'UNP-Maithri deal akin to diaspora demands'

Plantation Industries Minister and former Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who led the Sri Lanka team to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and fought against certain Western, elements when negative resolutions were brought against Sri Lanka says the UNP-Maithri agreement echoes what the LTTE diaspora and the anti Sri Lanka bloc in the West had expressed in its series of negative resolutions at the UNHRC.

Speaking to the media at a recent press conference Minister Samarasinghe emphasised the danger of bringing the Common Opposition to power.

The excerpts of the press statement:

"The intentions of the opposition camp came to light with the leaked agreement between the UNP and the Common Candidate. The people who have joined the opposition camp are not those who love this country. Intentionally or unintentionally, they have become partners of a conspiracy against Sri Lanka.

"The new Health Minister Tissa Attanayake who was with the UNP until recently exposed an agreement between the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena. There are conditions detrimental to country's security.

"I speak with experience. I have been heading Sri Lanka's team to Geneva since 2006. On all those occasions, those who were working against Sri Lanka, pressing human rights charges, demanded what I just quoted from the UNP-Maithri pact, the agreement that they have reached to work together in the forthcoming election.

"The LTTE diaspora too took part in the Geneva sessions and their demands had been the same. When we met them, they demanded why we cannot cut down on military presence, why the High Security Zones cannot be removed and why the 13th amendment cannot be implemented in toto which would give sweeping powers to the Northern Provincial Council.

"In the first resolution against Sri Lanka which was presented in the UNHRC in 2009, the first draft had the condition that 13-A should be implemented in toto. Then I discussed with other members of the UNHRC and explained why it cannot be done. I said the Government has no resolution to grant police and land powers to the provinces. We intervened and managed to remove the word 'full' from the resolution and leave as 'implementation of 13-A'.

The extremist LTTE diaspora always demanded the full implementation of 13-A and have been clamouring for land and police powers, among other things. This document which is allegedly signed by the UNP and the Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena contain the same set of conditions that the LTTE diaspora and certain Western countries had demanded. They have echoed the very same sentiments that were in the negative resolutions passed against Sri Lanka.

"We looked after 300,000 Tamils who were forcibly held by the LTTE. We looked after them well and resettled them. This 300,000 includes LTTE suicide cadres who had cyanide capsules around their necks.

"Even if they were rehabilitated, we have a very reasonable suspicion that what was instilled in their minds by the LTTE may not have been completely deleted during the two years of their rehabilitation after the end of the war. But we earnestly hope that they will not engage in any destructive activities in the future.

"There is political and economic stability in the country today. The conspirators are now working, out in the open to destabilise the country with the hope of grabbing power.

"The UNP instead of rejecting what is in this document, have announced the intention of taking legal action. If someone produces a letter faking my signature, my first reaction would be to call a press conference and reject those claims outrightly. The first reaction will not be legal action.

"According to the letter it says 50% of the military will be recalled from the North. That is impossible as no government can take out 50% of the military at this stage. If I find what is in the document is wrong, I would not hesitate to declare that this is not my position and I am opposed to this.

"If someone forges my signature in a document which I have no knowledge of and if the document says we will support a power devolution beyond 13th amendment and if that is not my position, I will come before the media and say that this is not what we have agreed on.

"Since 1988, Presidents including J.R. Jayewardene did not give land and police powers to the provinces. There was a very good reason why police and land powers were not devolved. They knew the danger posed by such an action.

"That is why we say the 'cat is out of the bag'. If they did not have these promises in the agreement, why cannot they issue a straight forward denial?, he asked.

 - MF