Opinion:

UNHRC Chief's visit: Manna from heaven for bankrupt media institutions

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

Last week's visit here by the UNHRC chief Navi Pillay has provided bread and butter to certain bankrupt media institutions which have been filing 'breaking news' stories from the point of her arrival at Katunayake BIA.

We wonder whether Pillay, or even her boss UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for that matter, had got such undue media coverage in any part of the world before. Perhaps, such media conduct could never be found anywhere in the world as some media here were anxiously waiting for some controversial or adverse remark from Pillay.

Peaceful atmosphere

But it was a different Pillay who came to Sri Lanka, declaring that she is here with an open mind, sans presumptions. That was a positive mark from Pillay though she and her UNHRC appeared to be on a fast asleep when Velupillai Prabhakaran and his goons were subjecting people in the North and the East untold misery.

Where were Pillay and the so-called godfathers of human rights when the human rights of over 21 million people had been violated by the LTTE? Now that the terrorism has been eradicated and a peaceful atmosphere has been restored for one and all to live in harmony, there seems to be enough and more people to pontificate to us on human rights.

Human rights is something that has been associated with our culture and heritage for nearly 2,600 years. Several Western countries have abused human rights of Sri Lankans by invading our country, the British being the last. They brutally killed civilians without showing any respect whatsoever for human rights.

Human rights

It is deplorable that the self same people, along with the US and several other countries, had brought two successive resolutions against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. Respecting human rights is not an issue that should be debated as all human beings would unanimously accept that on principle.

But that should not be applicable only to countries such as Sri Lanka while turning a blind eye on human rights violations by some of the powerful countries. There can't be double standards and if the UNHRC is sincere in its efforts, Pillay should show transparency by not using two different yardsticks.

Without shedding crocodile tears only on the final phase of Sri Lanka's relentless battle against terrorism, the UNHRC must take the entire three decades of LTTE terror on the whole and evaluate it. It is unfortunate that some Western countries only talk about the human rights of terrorists killed in the Nandikadal lagoon, without taking into consideration the gross human rights violations of the LTTE by exploding bombs in broad daylight to kills thousands of civilians.

Sri Lanka is the only country that did not face a single incident of terror after the LTTE was defeated in military terms in May 2009. This is a unique instance since no other country which combated terrorism experienced such a peaceful postwar atmosphere. Sri Lanka not only became the only country to successfully defeat terrorism but has achieved significant milestones since then in resettlement, development and reconciliation.

Over 300,000 displaced persons have been resettled while another 12,000 have successfully been rehabilitated and integrated into society. A large number of Tamil persons have been given the opportunity to enlist with the Security Forces.

The government, under the direction of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allocated Rs. 525 million to provide livelihood project loans to the rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres and civilians affected by terrorism during the past three decades. Around 4,700 loan applications have already been received from rehabilitated LTTE cadres and arrangements are in place to provide loans for them to start livelihood development projects as soon as the officials completed processing them.

Vocational training

Over 11,600 ex-cadres have already benefited from the loans provided during the first and second stages which covered nearly one-third of the ex-combatants who had undergone rehabilitation and it is around 40 percent out of the total number of rehabilitated LTTE cadres.

These applicants are entitled to receive a maximum of Rs.250,000 as a loan after submitting a project proposal detailing the project they wish to launch as their livelihood based on their skills. The reintegrated cadres have received vocational training as part of the rehabilitation process to enable them to be self-employed. These loans will be given from the end of this year after their applications are processed by the Government Agents and then sent to the Rehabilitation Authority under the Prisons Reforms and Rehabilitation Ministry.

Why can't the international community see these positive developments, especially the peaceful atmosphere the one and all enjoy after the terrorism was eradicated? The people in the North and the East have begun a new lease of life.

If the UNHRC is sincerely interested in protecting human rights across the globe, it could no more play the role of a toothless tiger when it comes to the atrocities of the LTTE. Nearly 5,000 security and police personnel believed to have been abducted and 'disappeared' during the 30 year war had perished at the hands of LTTE terrorists having being subjected to torture.

Abductions

Though the LTTE diaspora is harping on losses incurred by the LTTE, no one spoke about or highlighted the injustices caused to these Security Forces personnel and innocent civilians and violations of their human rights. The LTTE engaged in abductions and kidnappings for almost three decades. They began abducting security forces personnel in an organized manner from 1981 and thereafter continued a spree of such abductions and kidnappings until Prabhakaran and men were perished at the Nandikadal lagoon little over four years ago

Nearly 3,500 Security Forces personnel, 1,200 policemen and 1,180 civilians had disappeared at the hands of LTTE terrorists. In addition, the LTTE had abducted over 1,000 Tamil youth and forced them into terrorist ranks. It has now come to light how the LTTE abducted army personnel, denied them of food and eventually shot dead. But neither Pillay nor the world human rights watch dogs utter a word on their human rights.

