Vigneswaran former Supreme Court Judge seems to have lost his head, OR is he being made a cat’s paw ?

The half naked Fakirs who want to change the face of Sri Lanka

The TNA Chief Ministerial Candidate Vigneswaran does not only hero worship the Terrorist Prabhakaran,   but he is also preparing to follow Prabhakaran’s path of terrorism.

He is reported to have said, “  Opportunities might arise to resort to arms again in case rights are not offered to the Tamils. Due to ranting, ravings, tormenting, nagging and harassment by the ruling elites, we might be forced to take up to arms”

These words can come only from a cheap third rate terrorists, but not from a former Supreme Court Judge.  We begin to shudder when we thinks what we had as respected Judicial luminaries in Sri Lanka.  One  was a deceitful manipulator of finances filling and emptying  bank accounts and keeping them empty to avoid Tax payments, the other a racist hero worshipping a cheap ruthless terrorist psychopath.

Is that what the TNA is capable of giving to the Tamil people of the North as a Chief Minister ?

Vigneshwaeran is already a stooge of the International Community. He had said that, “  the  Sri Lanka Army which is not needed to our people, should not be present here anymore to subdue us…….We would also inform the international community that this government has failed to implement the 13th amendment to the Sri Lanka’s constitution……Our rights would be attained with the active involvement and contribution of the international community. ”

While again when  Vigneshwaran says, “  we will get the mandate of the people and pack up the Army away, if in case the government fails to cooperate with us, we will go up to the United Nations.”….. Sampanthan had said, “ We will not allow Sri Lanka government to impose any political solutions on us, that are not acceptable by the Tamil people.”

Cholesterol filled Sampanthan - Dead Terrorist Prabhakaran's fervent Disciple

All this ranting of Vigneshwaran appears to have been pre-arranged.  To what extent the Tamil diaspora has contributed to Vigneshawaran’s fiery elocution ?

Viswanathan Rudrakumaran the self appointed Prime Minister of a yet to be created Eelam barks from his comfortable  kennel somewhere in Canada:

“We cannot sustain hopes of winning over our rights from the existing State agencies through the mechanism of the PC or through other forms of struggle, even with the support of the International Community. The Eelam Tamil Nation could win over its rights only by liberating itself from the bondage of the Sri Lankan State. We believe that the TNA leadership is taking cognizance of this reality,”

Rudrakumaran self appointed Prime Minister of the Tamil Eelam State to come-waiting for the day of his crowning

Rudrakumaran  had further said  that, “ the TGTE is committed to struggle for the creation of a free and sovereign State of Tamil Eelam through political and diplomatic means, and that he is of the firm conviction that the 13th Amendment as well as the idea of Provincial Councils had expired long ago.”

In the midst of all this tirade our Sinhala politicians have yet to awaken for the looming danger.  They have failed to do what is essential and will be taken  by surprise,  perhaps for an unexpected uprising of the Tamils helped by the Tamil Diaspora, the Indian RAW, and the American CIA.

The TNA with the assistant and secret support of the International Community seems to be preparing for a demand for a Eelam State through Self determination.   But Self determination  for the Tamils in the North is definitely  outside  the concept of the theory of Self determination.  In International law, it is stated that nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsions or interference.  

But the North  of Sri Lanka does not fall within this definition.  Firstly the Tamils in the North are a community and not a nation separated from the rest of the country. Its people are not confined to a geographically separate area, but spread across the whole of the island. 

Therefore, a Tamil Eelam State cannot be set up separated from the rest of the Tamil people settled down in different places in Sri Lanka, unless all those Tamils settled down in different places in the South declare their willingness to leave the South to settle down within the confines of the North if it is declared a Tamil Eelam State.

Fr.Emmanuel Leader of Global Tamil Federation running errands for dead Terrorist Prabhakaran

In the mean time the Global Tamil Federation is also showing its presence in the fray of  the Northern PC Election. GTF has issued a statement, that it has, “…… developed a strong collaborative working relationship with the TNA. We have promoted TNA among the international community. Equally, our active engagement with the TNA adds credibility to the political positions we adopt and promote world-wide.”

There would be lot of activity to promote the Tamil Eelam State in the North.  The GTF had further stated :

 “GTF calls upon the Tamil diaspora to help the TNA achieve the best possible victory by impressing upon their relatives and friends in Sri Lanka about the significance of this election. Tamils and others who live outside the North but registered to vote in the North must take the trouble to travel to ensure their votes too are counted in favour of the TNA.

Most importantly, we call upon the Tamils and other communities in the North to take an active part in the election, with the expectation the outcome will prove that a proud community with long history, however mistreated and brutalised, will not give up on the mission to achieve its legitimate political rights and will continue to work towards achieving justice, peace and equality for all.”

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

In this confounded  atmosphere of  still unknown underground activity, Minister and Senior Vice President of the SLFP, Nimal Siripala de Silva, bleats the usual words of appeasement , "The manifesto of the TNA is not a new concept, but if they seek to go beyond that and try to divide the country, we have the necessary medicine for that as well. Hence, there is no need to panic over it."

