Opinion: 

NGO goons jump the gun

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

Certain local NGO goons have been greatly disturbed by the Government’s reminder regarding the rules and regulations governing the Non-Governmental Organisations that operate in Sri Lanka.

An UNHCR ID card

Former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has compared the bloodthirsty Tigers to the genocidal Cambodian dictator Pol Pot. Here the scene in Maradana following a bomb attack by the LTTE in March, 1998. (File photo)

They jumped the gun by coming out with a range of wild allegations and concocted stories that the Government trying to restrain the activities of NGOs. If NGOs are working according to their original principles and working for the betterment of the masses, the Government would always welcome them and facilitate their activities.

But when certain NGOs, under the guidance of their INGO funding agents, are acting in an unbecoming manner which threatens the national security and the country’s sovereignty, then the Government will have to show them the door. But it doesn’t not mean that the Government rejects the presence of NGOs here and some organistations render a yeoman service for the less affluent people.

Reminder

The NGOs and their Western godfathers need not push the panic button as the Government has only reminded the local NGOs on the pledge they had given at the time of registration and called on them to abide by the law of the land. That is nothing unusual. It wasn’t an attempt at restrain NGO's activities but only a general reminder to act according to their mandate.

The National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organisations merely reminded NGOs to act according to the mandate issued by the Director/Registrar. But certain NGO goons notorious for their sinister activities and betraying the motherland in their lust for foreign funds went to town. They came out with several cooked up stories to discredit the Government with false information to misguide the public.

The Acts that are in force on NGOs are clearly mentioned in the website of the NGO Secretariat. There are no legal provisions to act beyond the mandate. Certain interested parties and NGO goons are trying to link the recent reminder on the mandates given to the NGOs with other issues and paint a dismal picture of Sri Lanka in the eyes of the international community.

Approval

It is universally accepted for a legal framework to be in place governing the conduct of NGOs and the action by the Government is in accordance with such practice. It is recalled that the work of Non-Governmental Organisations in Sri Lanka is based on the provisions of the legal framework provided.

The aforementioned instructions, issued by the Director/Registrar of the NGO Secretariat were sent to all NGOs registered with the NGO Secretariat.

As required by the related Regulations, all NGOs registered with the NGO Secretariat are liable to submit annual Action Plans containing details of the activities which would be undertaken in the forthcoming year for approval.

In the event that NGOs conduct press conferences, workshops, training journalists, and disseminate press releases, which are not connected to the activities in the approved annual Action Plan, those NGOs would be acting beyond their given mandate. Unfortunately, certain NGOs had exceeded their mandates.

Unfounded concerns

The Government has consistently facilitated the work of NGOs throughout the country, given their important contribution to enhance the welfare and socio economic development of the people. Regrettably, some organisations had sought to misjudge these efforts and express unfounded concerns without verification.

While 1,421 NGOs have been registered with the NGO Secretariat and continue to carry out their activities legitimately in the country, only a few are not abiding by the regulations. It is universally accepted that the NGOs or INGOs should respect the law of the land that they are operating from.

The Government's decision not to be a part of the international investigation by a team appointed by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is praiseworthy, as the country can challenge the credibility of the evidence collected unilaterally.

All concerned parties should be represented in any investigation for it to be fair and valid. The vague identity of the people and non-availability of a chance for cross question drastically reduces the credibility of the investigation.

The eyewitnesses constitute powerful evidences in any investigation. Most of the evidence before the international investigation team would not be from persons inside the country but from those among the LTTE sympathisers of the diaspora. Sri Lanka has ample reasons to challenge the international investigation process before the international community as it follows a biased, partial and invalid process.

Hostage

The omission in the UN resolution of the blatant violations of human rights of about nearly three hundred thousand people by the LTTE during the last phase of the battle against terrorism by shelling them and taking them hostage, proves the partiality of the entire process.

Several LTTE suspects arrested recently in Malaysia were found holding UNHCR refugee cards. The UN should seriously concentrate on the procedure it follows when registering persons on its list of refugees, as it is being misused by the persons involved in terrorist acts.