The nation recently remembered the innocent civilians killed at Aranthalawa twenty eight years. On August 14, 1985, a group of armed LTTE terrorists raided a Sinhalese village at Aranthalawa in Ampara. They Tigers butchered seven villagers after subjecting them to unspeakable acts of torturing.

Hacked and murdered

This was a time when people in the so-called border villages hide in the surrounding jungles at dusk to escape from LTTE killing spree and to protect their families as the terrorists used to raid their villages usually at night. On that fateful day, a group of LTTE terrorists armed with sharp weapons hacked and murdered seven innocent villagers including children after torturing them at Namalwatta village, in Trincomalee district.

This is one of the many LTTE atrocities which had not caught the attention of any of the world human rights bodies, which continues to harp on the human rights of LTTE terrorists killed in action.

The pro-LTTE networks are using money to bribe politicians in key Western nations, in order to get them to agitate against Sri Lanka and its Government on human rights issues. Hence, the international networks are more sympathetic to the LTTE cohorts.

Economic progress

Hence, there are enough and more reasons for the majority of Sri Lankans to believe that the the United Nations is biased. They believe that Pillay's has already prejudged, going by the sympathetic statements she had made during Sri Lanka's battle against terrorism. Pillay should not allow the LTTE rump to use her as an instrument to keep their separatist dreams alive.

On the other hand, it is heartening to see Pillay has seen at least one positive thing! She has noted the government's heavy investment in reconstruction in the Northern Province on a positive note and also the appointment of a Presidential commission to go into disappearances.

The world should make a careful evaluation on the efforts the Government has taken to restore peace and stability since the terrorism was eradicated. The country has made a significant advancement in the reconciliation efforts.

The crushing of terrorism has enabled Sri Lanka to make a steady and ambitious progress in its economy. The World Bank's new country director assigned to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Ms. Françoise Clottes sees "high potential" in Sri Lanka.

At a recent meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees, Ms. Clottes has said that the government has put in place some ambitious goals, but what "is more remarkable is that (work on those objectives) is well under way," and the World Bank's role in the country now is "more about how we can help more." Clottes has been invited to visit rural parts of the country to get a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of Sri Lanka as her direct interact with people will help her to tell the true ground situation to the world.

National security

Telling President Rajapaksa that she feels "privileged to be placed in Sri Lanka," Ms. Clottes said that the World Bank remains fully-aligned with the government's vision for the country. These are some of the positive advances which the international community make serious note of.

What matters is the well-being of the majority of the people. If the human rights of over 21 million people are protected at the expense of a few hundred of armed terrorists, there is nothing to crow about.

The countries such as the United States go to the very extreme in the name of their national security. We have no issue whatsoever in that as the US Government has every right to protect its people from terrorist attacks.

Similarly, Sri Lanka and its Security Forces have merely exercised that legitimate right as a sovereign state to protect our people from LTTE terror. There can't be two types of terrorism to suit the West. There are no good terrorists and bad terrorists.

But the conduct of some Western countries gives an idea that there are two types of terrorists - the good terrorists in countries such as Sri Lanka and the bad terrorists. While the countries in the West could to anything under the sun to crush 'bad terrorists', they urge countries such as Sri Lanka to protect the human rights of the so-called good terrorists.

What is precisely why we have emphasised that human rights could not be used as a tool to threaten smaller countries while the UNHRC remain mum on the human rights violations of the US-led NATO forces in countries such as Afghanistan. If the UNHRC has been transparent and impartial with its conduct, it should also investigate the human rights violations by the US forces in Afghanistan. We hope Pillay would soon tour Afghanistan to meet unfortunate war victims and relatives of civilians killed by US drone attacks in Pakistan.

Meddling in internal affairs

It is unfortunate that some powerful nations in the West and the UNHRC is merely targeting Sri Lanka as if they don't have any other work, without meddling internal affairs of Sri Lanka. Isn't human rights of over 21 million people are more important than that of a few hundred armed terrorists?

None could prove that there is a so-called ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. That is something that the West and the INGOs have entrusted on us to thrive by using issues in Sri Lanka. If there is an ethnic issue in Sri Lanka, Tamils and Muslims could ever have become powerful Ministers, Provincial Governors, Parliamentarians, Chief Ministers or hold key public service positions as Ministry Secretaries and Central Bank Governors. There are enough and more examples at present and even in the past.

There is no ethnic barrier in Sri Lanka. If the people in the North and the East have a problem, that is purely because of their geographical location and facilities that they get being a remote area. Such problems are not exclusively to Tamils. Both the Muslims and Sinhalese living in these areas experience the same problems.

But the Government has invested a staggering amount for infrastructure development in these two provinces, giving preferential treatment over the other seven provinces. As a result of the Government's preferential treatment to the North and the East, successful completion of the resettlement, the two provinces have shown an unprecedented growth rate of over 22 percent, compared to the country's overall growth of around seven percent.

Considering the manner in which the Government has invested on development, it has been the people in the other seven provinces, majority of who are Sinhalese, that are discriminated and not Tamils.