Nimal Siripala de Silva putting off  for tomorrow what has to be done today

Nimal Siripala de Silva says, “ : "We will take the necessary measures at the right time to safeguard the sovereignty of the country, and against any attempts at division. In the circumstances, we have no need to get unduly worried or agitated. On the 21st, we can see the answer the people will give Wigneswaran and the TNA. ”

But it is despite the Constitution of Sri Lanka that Nimal Siripala de Silva speaks of,  that there was  terrorism, and then TNA  defying the Constitution, openly acting  in breach of it.  Even now what Vigneshawaran had brazenly spoken out  is enough to have him  arrested and Charged under the Anti Terrorist Legislation.

But the Government since it eliminated terrorism seems to think they remain invincible.  Nimal Siripala de Silva is the Chairman of the PSC appointed to propose removal of certain provisions of the 13A, but what has happened to those proposals against the 13A has become a top secret no body dare speak about.

In the mean time the government had been speaking  about reducing  the presence of the Army in the North.  But  is that a wise move when, the Commander of the Sri Lankan army in the Jaffna peninsula, Maj Gen Mahinda Hathurusinghe, said, with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) glorifying the slain Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in its campaign for the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) elections, there was a possibility of reactivating about 4,000 former Tiger combatants, who are still at large.

Maj.Gen Mahinda Haturusinghe

He had pointed out to the speech made by Vigneshwaran which could give courage to those terrorists sympathisers lying low to rise in support of TNA. 

Vignaeshwaran had said, “When Prabhakaran was alive, the President came forward on his own to grant 13 Amendment plus (an improved devolution package). Now that Prabhakaran is no more, the President has begun to speak of 13 Amendment minus and even to the extent of saying there is no such thing as the 13th  Amendment. This is because President Rajapaksa accepted Prabhakaran as a hero. He came forward to yield concessions to the Tamils. But he is not prepared for it now. Prabhakaran is not a terrorist. He was a hero and a warrior who fought for the liberation of the Tamils.”

A Supreme Court Judge Turned follower of a Terrorist

Quite unconcerned  Sri Lanka is still trying to pacify India, like the man being beaten continuing to plead  sitting on his knees for clemency.

The Government of Sri Lanka did not remove the 13A when the time was right to do so,  before declaring the PC elections for the North.  As a result today the government is forced to put up not only with an unwanted 13A, but may also with a PC in the North controlled by the TNA, preparing with forces we still do not know  to demand a separate Eelam State for the Tamil speaking people of the North and East.

A Tamil Man takes the President to his confidence

Whatever is afoot between the Sri Lanka political hierarchy and that of India the Sri Lankan people are unaware. The President Mahinda Rajapakse answering to a question asked by the Hindustan Times: “ 

Relations between New Delhi and Colombo are no longer as close as before, largely due to the demands of politicians in Tamil Nadu ? ” , the President said: “  I cannot comment on South India's politics. But politicians understand politicians so I give New Delhi a wide margin.  And our relationship with India is still very good . ”

In the North of Sri Lanka  there were no terrorists.  But the Indian RAW recruited from among the Tamil youth in the North,  a group  to be trained as terrorists.  After being trained  they were released in the North around 1983, which is no secret any more.  Therefore there is no guarantee that the same thing may happen again, as the Tamil Diaspora is prepared to do any thing to start another bout of terrorism with the support of the International Community and Navy Pillay .

In the recent Defence Seminar 2013  held on 3^rd September at the Galadhari Hotel the presence of a LTTE sympathiser among the selected participants had been detected.  It was reported that investigations are being  made to find out how he had gained admission.  This is a serious security lapse and it clearly shows with all security on place the Tamil Diaspora has means to enter any where in Sri Lanka.

In that situation,  the Army cannot be confined to the barracks during the PC elections in the North, but they should be there in greater numbers and vigilant.  The soldiers should however be cautioned to be careful not to open fire without assuring where , how and against whom they open fire.
Still more worrying is what K.T.Rajasingham of the Asian Tribune was doing  with the TNA Leaders:

Half naked Smpanthan meets a  Traitor (?)

These are exclusive photographs taken by the Asian Tribune photographers at the recently held ‘Nallur Ther festival (2013) where TNA leaders –Sampanthan, V.K.Vigneswaran, E. Saravanapavan, D.Siththarthan are seen. Also in some pictures can see K.T.Rajasingham , Chief Editor of the Asian Tribune with the TNA leaders

K.T.Rajasingham is said to be a good friend of the President. Even R.Premadasa had a good friend who was a Tamil Man.

A different Crowd which may block the way against secession.

The Crowds to hear the President Speak but which way will they vote

JHU withdrawing from the PSC highlights danger of not removing13A .

Science and Technology Minister, Champika Ranawaka stated, that the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has decided not to participate at future sittings of the Special Parliamentary Select Committee to resolve the national question,  as the PSC  has failed to revise the 13th constitutional amendment before the upcoming elections.

We have to felicitate JHU for  its withdrawal  from the PSC to make the people understand the Government’s lethargy and hesitation to take a decision to remove the 13 Amendment or remove the provisions it had decided remove at a Cabinet meeting, when every right thinking citizen agrees that the 13A has no place in the Constitution of Sri Lanka. 

