OPINION

Tamil diaspora misusing freedom:

Interfering Western politicians play the diplomatic card

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

Countries have their own immigration and emigration laws. Those who obtain entry visa to a country should be abide by those laws. But certain Western politicians must be thinking that they have immunity and could indulge in any activity once they get a visit visa as a tourist.

A vegetable market in the North

Army personnel in operations against the LTTE. (File photo)

But when the law-enforcing and immigration officials apprehend them or question them, they play the diplomatic card and seek immunity, saying that they are legislators in their countries.

Over the years and even during the height of the LTTE terror, many Western politicians and INGO officials did the same thing.

They have made it a habit of entering Sri Lanka on tourist visa and they indulge in politically motivated activities or spy work. It is a pity that some Western countries expect countries such as Sri Lanka to practice something which they don't follow under any circumstance.

Political activity

Knowing that the interested sinister elements in the West would come here to cook up stories ahead of the forthcoming United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) Sessions in Geneva, Sri Lanka now keeps a close track on the activities of such international agents.

According to Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the government has received information that certain foreigners, arriving in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, get involved in political activity, Some of those tourists, who arrive here, remain in the country even after their tourist visas expire and once they are arrested or questioned for violating immigration and emigration laws, they try to interpret it as a 'human rights violation'.

At present, it is difficult to obtain a visa to go to Western countries such as Canada and the United States of America. In contrast, foreigners have the freedom to arrive in Sri Lanka on tourist visa and enjoy their visit.

However, we can observe that the Tamil Diaspora is trying to misuse this freedom. As the Defence Secretary has quite rightly pointed out, the Government cannot allow anyone to violate immigration and emigration regulations.

Bomb attacks

There are people involved in terrorism and manufacturing of bombs, who are now trying to speak about human rights. We cannot allow people to go about projecting false propaganda on human right violations against the country.

These people don't even know the meaning of the term human rights.

The human rights of LTTE terrorists killed in action is much more important to certain politicians in the West than the human rights of civilians killed by the mass-scale Tiger bomb attacks and indiscriminate firing.

The motive behind Canadian MP Rathika Sitsabaisen's recent visit to Sri Lanka is known only to her. But some interested parties attempted to make a big hue and cry over a so-called house arrest at a time the Canadian parliamentarian herself had denied media and website reports that she has been placed under house arrest in the Jaffna Peninsula.

She had arrived in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa and cannot act in a manner that would contravene Immigration and Emigration Regulations. Reports said that TNA parliamentarian Sridharan, a known LTTE sympathiser, had got down his niece to do some spy work in the North ahead of the UNHRC Sessions in March.

Sitsabaisen who was accompanied by an Indian youth had visited many sites in Jaffna including kovils and other places of worship and video graphed them.

For what purpose has she done so? Was she trying to project the ethnic harmony that prevails in the country or finding ammunition for another Channel 4 act?

Support material

Could anyone say that the Jaffna-born Canadian parliamentarian Rathika was touring Sri Lanka from December 28 to January 3 to exchange pleasantries with her long lost kith and kin? Certainly it was not a joy ride but a well-orchestrated act to find support material and a part of 'foreign-influenced activities' that are well known to her parliamentary colleagues. Harper regime and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) may be knowing the true nature of her visit.

It is well known that the CSIS Security Liaison Officers (SLOs) are posted at Canadian diplomatic missions worldwide.

They collect relevant information from foreign police services and security intelligence agencies and from open sources, such as newspapers, periodicals, domestic broadcasts and official documents.

The 32-year old adopted Canadian's track record and the Harper regimes' 'special' interest in the minority Tamil issues in Sri Lanka, she is undoubtedly an 'informant' or an 'asset' to the CSIS as she could use her diplomatic immunity as a Canadian parliamentarian.

She is one of the several 'global' links to the overall attempt, campaign and maneuvers currently unleashed by the pro-separatist elements within the Tamil Diaspora in Canada, the United States and many European Union nations to disrupt the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.