The UNHRC, especially its outgoing head Navi Pillay, has been making a big hue and cry over the human rights of the LTTE cadres killed in action. Many of them had not been in their military attire. Hence, once they throw their weapons after being injured in the battlefront, the INGOs and the UNHRC had counted their dead bodies as civilians who had been killed in the crossfire.

Terrorists

That is far from the truth and the UNHRC was making a desperate attempt to give a human facelift to Tiger terrorists killed in action. Pillay and her cohorts only talk about the human rights of the LTTE terrorists killed in action and not the human rights of the Tamil civilians in the North who had been forcibly held as a human shield.

The Security Forces liberated those hapless civilians from the clutches of LTTE terror and the UNHRC should pay a tribute to those brave soldiers who had scarified their life and limb in the world’s Largent human rescue mission. Instead, the Western godfathers of human rights are levelling unreasonable war crime charges against those valiant soldiers.

Example

The terrorists and the LTTE rump have used the UNHCR refuge card as a cover to their operations in several countries. But the UN has acted as a toothless tiger against those abuses and the grave violations of the human rights by the LTTE terrorists. The UNHCR card does not provide immunity for any suspect before the law. Hence, even such persons could be produced before court and punished for the crimes.

All countries must collaborate with Sri Lanka to confront LTTE terrorism abroad, taking the Malaysia’s action as a shining example. Sri Lanka has all the right to raise concerns, if persons with terrorist links use UNHCR card as a shield to escape from the law. The UN should adhere to thorough screening of persons before granting refugee status.

The UN body for refugees said that it was unable to comment on the suspected LTTE terrorists holding their official refugee status cards.

Three Tiger terrorists with international refugee cards were apprehended by the local authorities recently. There are over 4,000 Sri Lankan refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia. They comprise about three percent of the 145,025 foreigners who have UNHCR cards as at May.

Unacceptable

The UNHCR should not issue refugee cards to anybody and everybody without proper scanning. Most of the LTTE remnants have been actively involved in fund raising and re-organising for the LTTE. The countries which do not support Sri Lanka in arresting the LTTEers are supporting terrorism.

Someday, these countries will experience the bitter consequences of nourishing terrorism. Shielding LTTE suspects by giving them refugee status is totally unacceptable and a violation of international law and norms. Seeking refugee status in search of economic and political protection is an organised racket widespread in the world today. The UNHCR should seriously take these developments into account.

Australian Labour Party's last Foreign Minister Bob Carr, has ridiculed refugee advocates’ “urban mythology” about endemic persecution of Tamils in Sri Lanka, saying the previous government “couldn't find a single case” of returned asylum-seekers being abused by authorities.

Refugee advocates argue Tamils should not be returned to Sri Lanka because they fear persecution but Carr had said that Sri Lanka was “not doing badly” given its decades-long battle against the “bloodthirsty” Tigers, whom he compared with genocidal Cambodian dictator Pol Pot. It is a pity that the UNHRC has failed to take serious not of the advancements Sri Lanka has made since the defeat of the LTTE terror.

Military training

A large number of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim youth in the Eastern Province too have joined the Sri Lanka Army during a recruitment drive held recently.

A total of 426 youth have joined the army under the program. Upon recruitment, they will be directed to various professions to perform their duties as drivers, clerks, computer operators, carpenters, painters, welders, plumbers, masons, mechanics, electricians, draftsmen, store keepers, generator operators, aluminum welders, cooks, artists and tile fixers. Furthermore 133 tradesmen will be attached to 6 SLAGSC (Kandakadu Farm) according to their educational qualifications and vocational training.

Recruiting Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim youth in Eastern Province was begun at the beginning of this year and at the first stage 111 Tamil girls were recruited to the army and it is intended to recruit 700 Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim males this time. These recruits will undergo an introductory military training before they are deployed as tradesmen in various projects. They will be provided with all entitled facilities according to their ranks. This could also be considered as a significant milestone towards national reconciliation.