In the PSC delaying to take a decision  on the 13A the Government it has strengthened the hand of the TNA to continue to be bold as to publicly demand  the separation of North and East as a Tamil Homeland.  The President shouts from roof tops that he will not allow  any one to divide the country, but at the same time to please the Commonwealth and India preparing for an Election,  he turns a deaf ear to TNA defying the Constitution  in an absurd  election manifesto.

As time passes the situation in the North will be intolerable if there were to be  a TNA PC in place.  The TNA with its Manifesto has already brought Prabhakaran back into the Election fray making him a hero of the Tamil people.

 All these election rhetoric not allowing the country to be divided by any one  seems a camouflage fearing India’s boycott of the CHOMG on the grounds of the removal of the 13A.

If the Tamils in the North want to have the TNA elected to the PC  with what ever hardships they will bring to the people,  should be allowed for the Tamil people to decide. But even if the TNA were to be elected by the Tamil people of the North, TNA should not be allowed  to rely on the 13Amendment to ask for Land and Police Powers, annexartion of the  North and East, and the right of  self determination to set up a separate Eelam.

This can be assured if  a decision is taken to remove the 13A  before the PC elections in the North.  If not the removal of   the 13Amendment will have the opposition of the UN  and the International Community, and numerous other complications.

Some opposes the Bodu Bala Sena as an extremist Organisation, but the Bodu Bala Sena is the result of the extremism of the Tamil and Muslim Communities of Sri Lanka.  TNA asking for a separate state for Tamils calling them a special community of people, and the Muslims becoming aggressive entertaining Wahabism into their midst want the Buddhists to be silent and accept all their trespass in to the rights and privileges of the Sinhala people. 

It is in that light the rise of the Bodu Bala Sena should be viewed by all those who attack Buddhist extremism.  Bodu Bala Sena in the midst of Tamil extremism and Muslim Wahabism is an Organisation to defend and protect the rights and privileges of the Sinhala Buddhist. It is not Maduluwawe Sobhita Thero who will fight for the rights of the Sinhala Buddhists.

 

If the Government will not remove the 13Amenment from the Constitution no one  should expect Bodu BalaSena to lie low  while a TNA PC Council would take step by step action to separate the North and East of Sri Lanka,  demand the removal of the Armed Forces from the North, and not allow the Sinhala people to settle down in the North.

By the Government not removing the 13Amendment it invites more support for  Sinhala Buddhist extremism.  Sinhala Buddhists had suffered under the colonial rulers and after them the Islamic religious fundamentalism, terrorism of the Tamils, and the claim of special privileges to the Tamil by the TNA.

The people of Sri Lanka should be grateful to the Minister  Champika Ranawaka of the JHU for having had the courage to withdraw from the PSC to  demonstrate to the President and the Government the necessity to take an immediate decision on the removal of the 13A, even if it  were to stop India Participating in the CHOGM.

Was Weliweriaya manifestation planned as a springboard to the like of an Arab Spring ?

When Ranil Wickramasinghe is reported to have said  with a certain assurance at the 67 anniversary celebration of UNP that, “this would be the last anniversary the party would celebrate as the opposition. And “ predicted the party would celebrate its 68th anniversary under a UNP government”

It is time that these political effusions are given serious consideration.   

Ranil Wickramasinghe’s statement  has  a sinister objective if we would read carefully  what he is purported to have said after:
 “ The UNP Leader noting that those who died in the Katunayake and Weliweriya incidents were innocent youngsters .A  Government should safeguard every citizen including youngsters without putting their lives at risk. ”. 

Then he invites the youth to join the UNP, “ if they want to live in a free youth-friendly country.”
He does not stop their but continues that, “…the UNP will take to the streets and protest against the government demanding a general election by the end of this year. ” (ColomboPage 7.8.2013)

It is in the light of this statement of the Opposition Leader, that the Weliweriya incident should be looked into more closely. The lives of the “youngsters” were put in risk by those who invited them to be present at the manifestation.

In Egypt, and  Tunisia the beginning of unprecedented  manifestations  that resulted in ouster of Governments, and in Libya the murder of a political leader started with the rebel groups against the Governments in place, being  encouraged, supported, and used by the International Community, by arming them and training them for armed attacks against  the  Armed Forces of the respective governments.  The International Community is continuing this same tactics with the Syrian rebels.

A government should be allowed to bring the rebels under control using  the government Armed forces, without the intervention or interference by the International Community. It is the intervention of the International Community that aggravates the situation  making it take a greater dimension.
Unfortunately ,the International Community would not intervene to act as “mediators” between the rebels and  the Government with the aegis of the UN to get the parties to come to a political settlement. But instead they  make matters worse by helping the rebels  for an armed attack against the Armed Forces of the Government, with the aim  to oust the Government in place.

If  the International Community is  genuinely interested in the people of Syria and their human rights it should “mediate” between the rebels and the government  to find  a  political solution for the problems .

