Opinion:

Western countries ignore rights violations in other States

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

The sole business of the British Foreign Office and House of Commons is to discuss matters pertaining to Sri Lanka. The principal business of the US State Department is to monitor situation in Sri Lanka and bring annual resolutions. The United Nations Human Rights Council has been formed to monitor human rights situations in Sri Lanka only.

The Oluvil fisheries harbour in the Eastern province which was opened recently.

Don't be surprised if an ignorant primary schoolboy includes the above three sentences in an essay! It is fair even an adult arrives at such conclusion from what we hear from the international media these days.

It seems the British House of Commons has no other business than debating for hours on issues pertaining to Sri Lanka. When the US is pressed with numerous problems, including serious worries on unemployment, its lawmakers are lavish enough to allocate time to debate on Sri Lanka.

The British Foreign Office appears to be giving preferential treatment to Sri Lanka as if Sri Lanka is the only country in the world, other than the UK. They devote more time on Sri Lanka when there have so many countries to concentrate on their diplomatic affairs.

No time

On the other hand, the US State Department is so eager to "help Sri Lanka" that it is devoting its precious time to put forward resolution after resolution to the UNHRC on Sri Lanka.

As far as the UNHRC is concerned, the mandate it had got is only to look into human rights of Sri Lanka and nowhere else. UNHRC chief Navi Pillay is so generous about our people that she devotes all her time to look into the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Since that prime task had kept her extremely busy, Pillay has no time whatsoever to look into human rights violations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Though these assumptions are factually incorrect, they are practically right.

Could anyone challenge that those assumptions are practically incorrect if one goes by the conduct of the UNHRC, British Foreign Office and the US State Department.

No other country has caught so much of attention of the three institutes than Sri Lanka. While turning a Nelsonian eye on grave human rights violations of the US-led NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the UNHRC is more concerned about monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka as Pillay wants to mete out justice for LTTE terrorists killed in action.

Terror outfit

Only a few have even uttered a word on thousands of civilians brutally killed by the LTTE in his three decades of terror. But the UNHRC has a greater business to indulge in -- to look into the human rights violations of the Tiger terrorists killed when confronting the legitimate Army of a sovereign state.

While the US has the unlimited freedom of going that extra mile in the name of terrorism, Sri Lanka has continuously been intimidated for the 'sin' if killing Velupillai Prabhakaran and his barbaric terror outfit.

While the US soldiers who had killed Osama Bin Laden are treated as war heroes, our brave soldiers who fought life and limb and liberated over half a million people from the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit are being treated as war criminals. This is nothing but the typical hypocrisy of the West.

The UNHRC and all other godfathers of human rights appear to be at a faster sleep when the US invades the Pakistan airspace to launch drone attacks that had killed thousands of civilians, including women and children. But had there been a single resolution or a fact-finding mission against them?

As President Mahinda Rajapaksa had told the United Nations General Assembly a few years ago, there can't be two types of terrorists -- one to the West and another to this part of the world. There are no good terrorists and bad terrorists. Be it in any corner of the globe, terrorism brings nothing but agony to human life. Hence, all types of terrorism across the globe should be vanquished in equal fashion.

Legitimate right

Ever since the 9/11 attack, the US has been making a vociferous noise on the need to eradicate terrorism. But the sincerity of that call could be judged how it has treated Sri Lanka after it crushed the LTTE terrorism. We admit that the US has a supreme right to protect its citizens against terrorism.

That is why they go that extra mile to crush the Al Qaeda. But at the same time, Sri Lanka too has a similar legitimate right to protect its people against terrorist attacks. When over a 20 million people had been suffering due to LTTE terror, none of those godfathers of human rights and war against global terror were there even to utter a word on behalf of us.

It was only a few friendly countries who stood by us and supported President Rajapaksa in his determined political leadership to the battle against terror. Now that the countries has been liberated and the people are enjoying rich dividends of peace, there enough and more self-appointed experts to preach us.

Bodies of dead LTTE cadres and those terrorists missing have conveniently been credited to the Government's account. More than half of the LTTE terrorists had not been in their uniforms and once they had thrown their weapons after getting injured, most INGOs had counted them as civilians killed in action.

Alleged disappearances

Even the Tamils who had fled to other countries by boat for greener pastures too have been counted as either those missing or civilians killed by the Security Forces. The Government too is keen to expose this to the world though a complete local mechanism. That is precisely why the President has extended the mandate issued to the Presidential Commission to investigate cases of alleged disappearances of persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by six months to August 12, 2014, as increased numbers of submissions are received by it.

