Opinion

Pillay acted to the whims of Western forces

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

Over the years the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was made a safe haven for anti-Sri Lankan elements, especially a few Western godfathers and the LTTE rump, which had been conspiring against the legitimate Government during the time of its chief Navi Pillay.

The moderate people the world over did not wish to look at the UNHRC with suspicion due to an individual and the high handed acts of Pillay. That was because the UNHRC had originally been formed with the good intention of protecting human rights.

Unfortunately, a few powerful nations had used the UNHRC as a platform to use human rights as a tool to intimidate countries which does not dance to their tune. Pillay merely acted to the whims and fancies of those Western forces.

However, we thought Pillay’s successor would not adopt the same views and face the challenge in a transparent manner, without allowing the LTTE rump to manipulate things and prevent the Tiger rump using the UNHRC as a stage to echo their separatist agenda.

How far the new UNHRC chief Zeid Al Hussein be successful in reinstating the reputation of the UN human rights body is left to be seen.

Child soldiers

Northern Provincial Council member Ananthi Sasitharan had met the new UN Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Al Hussein during a social gathering held on Child and Women welfare at the Office of the United Nation Human Rights Commission in Geneva recently.

Reports said that Sasitharan briefed the UNHRC chief on the issues faced by Sri Lankan women and children, especially in the North and East. Fellow NPC member T. Raviharen had also participated in the meeting.

We wonder whether Prince Zeid Al Hussein knows the true colours of Sasitharan, whose husband was responsible of killing thousands of people during the LTTE terror.

Her husband Elilan, a top LTTE leader, was responsible of dragging young Tamil boys from their homes and forcing them to serve as the child soldiers in the LTTE child brigade.

Now that her husband is dead during the humanitarian operation, Sasitharan has put an innocent mask to woo international sympathy.

She has conveniently forgotten that her ‘missing’ husband was responsible for forcibly taking away scores of children and men during the last stages of the battle against terrorism

Has the UNHRC forgotten or ignored these stark facts when she was allowed to meet Prince Hussein? On a previous occasion too, she was given airtime of NGOs representing causes of other countries to bemoan about a ‘missing’ LTTE terrorist leader.

Terrorist husband

On that occasion, the Geneva gathering, while holding buckets for Ananthi's tears did not stop to wonder how ‘innocent’ Elilan actually was.

On June 5, 2014 over 300 protesters showed exactly what Sasitharan’s ‘missing’ husband Elilan had been upto. UNHRC, at least at this late stage, must stop and wonder whether they should moan the LTTE leader or the hundreds of missing children and men whose fate was only known to the LTTE. What puzzles peace-loving people across the globe as to why the hub of human rights chose not to ask the question from the spouse herself as she sat before the Geneva gathering shedding crocodile tears and even shook hands with the new UNHRC chief.

Sasitharan had the shock of her life when she arrived at the Mullaitivu Magistrates courts on July 21 for the continuation of the case filed by her. She would never have expected hundreds of Tamils to brave the scorching heat to protest and demand to know what Sasitharan and her terrorist husband – senior LTTE leader Elilan, had done to their children. The situation became even worse when Sasitharan had to eventually seek solace of the Security Forces she and the TNA want to throw out of the North.

Unfortunately, certain countries in the West have conveniently forgotten the notorious track record of Ealilan. What was Sasitharan doing when her beloved husband was hunting for Tamil youth, to be forcibly recruited in the LTTE as child soldiers? Why was Sasitharan given airtime of NGOs representing other nations to stand before the UN and talk about her ‘missing’ LTTE husband?

Gunpoint

If Sasitharan had been a strong campaigner for human rights, she would have done it when her husband was alive, protesting the uncountable number of such violations by the terror outfit of which her husband was a senior leader. But she had not uttered a word on human rights when the LTTE was at its best, killing thousands of innocent people by exploding massive bombs and dragging children from their homes at gunpoint to enroll into the Tiger child brigade. Where was Sasitharan then?

She had been a firm admirer of the terror outfit of which her husband served as top most leader. Elilan is a man who had done nothing but unleashed misery not only to the Tamils in the North and the East but also to 21 million people in the country. Sasitharan had turned a human rights activist overnight after the death of her husband notorious for terrorism.

These are the stark facts the new UNHRC chief should take into consideration before shaking hand with a woman with such disgraceful record. Sasitharan is taking cover of human rights to hide her sins and support the LTTE rump. Her intension is not to voice for human rights of Tamils but use human rights as a tool to discredit Sri Lanka and its Government, thereby supporting the Tiger rump.

Freedom

Sasitharan should understand that Tamil politicians have regained their right to indulge in party politics because the LTTE was militarily crushed.

When the Tigers in their brilliant best, they did not permit Tamil politicians to express various views and continue politics in the two provinces.

Instead, the LTTE silenced the democratic Tamil leaders at gunpoint and they had no option but to fall in line with the LTTE due to fear of their lives. Even Sasitharan would not have got this political freedom if her terrorist husband had been alive.

Hence, Sasitharan should be grateful to the Security Forces for eradicating terrorism to create a peaceful atmosphere for all communities to live in perfect peace and harmony.

If terrorism has not been eradicated under the political sagacity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa we would have still been subjected to LTTE bombs and mass-scale devastations.

As President had disclosed at the inauguration of the 8th General Assembly of the ‘International Conference of Asian Political Parties’ (ICAPP) at the Nelum Pokuna on Friday, external forces under the guise of democracy and other enticing slogans sought to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

In today’s emerging trends in the world, including in parts of Asia have given signals that alarmed the Asian Community.

They show little concern about destabilising nations. External forces encouraged domestic disharmony and Asian countries have seen how the media including social media is being used by the forces that are continuing the cause of division, separation and terror.

As we seek to harvest the fruits of economic growth in the Asian Century we have also to look at unity in facing up to other issues of importance that are important to build peace and stability in Asia. If the Asians are united, no force on Earth, especially those in the West, could not meddle in internal affairs of Asian countries.

Terrorism

Each time the West has meddled in Asian affairs, they had aggravated the situations in those countries. Lives of over 1.5 million Iraqi people would have been saved if US did not illegally invade that country, occupy and take over assets belonging to Iraq which has been going on without abatement for the last 10 years.

Thanks to the unmatched political leadership of President Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka beat all overwhelming odds to get rid of the scourge of LTTE terrorism. While the US, UK and other countries in the West still struggle to overcome terrorism in their countries, Sri Lanka has been a shining example. But those so-called godfathers in democracy and champions of human rights are reluctant to admit that.

They often undermine Sri Lanka’s Hurculine achievements in the battlefield against the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit, instead of making use of the country’s expertise to crush world terrorism.

What the US-led NATO forces have failed in Iraq and Afghanistan for years has been achieved by Sri Lanka’s valiant Security Forces in little over three years.

Sri Lanka is the first and the only country to eradicate terrorism. Does the West feel ashamed to admit this stark fact? If not, they should have grabbed Sri Lanka’s first-hand experience to save thousands of people who are being killed due to terrorist acts in the world.

If those who shed buckets of crocodile tear on human rights violations and victims of terrorism are sincerely interested in practising what they preach, Sri Lanka’s shining example in eradicating terrorism could be used as a role model to save lived of thousands of people the world over.

Instead, they continue to exert undue pressure on Sri Lanka by levelling baseless human rights allegations because they do not like to admit that a country such as Sri Lanka had achieved such impossible task. Moreover, certain Western countries do not like Sri Lanka overcoming terrorism and heading towards economic prosperity.

They wish most small countries battling with never-ending problems so that the West could continue to dictate terms.