But the International Community acts differently, with the one intension of “changing the regime” by helping the rebels fight against the Government.  Thereafter,  as in Syria, when  the situation gets beyond control,  the International Community led by France, USA and UK would claim that there had been  chemical attacks by governments against their people and that the International Community should intervene to save the  people.

This is what happened in the case of Sadam Hussan’s Iraq, and likely to take place in  Bashar Al-Assad’s Syria. 

The UN Inspectors in Syria are  there to check whether Chemicals have been used in Syria, but not to investigate who used the Chemicals , was it the rebels backed by the International Community or the Government of Bashar Al-Assad ?

In Sri Lanka too a situations like those of the Middle East would be  most welcome for USA, France,UK, Canada, and the others of their fraternity for a military intervention  to “change the regime”, as it has been evident even to Navi Pillai that such a “regime change” is only possible if  her International cohorts are made to understand that Sri Lanka is not democratic and on the way to be authoritarian.

In order to intervene inside Sri Lanka for a “ regime change” what a better occasion than a PC Election in the North with a most undemocratic political party in the history of Sri Lanka the TNA going pell-mell to give effect to its agenda of setting up a separate Tamil Eelam with the blessings of the UN , USA, Canada, Netherlands,

France , India and UK.  

The slightest error of a shooting or a killing in the North  followed by a manifestation organised by TNA will precipitate the hounds of  International Community to be unleashed against Sri Lanka.

The Stage has been set and UNP seems to be organising themselves to share the spoils. “UNP MP Ajith P. Perera today demanded that the Governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal step down from his post immediately, and accused the latter of leaving out data on malnutrition from Central Bank reports.”

Sri Lanka must be infested with the CIA Agents and their local lackeys, and paid Sri Lankan traitors, along with the Agents of RAW in every corner in the North, and also in the South.  Sri Lanka is at the moment sitting on a “ powder keg”.  The police , the army and the over enthusiastic politicians should tread cautiously on the politically strained paths of the North.

There are far too many contracts given to India what comes into the Island with those contracts one really does not know. The Government is walking  in unknown surroundings.  The locomotives  and  other material bought from India  may carry “ high Tec spy gadgets “ installed in them.  The Government is unable to take wise decisions and the 13 Amendment would be the detonator that would activate the “powder keg” on which Sri Lanka is sitting.

Any attempt to remove the 13Amendment will now  be fodder for the TNA to raise a hue and cry to awaken the hounds of the International Community.

Weliweriya incident is still kept alive by the UNP . To what extent was UNP involved in the  Weliweriya“ incident” ?  

How many were present for the manifestation at Weliweriya ?  It has been said that some former  workers of  the glove factory who are members of the JVP, had been among the  manifesting crowd in Weliweriya. 

Was the crowd unruly  and beyond the control of the Police ?  Why and Who called the Armed forces to intervene ? Who was the soldier who, opened fire ?  Who gave him the order to fire ? 

The problem over which the people manifested in Weliweriya had been settled when the manifestation was going on. Was this fact brought to the knowledge of those manifesting out side the factory ?  If so how was it that the manifestation continued ?  Who instigate hem to continue the manifestation ?

Was there any possibility that:

 (1) the sacked workers who were members of JVP, (2) the Police Officer who asked for Army Assistance, (3) the Soldier who fired the first  shot, (4) the military Officer who gave him the order,  had any contact with any outsider or outsiders before the manifestation in Weliwerya ?  Who organised the Manifestation ?  What was his or their  background ?

These are all important questions to ask, and should be investigated as quickly as possible without allowing precious time to lapse.

People must be kept informed of what is happening  with regard to the proposal of the removal of the 13A or certain provisions of it.  If the 13A was removed or  action has been taken to remove it immediately after the PC elections the TNA’s manisfesto would have perhaps been different. 

Now even Wigneshwaran taking a taste in separatist politics shows signs of  his ambition to become the Chief Minister  more evident, come what may, declaring that Prabhakaran is his hero as well as the hero of the Tamil people.

They are all in breach of the Constitution. It is  a criminal  offence for which the perpetrators could be tried for high treason. The government has not even warned them against the diatribes in the North with a Manifesto which is openly in breach of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.  No one seems to have raised a word against the TNA.

The Government should be vigilant. There may be more “ Weliweriyas” to come ?

Who or what made Navi Pillay conclude Sri Lanka is heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction ?

 

At her meeting with the press  before leaving Sri Lanka after visiting it  with the  complete freedom of movement for seven days she said, “ I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”

That was a very strange statement from the United Nations High Commissioner  for Human Rights, who came to the country in quest of the truth of  violations of human rights of which she had heard, without reliable evidence.  She had at the end decided to pass judgement, again  from what she had heard,  without attempting to separate facts from fiction, believing what see heard without ascertaining their reliability, or whether they are verifiable facts.

She spoke at length on the media freedom, and governments repression of free speech, for which she had perhaps depended not on her own personal evaluations, but going on a petition handed over to her  by the media organisations, namely, “ …  the Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka (FMM), the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), the Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Union (FMETU), Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF), South Asian Free Media Association – Sri Lanka Chapter (SAFMA) and Media Movement for Democracy (MMD).”.

