Opinion:

US undermines post-terrorism reconciliation

By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

Ambassador-at-Large, Office of Global Criminal Justice, Stephen J. Rapp is touring Sri Lanka at a time the people in Buttala mark the sixth death anniversary of 27 civilian bus passengers killed in a roadside claymore mine and subsequent indiscriminate firing by the Tiger terrorists.

Instead of making statements to resurrect the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit, the United States must sincerely demonstrate its commitment to eradicate global terrorism.

The US is undermining Sri Lanka's post-terrorism reconciliation by strengthening the hands of those who had been propagating unsubstantiated war crimes allegations against Sri Lanka. As Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has quite rightly pointed out, the US had made common cause with them for some strange reason at the expense of US-Sri Lanka relations.

First and foremost, the US must address its own accountability issues in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya before pointing an accusing finger against Sri Lanka. We respect the US's thinking that they could go to any extent to protect its people against terrorism. But at the same time, the US should bear in mind that each and every single sovereign state, irrespective of their extent, population or military capability, has the same right to protect themselves against terrorism.

Illegal invasion

More than a decade has lapsed since the illegal invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies. But they have failed to explain yet how their intelligence services had come with reports of weapons of mass destruction, none of which was found.

Though the US pontificates to us on accountability, they are yet to conduct a credible investigation into the manner in which former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was captured, tortured and executed in October, 2011 at Sirte. Before preaching to us on human rights and accountability issues, Rapp must first and foremost ask his own US Government whether they had conducted an investigation into the killing of the Libyan leader for reasons best known to them.

Rapp must peruse detailed accounts of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) during the final phase of the Vanni offensive. The OCHA reports give a clear picture of measures taken by the Government to address humanitarian issues on the Vanni east front. The then US ambassador in Colombo Robert O. Blake, too, had been involved in the monitoring process and Rapp could access all required information without any difficulty from that end.

Double standards

Those who had been blindly pushing for an international war crimes probe here had conveniently forgotten the then US Defence Attaché here Lt. Colonel Lawrence Smith's claim in Colombo in June 2011 that there had never been organised surrender by the LTTE fighting cadre. It is most appropriate for Rapp to obtain all those first-hand information from Lt. Col. Smith who is the best person to brief on the situation.

Rapp need not tell the Government and its democratically elected leaders who had received a huge mandate from the people, how to run the country or protect its people. The President and his Government is fully capable of managing local affairs and we don't need any extraneous force to meddle in Sri Lanka's internal affairs.

The US should give up its double standards without being blind to the ground situation here. Sri Lanka had always cooperated with the US in its fight against terror and had even gone to the extent of handing over a top Al Qaeda suspect arrested while hiding in Sri Lanka to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in accordance with what the US media called extraordinary rendition.

Sri Lanka's post-war rehabiliation project to reintegrate former LTTE combatants into society has come in for criticism from the United States.

The US has faulted President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government for releasing those who had fought for the LTTE without prosecuting them.

Apology

As Western Provincial Council Minister and Jathika Hela Urumaya Deputy Secretary General Udaya Gammanpila has said, Rapp should tender an unconditional apology for the blunder he had made by carrying a baseless allegation on war crimes against Sri Lanka posted on the official Twitter account of the US Embassy. It looks obvious that Rapp had come to Sri Lanka with a prejudiced mind on war crimes.

Rapp is on a timely mission, preparing the ground for human rights violations allegations against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in March - the ultimate motive of his visit to Sri Lanka.

Those who have studied Rapp's conduct won't be surprised by the tweet, as they know that he had came to make this kind of statements here.

But the members of the UNHRC should not be misled by this type of imprudent diplomatic mission.

It is obvious that the US has an ulterior motive to punish Sri Lanka using the fig leaf of war crimes. Sri Lanka never committed war crimes and all those baseless allegations have been instigated by the campaigns by the LTTE rump and a few Western politicians who have been funded by Tamil Diaspora.

Accountability

It is we who know the suffering that a 21 million population underwent during the LTTE's three decades of terror. Neither the Rapp nor any of the Western peace merchants were there to protect us when LTTE terrorists indiscriminately killed thousands of people in broad daylight. If not for the country's valiant Security Forces, we would still have been subjected to those untold hardships.

