Pillay renewed fresh hopes in Tiger terrorists.

When Sri Lanka was at the receiving end of LTTE terror, the West preached to us on peace while it went all out to crush Al-Qaeda terrorists. When the LTTE was militarily crushed, the West exerted pressure on Sri Lanka over displaced persons and made a big hue and cry.

Speedy resettlement

Although Sri Lanka resettled over half a million displaced persons in the North and the East in double quick time, thereby setting new world standards, the West is now showing extraordinary concern in Sri Lanka's reconciliation efforts. What is more intriguing is the manner in which certain Western countries expect Sri Lanka to perform miracles and do something that no other country has achieved so far. Sri Lanka's speedy resettlement of displaced persons, which no other country had done after a terrorist situation, sent shockwaves around the world.

UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has eventually accepted Sri Lanka's invitation and plans to visit Sri Lanka later next month. She would have definitely changed her mind, had she done so earlier.In April 2011, Sri Lanka initially invited her to tour the country, but the visit was put on hold for reasons better know to Pillay.

Instead of coming here to gain first-hand experience to make her on assessment of the true ground situation, Pillay seems to have been misled by LTTE cohorts. Her sweeping statements on Sri Lanka had clearly shown that her knowledge on Sri Lanka's achievements and development is far from reality.

Sri Lanka considers Pillay's visit as part of its continued, transparent and proactive engagement with the High Commissioner and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Pillay's visit would undoubtedly enable her to experience first-hand the significant strides Sri Lanka has made and the efforts underway in reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

Reconciliation process

What the international community should bear in mind is that barely four years had elapsed since the end of ruthless LTTE terrorism that had devastated the country for nearly three decades. They should give Sri Lanka more room to implement its own reconciliation process which has already been implemented.

Pillay's forthcoming visit would not only be an eye-opener to the UN human rights chief, but also to other Western countries which are making ludicrous statements on Sri Lanka due to ignorance. Hence, Pillay's visit would help build a platform for constructive engagement between Sri Lanka and the OHCHR, debunking the fallacies that guided the UN system's actions and engagement with respect to Sri Lanka and its reconciliation.

The LTTE cohorts and a section of the Tamil Diaspora might intensify their campaign against Sri Lanka on the lead up to the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held here in November. All what they want to do is to try their level best to prevent at least a few Commonwealth leaders coming to Colombo as that would enable the international community to get a true picture of the ground situation in Sri Lanka which is wide apart from what the LTTE cohorts have been projecting in the West.

One reason for some Western countries to have a negative picture of Sri Lanka is the sympathy the Tamil Diaspora and LTTE cohorts have gained by projecting a dismal picture of Sri Lanka.

If they have any idea whatsoever of the real ground situation in Sri Lanka, most of them would no longer tolerate LTTE cohorts in their countries. Hence, sweeping statements made by certain countries are being done mainly due to the fact that they are ill-informed.

CHOGM

Though countries such as Sri Lanka are often targeted, human rights violations and restrictive practices in other parts of the world that warrant more urgent and immediate attention and action continue unabated for reasons best known to the West. Hence, Sri Lanka has reiterated time and again that such politicised action runs contrary to the ideals and principles of the Council and must be arrested forthwith. But the hosting of 2013 CHOGM will be an ideal opportunity for us to showcase enlighten the international community and demolish the campaigns of LTTE cohorts.

The West must support Sri Lanka's ongoing reconciliation if they have a genuine concern for the people in the North and the East, who had been subjected to untold misery when the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit was at its peak. Moreover, it only caused mistrust about the international process among Sri Lankans while negatively impacting on the country's reconciliation efforts.

President Rajapaksa had on several occasions invited all those who level allegations against Sri Lanka to visit the country and see for themselves.

The aspirations of the Tamils rescued from the jaws of death are poles apart from the Tamil diaspora and LTTE cohorts in the West. In this scenario, Pillay and the leaders of the Commonwealth countries will be afforded a golden opportunity to understand this stark truth.

Sri Lanka considers such visits as part of its continued, transparent and proactive engagement with the Commonwealth and the OHCHR. If the international community is sincerely interested in the well-being of the people in the North and the East, they must feel the pulse of those who had been liberated during the world's largest human rescue mission, and not merely go by what the domiciled Tamils campaign in the West.