Some of these Media Movements are known for coming forward to make manifestation at every opportunity no matter whether they manifest for the correct issues or the wrong, mostly they manifest for the wrong issues , merely because  they discredit the government which is their principal motivation.

It was reported, that they had made :

 “ a strong case for foregrounding media freedom, the right to free speech and the right to information among the priority areas in post-war Sri Lanka.  Though Sri Lanka guarantees the right to free speech in its Constitution and is a signatory to all relevant international covenants, the seven media organizations informed the UN delegation, these rights have been under severe threat since the past many years.” 

They had pointed out that, “…. 114 media practitioners and other citizens being killed since 1981, in retaliation for their exercise of the right to free speech. The trend has in fact been escalating, with 34 journalists being recorded as killed since 2005.

Had Navi Pillay accepted these accusations on the face value, or had she made any attempt to verify the truth , or the reasons behind such accusations ?
If not she should have examined into the petition before the  facts are accepted or see through them  through objectivity to find out whether they are exaggerations to discredit the government to fit into certain agendas of groups of persons, or countries?

Some of these allegations may have been investigated, or are in the course of being investigated by the relevant authorities in Sri Lanka. But they by themselves cannot be attributed to a Government  “showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.” 

A government has a right to control certain media reports when they are made deliberately  to incite people against the government, groups of people, religious institutions etc.

A country specially a developing Country expects its local media to support the government in its development process without projecting a wrong image of the country to the outside world,  which is more  interest in itself, rather  than in the progress and development of  developing countries.

In that respect the  press in Sri Lanka lacks patriotic sentiments, more critical of the government than appreciative of its contribution to development and progress of the country.

Many Journals of Sri Lanka are well known for “slanting” news  to suit their purpose political or  otherwise.  One of the journalists whose house was burgled recently herself  speaks of false reporting by the media. The journalist Mandana Ismail Abeywickrama  says: 

“…The past week has been a nightmare. Apart from the trauma experienced by my family and myself due to the pre-dawn break in at our residence on Saturday (24), the biggest disappointment has been the actions of certain sections of the media and their false reportage of the incident.”

The Media Movements had added in their petition, “ With the climate of intimidation being pervasive, Sri Lanka’s journalists are compelled to adopt the survival strategies of exile or severe self-censorship.”   This is highly exaggerated as there is no climate of intimidation. 

 
The Udayan paper for instance is inciting racism without hesitating to give false information to discredit the government and the Armed Forces. Such journals should not be tolerated even in a democracy, let alone in a Dictatorship.

The JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva pretending to be a patriotic politician, criticises the Government for political benefit to JVP without caring that such unfounded criticism allow the foreign enemies of Sri Lanka to find  confirmation of  their prejudices against Sri Lanka. 

He had said, that, “ …the international community has been interfering in Sri Lankan affairs in the recent past and the visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to Sri Lanka was part of that interference…..and that “ … the government, at the same time, is violating human rights in Sri Lanka … the government should protect human rights and democracy to prevent outside interference, and that “ … the JVP does not support either the government or Pillay.

Another person on whom Navi Pillai may have relied upon to make her uncalled for remark is   Veerasan Yogeswaran, a 60-year-old Jesuit priest who runs the Centre for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, who had told AFP from his home in Trincomalee,  that five or six plainclothes policemen visited him at midnight and before dawn, just hours after the meeting with Pillay.  He had added that ,  “The concern is that they are going to homes at midnight and questioning people". 

That was just his statement without any verifiable evidence.

The other source of interest that  may have provoked  Navi Pillay’s  comment about Sri Lanka heading  in an increasingly authoritarian direction ” in other terms “a Dictatorship” is perhaps the result of her “pow-wow “ with our erstwhile champion of  the “ West” Ranil Wickramasinghe,  being carried away  in a political flood water is trying to  hold onto any “ straw” to  escape into a safe haven.

 

It was reported  that, the “….Discussions between UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay and the main Opposition last afternoon had focused essentially on post-war erosion of democracy.

 Ranil Wickramasinghe had also said, that the United National Party  has “a draft bill to re-enact 17A (it)was ready and could be passed in Parliament as an urgent bill since it would be certain of obtaining the necessary support.” 

He had said to the reporters, that “We spoke a lot about the freedom of the press,”.  The UNP officials who participated in the discussions had said that they, “raised recent incidents of attacks on the independent media, including the attack on the residence of a senior Sunday Leader journalist and the blockade on the website Colombo Telegraph.”

They said they had also focussed, on, “ the deterioration of democratic values, the breakdown of the rule of law and the increase in religious intolerance. The violence in Weliweriya also came up in the discussions.”

 

The UNP Deputy Leade Karu Jaya suriya had told the reporters, “the party had emphasised the need to re-establish democracy after the defeat of the LTTE. “As the party that ushered independence to Sri Lanka, the UNP has every right to speak of the current democratic crisis in the country” The people of Sri Lanka specially those who vote UNP should see through the falsity of UNP as a National PoliticalParty and reject them at the next general elections.