Illegal activities

Hence, policy planners of Sri Lanka's national security apparatus needed to evaluate her visit on a 'tourist visa' and not on official diplomatic visa to the country and spending all the while in the Jaffna region.

Sitsabaiesan's stint here was a splendid fact finding mission that will replenish Harper's 'coffers' of intelligence network on Sri Lanka to share with the US State Department's Office of Global Criminal Justice. Her case is one of the several such incidents in the past but local officials now keep a vigil eye on all those illegal activities.

We wonder whether Sitsabaiesan had a chance of visiting any of LTTE's mass grave sites. Even if she had done so, she would not have recommended the Canadian government to expose them at the UNHRC.

Four more skeletal remains were found at the suspected mass grave. Excavation commenced last week at the site where earlier skeletal remains were found and four more skeletal remains had been recovered buried north of the former Forward Defence Line (FDL) of the LTTE at Thirukedeeshwaran junction at Manthai. With the latest recovery, a total of 15 skeletal remains had been so far recovered.

Mass grave

Earlier, Water Supply and Drainage Board workers stumbled on at least three skeletal remains buried at a location in the coastal district in Mannar where they were laying a new water pipe. They had been making excavations to lay pipes, when the detection was made last month.

The Government ordered a top level investigation following the recovery of skeletal remains buried north of the former Forward Defence Line (FDL) of the LTTE at Thiruketheshwara junction, at Manthai.

It is believed that it was a mass grave belonging to LTTE terrorists where they have hurriedly buried all their prisoners before they vacate the area when the Sri Lankan armed forces began their operation against them.

The unmarked mass grave found in Mannar the first discovery of an unmarked gravesite since the LTTE was militarily crushed nearly five years ago.

These are the things which the UNHRC should discuss seriously, instead harping on human rights of the Tiger terrorists killed in action. It would have been ideal if British Prime Minister David Cameron visits these places before setting deadlines to Sri Lanka.

War crimes

The US ambassador at large for war-crimes issues, Stephen J. Rapp is due to arrive in Sri Lanka next week for a five-day official visit and will meet several government and civil society leaders for talks. Rapp, the Ambassador-at-Large, Office of Global Criminal Justice will travel to Sri Lanka from January 6 to 11, his second trip to Sri Lanka as Ambassador-at-Large.

During the tour Rapp will meet with a broad cross section of government officials and political and civil society leaders on a range of issues. But it would be ideal if Rapp makes it a point to visit the LTTE's mass grave in Mannar at which many soldiers had been buried. If so, he could get first hand information on one of the many war crimes committed by the world's most ruthless terrorist group.

Countries such as the US go that extra mile in the guise of their national security. But they bring successive Resolutions against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, accusing that we have violated human rights. Doesn't a population of 21 million people have the right to protect against indiscriminate bomb explosions by the LTTE while the US drone attacks kill innocent civilians in Pakistan?

Anti-American sentiment

The US has been saying that Al Qaeda is the biggest threat to world pace, it has now been discovered that it is vice-versa. The US has been voted as the most significant threat to world peace in a survey across 68 different countries.

Anti-American sentiment was not only recorded in antagonistic countries, but also in many allied NATO partners like Turkey and Greece.

A global survey conducted by the Worldwide Independent Network and Gallup at the end of 2013 revealed strong animosity towards the US's role as the world's policeman. Citizens across over 60 nations were asked: "Which country do you think is the greatest threat to peace in the world today?"

The US topped the list, with 24 percent of people believing America to be the biggest danger to peace. Pakistan came second, with 8 percent of the vote and was closely followed by China with 6 percent. Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and North Korea came in joint fourth place with 5 percent of the vote.

The threat from the US was rated most highly in the Middle East and North Africa, those areas most recently affected by American military intervention.

Moreover, the survey showed that even Americans regard their country as a potential threat with 13 percent of them voting the US could disrupt global status quo.

Time is now opportune to have a greater dialogue at world level, rather than allowing a few countries to take the UN to ransom and tame their opponents.