The real Adam Werritty–Liam Fox scandal is that the Coalition Government, like Labour before it, have been promoting arms sales to a Sri Lankan government which, according to reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN, has had its military commit war crimes (“Fox put security at risk”, The Herald, October 19).
These include telling Tamil civilians to go to supposedly safe areas, then shelling them with heavy artillery; shelling hospitals and massacring about 7000 Tamil prisoners of war and civilians including children and aid workers.
The Labour party’s leadership and shadow defence spokesman Jim Murphy have barely raised any of this in criticism of Mr Fox, David Cameron and Mr Werritty. Labour ministers in the Blair Government sold arms to the Sri Lankan government which were probably used at the height of the war crimes – some £13.6 million worth of arms including armoured cars, semi-automatic pistols and machine gun components.
To even go on official visits that provide legitimacy to these war criminals is unforgivable.
Promoting arms sales to a military that commits these kinds of crimes and where people still disappear is even worse.
Politicians of all parties who talk of bringing back morality could start by not arming mass murderers.
Duncan McFarlane,
Beanshields Farm,
Braidwood,
Carluke.