However, that was enough grist to the mill, and Navi Pillay  perhaps made use of  UNP sounding of a democratic crisis to crown her prejudices by stating that “…Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”

However, in another development elsewhere with Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha meeting the US Ambassador Michele Sission (another Robert O’Blake), they had an hour long discussion on a  10-point proposal by the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) for reforms, including the abolition of the Executive Presidency. 

The 10 points have similarities to the discussions UNP had with Navineetham Pillay, and this too would have been reported to  Navi Pillay for her overall conclusions after visit to Sri Lanka.

Reading through Pillay’s report,  it appears that  she could have made it  without any visit to Sri Lanka as she has apparently  learnt nothing  from her visit that could have changed her pre-conceived ideas about Sri Lanka, except that she has developed a new notion of Sri Lanka heading towards a Dictatorship.

Navineetham Pillai had learnt nothing from her visit, she goes back with the same prejudices she came with.

Navi Pillai has gone. She made a statement to the press.  But from her statement , it appears that after seven days in Sri Lanka she has learnt nothing  new. She goes back with the same notions and prejudices with which she came.

There are different ways of listening, one is  as one who knows nothing- a neutral objective listener, and the other as one who already knows, therefore listen to find evidence to confirm what one already knows. In the case of Navi pillai, she had listened only to confirm her prejudices against Sri Lanka.

After a short introduction of  who and  what she had seen,  and that she will make a further statement  later to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and  a written report in March next year, she said:

 “I will today confine myself to a few key issues that crystallized during the course of the mission. I will divide these human rights issues into two parts: those related to the vicious and debilitating 27-year conflict between the Government and the LTTE, and its aftermath; and those that relate to the whole country.2 Some media, ministers, bloggers and various propagandists in Sri Lanka have, for several years now, on the basis of my Indian Tamil heritage, described me as a tool of the LTTE. They have claimed I was in their pay, the “Tamil Tigress in the UN.” This is not only wildly incorrect, it is deeply offensive. This type of abuse has reached an extraordinary crescendo during this past week, with at least three Government Ministers joining in.”

From her first statement to the media, we may perhaps absolve her as being in the pay of the LTTE, but nevertheless we cannot completely absolve her from her sympathies to the LTTE. (She wanted to offer flowers to Prabhakaran). We see from her statement to the press that she has veered away from the Government’s points of view to accept those of  the  LTTE sympathisers who are still promoting the  agenda of the terrorists, but in a different form, and those who had been recommended  by them , and the parties opposed to the government.

Then she professed her  South African Nationality, of which the apartheid regime had tried to deprive her.  She said, “I am a South African and proud of it.”

But she should have said this to her Tamil interlocutors in the North and East of Sri Lanka who are refusing to mix with the Sinhala and Muslim Communities and say that  “they  are  Sri Lankans and proud of it”. They want to be the  Nationals of a Tamil  Eelam State they are still hoping to create.

The  message Navi Pillai should have given to TNA and others seeking separation, is that it is more important to be a part of the whole, than be a part separated from the whole. 

She  as the UN Commissioner of Human Rights  should seek to establish unity among a divided people instead of fostering it. Therefore, while seeking  evidence of violation of human rights against the government, she should have  also told the Tamil people that it is not in their interest to be separated from the other Communities in Sri Lanka,  but  they should  instead seek  integration. 

Then she says no doubt to prove that she is not the  “Tamil Tigress in the UN”, that  “…… the LTTE was a murderous organization that committed numerous crimes and destroyed many lives. …….. Those in the diaspora who continue to revere the memory of the LTTE must recognize that there should be no place for the glorification of such a ruthless organization.”

Then she paid her respect to those families which  have lost some one they can never replace. She said, “  It is important everyone realizes that, although the fighting is over, the suffering is not.” 

She should know that suffering continues because it is kept alive.  However, it is normal that those who have lost some one or other at one point of time accept the fact of loss and go on living, leaving aside the lamentation.  We cannot go on grieving for the dead, because we have to live for those who are living.

In the holocaust  millions of Jews died a cruel death , so did the Japanese in the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  It did not end there but those powerful, blind to the suffering of the feeble and the  weak  killed in Vietnam, Korea, Libya and continue to kill in Iraq, Afghanistan,  and proposing to continue the same killing  in Syria. In Chile unknown numbers are still missing. Nevertheless, those “who have lost some they can never replace” all  continue to live without complaining about those who have died or gone missing. 

Nearer home in the South of Sri Lanka too there are families who have lost some one they can never replace.  But their grief is not kept alive as it is in the North by the Tamil National Alliance and the Catholic Priests. Thousands of Sinhala police officers and civilians  have been tortured and killed by the terrorists and thousands have gone missing. Navi Pillai did not have a word for them

Navi Pillai had said, “Wounds will not heal and reconciliation will not happen, without respect for those who grieve, and remembrance for the tens of thousands of Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims and others who died before their time on the battlefield, in buses, on the street, or in detention. As one wife of a missing man put it poignantly: “Even when we eat, we keep a portion for him.”