The Commission has, to date, received approximately 16,000 complaints from all parts of the country.

The first rounds of public hearings in the Jaffna District concluded Feb. 17, 2014, where it heard submissions from 984 persons in the towns of Chavakachcheri, Kopay and Jaffna.

Earlier, hearings were held in Kilinochchi from Jan. 18-21, 2014, where submissions from 440 persons were received.

The three-member Commission, comprising Maxwell Paranagama (Chairman), Mrs. Priyanthi Suranjana Vidyaratne and Mrs. Mano Ramanathan, is mandated to inquire into and report on alleged abductions or disappearances during the period June 10, 1990, to May 19, 2009.

Witnesses

Earlier, the Commission had received 13,700 complaints from all parts of the country of which approximately 9,300 complaints of disappearances are of civilians and 4,300 are of security personnel.

The Chairman of the Commission has said the Commission was well received. "Everyone, including government officials and religious leaders were cooperative," he was quoted as saying.

Responding to concerns over the weekend that witnesses could be intimidated, Paranagama had stated that the Commission would not hesitate to take severe action against any person trying to intimidate witnesses who appeared before the Commission.

"I will take any available legal provisions to deal with it," the Chairman had said. The work of the Missing Persons Commission addresses recommendation 9.51 of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

This is one example that Sri Lanka is making its own effort in reconciliation, following the recommendations of the LLRC Report.

But no force on earth could force us anything and disrupt the hard-earned peace. As Head of Mission to the European Union, Ambassador Amza had told the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Countries in the South Asia (DSAS) last week, Sri Lanka is concerned about the continuation of selective adoption of country-specific actions in the HRC, driven by electoral compulsions of some Member States, as these efforts can erode the credibility and impartiality of the Council.

Impartiality

Sri Lanka categorically rejected the previous two Resolutions adopted by the Council in March 2012 and 2013, respectively, as they were a result of a politicized and ill-conceived process, that polarized the membership of the UNHRC.

It was in contravention of the UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251, as well as the Human Right Council Resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 which call for cooperation and genuine dialogue as well as impartiality in the method and conduct of the work of the Council. However, notwithstanding our rejection of the resolutions, the Government is continuing with its genuine and credible commitment to the reconciliation process within the framework of its own mechanism, the National Plan of Action on the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC.

Although it was stated that the next month's third Resolution to the UNHRC on Sri Lanka are to "help and encourage Sri Lanka to achieve reconciliation and durable peace", the hidden agenda is crystal clear.

The LTTE's three decades of terror affected every aspect of Sri Lankan life. Unfortunately, we in Sri Lanka, during the conflict, did not see relentless efforts by certain countries to "Bring the global spotlight on Sri Lanka" , through resolutions, or INGO publishing reports, or TV Channels with the sinister motives, airing documentaries episode after episode, coinciding with important events related to Sri Lanka, to help the country and encourage her. All those who are on a crusade against us were in a deep slumber then.

Prejudiced

Now that Sri Lanka had successfully fought its own battle and begun a new lease of life, part of the international community seems to be in a mad rush to pronounce judgements on Sri Lanka which are preposterous.

Their patience is said to be wearing out and are of the view that only intrusive measures and ultimatums would yield results.

A section of the International Community has been prejudiced.

They have already prejudged that our own efforts are insufficient and substandard to resolve the unprecedented issues and challenges that we had to face at the end of the conflict.

Sri Lanka has proven them wrong by resettling almost all 297,000 displaced persons, clearing over 98% of areas identified for demining, rehabilitating 11,758 ex-terrorists including all 594 child soldiers, providing livelihood support to the returnees and rehabilitees/beneficiaries, rebuilding the North with over US$ 3 billion worth investments, phasing out security presence and withdrawal of high security zones, holding elections even in the former theatres of conflict, establishing civilian administration and institutions, maintaining a healthy economic growth, and also, embarking on a domestic process of reconciliation just an year after ending the conflict, and the painstaking efforts taken since July 2012, to implement the recommendations.

Regrettably, there is greater reluctance to acknowledge what the country has achieved with its limited resources, but with the unlimited desire and will, to do what is right for the country.

The peace we achieved did not come in a platter. It was due to the supreme sacrifices of our brave sons that we enjoy this rich dividends of peace. It was not only for the Sinhalese but for Tamils and Muslims too.

It was the Tamils who were benefitted most as they were liberated from the clutches of the LTTE terror and serving as a human shield. Let Sri Lanka make its own progress, just as it had won the battle against terror.