Just because US or UN tells us to expedite the accountability process, Sri Lanka just can't initiate any process instantly. To investigate and punish our military officers, there should be substantial evidence against them. Those who come out with wild and baseless allegations against the Security Forces must produce whatever the evidence possessed by them to prove their claims. But they have failed to do so, proving the fact that those are baseless and fabricated allegations. No action could be taken

without concrete evidence.

The External Affairs Ministry must call for an explanation from the US Embassy in Colombo in respect of the tweet "St Anthany's Ground - site of Jan 2009 killing of hundreds of families by army shelling".

The allegation therein that the Sri Lanka Army shelling had killed hundreds of families at St Anthany's Ground, Iranapallai is completely baseless.

Baseless allegation

According to people who live in that area, the LTTE had used the ground as a place to handover the bodies of their cadre who succumbed to injuries received during fighting. If this place was not safe the LTTE would never have used it for that purpose. They also confirm that there never was an incident of shelling on this ground when civilians were present.

What is the most disturbing is to see a baseless allegation of this nature being released by the US Embassy without any credible verification.

Although the reason for this release is best known to them, this could be part of a much larger campaign that they intend launching in the near future. It could also be considered as an attempt to give credence to otherwise baseless allegations that have been propagated by some governments and separatist elements with the support of some international media organisations.

Though some people in the West now try to act as babies, it's they who had proposed Sri Lanka to go to the very extent in the guise of terrorism.

Fortunately, Sri Lanka has not taken their advice. Even though the US recommended that the Sri Lankan government swiftly acquire cluster bombs to target the LTTE, the country never felt the need to do so.

The US had made the recommendation in the wake of the Oslo arranged Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) between the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. It was among a series of recommendations made to the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force to strengthen their capabilities during the CFA.

Although Sri Lanka hadn't been signatory to an international convention that prohibited the use of cluster bombs, the government refrained from acquiring the capability in spite of US recommendations.

We all know how Bishop of Mannar Rev. Rayappu Joseph and Bishop of Jaffna Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam had conducted themselves during the height of the LTTE terror.

They are a disgrace to the Catholic Church which has always voiced against the indiscriminate killings by the LTTE. But the two Bishops, especially the Bishop Rayappu Joseph, have always made statements that would pamper LTTE terror.

It is deplorable that Bishop of Mannar Rev. Rayappu Joseph and Bishop of Jaffna Rev. Thomas Saundar-anayagam had come out with wild allegations to support Rapp's hidden agenda.

The recommendation that the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) acquire Cluster Bomb Units (CBUs) for 'unarmoured area targets' was made by USPACOM (United States Pacific Command) assessment team following a study conducted from September 12 to October 24, 2002.

USPACOM was acting on the instructions of the Department of Defence in the wake of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe seeking the intervention of US President George W. Bush.

The US advice was meant to prepare the armed forces to face any eventuality in case of the Norwegian peace initiative coming a cropper.

Guided weapons

After a close study on the capabilities and weaknesses of the SLAF, the US had suggested that the service deploy CBUs, guided weapons for Russian Mi-24 helicopter gunships and Kfirs, multi-role combat aircraft in service since January 1996. The US stressed that guided weapons were necessary as they had to engage LTTE targets situated close to friendly forces. It is the same country that is now coming out with a totally different accusation to discredit Sri Lanka.

Whatever resolution is brought against Sri Lanka at the forthcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva, the government is prepared to face any challenge posed as a result. As Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said, bankrupt politicians and political groups in the country are spreading disinformation about Sri Lanka to achieve their petty objectives.

The government had allowed any international group the freedom to visit Sri Lanka and experience the prevailing situation and conditions because it had nothing to hide. He said all these false allegations of human rights violations had surfaced after the defeat of Prabhakaran's cruel terrorists at the Nandikadal lagoon.

If the West is sincerely interested in eliminating global terrorism, they must use Sri Lanka's expertise and first-hand experience.

Taming Sri Lanka and coming out with baseless war crimes allegations would only support global terrorism. Sri Lanka is a shining example on eradicating terrorism and if the US attempt to undermine that achievement, it would give fresh hopes to terror groups such as Al Qaeda.