There is a time for grief and lamentation, and then there is a time to  accept the reality of  impermanence and continue to live. It is only then that the  wounds will heal , and the reconciliation will happen .  Sri Lanka has come out of a thirty years of tremendous “grief”, in which practically every one of its citizens had  suffered. Should theycontinue their grief for another thirty years ?

Then she says  how she was moved by  the , “…profound trauma I have seen among the relatives of the missing and the dead, and the war survivors, in all the places I have visited, as well as by their resilience. This was particularly evident among those scratching out a living among the ghosts of burned and shelled trees, ruined houses and other debris of the final battle of the the war along the lagoon in Mullaitivu.” 

These traumas she has evidenced may be several fold in places she had not visited,  like those civilian men women and children being killed by constant drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, killed by  bombardments in Libya, Syria and Iraq.  Because in those places there is not even a Government to look after them, and they continue to live in the debris left after bombardments.

In Vietnam after the use of Agent Orange by the US Armed Forces, 400,000  Vietnamese were killed or maimed, 500,000 children born with birth defects. According to the Red Cross of Vietnam 1 million people are disabled  or have health problems due to Agent Orange. (Wikipedia)

This is not to minimise the suffering of the people in Sri Lanka, but to point out that  in Sri Lanka the Government is making an effort to lessen the suffering that had been caused to them, showing that they are not alone handicapped by their loss, but there is a government to listen to them and make amends as far as it can, and make the life agreeable for those who are living. 

Sri Lanka is after all just four years after eliminating terrorism.  In order to overcome grief and for progress and development every one- the Sinhala , the Tamil, the Muslims and the rest  have to close ranks with each other  and unite to build peace and make Sri Lanka a better place to live together.

Then Navi Pillai says with a touch of sarcasm, “ Throughout my visit, the authorities, at all levels, have been keen to demonstrate to me how much has been achieved in terms of resettlement, reconstruction and rehabilitation in the relatively short period since the conflict with the LTTE ended in 2009. ”

 

That was in fact why Navi Pillai was invited.  It was for her to see for herself that Sri Lanka government not only eliminated terrorism, but it also  resettled  the displaced  providing them with an  environment far more developed and comfortable than what it had been before,  giving them  renewed hopes of  a future for their children  and peace and security for themselves.

That “ keenness of authorities every where to demonstrate the achievements” was not to distract Navi Pillai from what she had been claiming for the last four years  that Sri Lanka violates human rights and the Armed Forces have committed war crimes without even seeing the reality of Sri Lanka, but to make her understand that  image she had formed of Sri Lanka from what she had heard from others is different from the ground reality.

It appears Navi Pillai grudges saying this, but she had nevertheless said, “And the reconstruction achievements, made with the help of donor countries, UN agencies and NGOs, are indeed impressive…………As a result, the great majority of the more than 450,000 people who were internally displaced at the end of the conflict have now gone home.”

But she adds, “These are important achievements, and I understand the Government’s concern that they have perhaps not been sufficiently recognized. However, physical reconstruction alone will not bring reconciliation, dignity, or lasting peace. Clearly, a more holistic approach is needed, and I have repeated my previous offer of OHCHR’s assistance in these areas. ”

Does Sri Lanka really need assistance from OHCHR , “ to provide truth, justice and reparations for people’s suffering during the war” ?

Navi Pillai had failed to see what exactly the  Government is trying  its best to do. The Government is making all efforts  to bring the Tamil people into the main stream of  politics in Sri Lanka, without  a concept of a majority and a minority, but just a nation of Sri Lankans, just like  the Tamils of South Africa are no more a minority but a part of the Nation of South Africa.  What more holistic could it be ? 

It is the Tamils, the TNA MPs and the Catholic Priests in the North that obstruct a holistic approach to a genuine reconciliation of Communities.

Since the elimination of terrorism much progress has been made in Sri Lanka in many field, and the people are benefiting from  those developments to  improve their standard of living . Perhaps Navi Pillai did not pay adequate attention to that fact when she says:

“ There are a number of specific factors impeding normalization, which – if not quickly rectified – may sow the seeds of future discord. These are by and large to do with the curtailment or denial of personal freedoms and human rights, or linked to persistent impunity and the failure of rule of law. From the very beginning, I have placed great hopes in Sri Lanka achieving true peace and reconciliation after the war.”

In reality  the desire for  true peace should come from the people themselves,  and it is with that desire for peace, that  the desire for   reconciliation would arise.

She did not hesitate to repeat her oft repeated  accusation about war crimes, while she was  welcoming the LLRC report, though  criticising it  for  side stepping  transparent impartial investigation  of “ a conflict that  saw numerous war crimes and  other violations….”

She could take credit for all that if it is only Sri Lanka that is committing all the violations and war crimes, but unfortunately  she is blind to real war crimes in the other parts of the world committed by “ intruding” forces coming from the USA and the West.

She of course has consulted the likes of the Tamil diaspora  who are the first hand informants to form her prejudicial image of Sri Lanka.

“ I was concerned to hear about the degree to which the military appears to be putting down roots and becoming involved in what should be civilian activities, for instance education, agriculture and even tourism. I also heard complaints about the acquisition of private land to build military camps and installations, including a holiday resort. ………… Clearly, the army needs some camps, but the prevalence and level of involvement of soldiers in the community seem much greater than is needed for strictly military or reconstruction purposes four years after the end of the war.”

The TNA, the Catholic Priests of the North and even the Civil society  in Jaffna may be concerned about the presence of the Armed Forces in the North and the East.  But it is the government that has to face the ruthless terrorists and sacrifice large numbers of its youth –the soldiers, maim many others, if there were to be a recurrence of terrorism once again in the North. The government has the duty to protect and provide security for  its people, even if the Tamils of the North do not seem to realise it.

Therefore,  it is the Government that has to decide whether or not to maintain military camps in the North and East. Neither Navi Pillai nor the International Community was their to help the government end that cancer of terrorism.

The Tamil people may have forgotten that period of suffering but the Government and the Sinhala people who made the major sacrifice cannot and will not forget it. 

Navi Pillay says that the, “ presence of the military and other security forces is seen by many as oppressive and intrusive, with the continuing high level of surveillance of former combatants and returnees at times verging on harassment.”  It is like some prisoners released from prisons in the West, with an electronic band  placed round their ankles, for the authorities to keep check of their whereabouts .   It is a safety measure. The government of Sri Lanka is not resorting to such an electronic devise in the case of “former combatants and returnees”.

Those Tamils who have complained to her are those who have already forgotten what it was to live under the constant surveillance and the dictates of the terrorists.  They should be thankful that the Soldiers are protecting them and keeping them safe, and make sure that their children are not kidnapped to make suicide bombers, or child soldiers.

Sexual harassment against women is an oft made accusation , but where such reports have been made the Government had taken legal action against those concerned.  Any responsible  Government and  an Armed Force  have to be aware of that necessity, without a high level official from the UN comes to point it out.

The NGOs had been  causing immense damage to Sri Lanka during the period of  terrorism and interference after terrorism levelling accusations of violation of human rights against the government and the Armed Forces. Navi Pillai says:

“Because of the legacy of massive trauma, there is a desperate need for counselling and psychosocial support in the North, and I was surprised and disappointed to learn that the authorities have restricted NGO activity in this sector. I hope the Government can relax controls on this type of assistance.”

The Government cannot allow access to NGO’s to please Navy Pillai or the International Community.  NGOs may be allowed but there should be strict control of the type of activities in which they engage.  They come for supposed humanitarian services but engage themselves in activities against the Government. Should that be tolerated ?

Sri Lanka is suitably equipped for counselling and psychological support in the North.  But the hitch about the North is the non-cooperation of the Tamils with the government sponsored aid due to the constant interference of the Tamil politicians with their separatist agenda.

She spoke about religious violence as one of her concerns.  This is some thing that the government is unable to suppress as the understanding the  reasons for religious violence  and need to resort to peaceful means of resisting such violence,  has to come from the people concerned.  It is not unique to Sri Lanka.  It is happening in UK, France, Germany, and USA itself.  It is also the  new forms of religious fundamentalism such as Wahabism coming from outside.

If there is extremism coming from one group of religious believers,  it is normal that there is  resistance  from the other.  It is not a human rights violation by the government, but perhaps it may be the failure on the part of the government to take a  firm decision  for political reasons that  aggravates such situations. The Government has a Ministry of Religious Affairs  which has to settle some of these problems but for the moment there is a marked inaction by the Ministry which the Government may take into account.

Then she has spoken of the disturbing  aspect of her visit where, “I have received reports that people in villages and settlements in the Mullaitivu area were visited by police or military officers both before and after I arrived there. In Trincomalee, several people I met were subsequently questioned about the content of our conversation. This type of surveillance and harassment appears to be getting worse in Sri Lanka, which is a country where critical voices are quite often attacked or even permanently silenced…….”

Navi Pillai should not come to hasty conclusion on what she had heard, because many things are said by interested parties to discredit the government and the Armed Forces and  these information are not always correct and cannot be relied upon.  Some of these accusations of “permanently silencing the critics” have not been confirmed and a finger of accusation cannot be directed at the government.

After  speaking of several such concerns of hers, she sadly made a statement  which  can hardly be expected to come from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as she knows well the difference between democracy and  dictatorship ( increasingly authoritarian direction). 

She  said, “ I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”

But Sri Lanka is far from being a democracy “showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction,” as she puts it.  This shows to what extent she  is determined to maintain her prejudiced image of Sri Lanka. 

There is no sign what so ever that justifies her statement, and her being the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights does not give her the privilege of making statement without sound reason against a country, which invited her to see for her self at her own convenience what is going on inside the Country.  

If this is what she is capable of stating  to the media before leaving the country which received her, we can imagine what her statement to the UN Human Rights Council is likely to be.

Navi Pillai  came to Sri Lanka with plenty of prejudices having learnt about the country from the Darusman Report,  and listening to the pro terrorist Diaspora. She goes back with those same prejudices with which she came, confirmed by selective evidence she may have collected.