A’sangaree faults India for backing UNHCR resolution

Makes open appeal to Indian political parties

July 21, 2012, 7:50 pm 

By Shamindra Ferdinando

TULF General Secretary, V. Anandasangaree has faulted India for throwing its weight behind a US-sponsored resolution at the 19th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva last February.

The outspoken politician sharply differed with pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora groups, led by UK-based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and one-time LTTE mouthpiece, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) over Indian action. Both Tamil Diaspora and the TNA are of the opinion that only international pressure could compel GoSL to address the grievances of the Tamil speaking people in Sri Lanka.

In an open appeal to Indian political parties, the veteran politician asserted that the Indian move has had a devastating impact on Indo-Lanka relations.

Anandasangaree, who had been strongly critical of the failure on the part of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to address Tamils’ grievances even after the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009, warned that anti-Sri Lanka actions by Tamil Nadu politicians could be counter-productive and detrimental to the Tamil cause.

The TULF leader said that their cause would have been better served if India remained neutral in Geneva and left the US led effort to take its own course.

The former MP said that the US resolution would have been passed even without India’s support, though senior GoSL officials told The Sunday Island the success of the anti-Sri Lanka move entirely depend on India.

Had India refrained from voting for the resolution, the outcome of the vote could have been different, a senior official involved in the decision making process said.    

India is among 24 countries that voted against Sri Lanka at the Geneva session. The resolution is aimed to promote reconciliation and accountability.

"One has to weigh pros and cons. What we did was in line with our stand on Sri Lanka. We do not want to infringe on the sovereignty of Sri Lanka but concerns should be expressed so that Tamil people can get justice and lead a life of dignity," India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was quoted as having said in a statement which strongly justified New Delhi’s action.

Fifteen countries including China and Russia backed Sri Lanka, which had rejected the resolution, saying it unduly interfered in the country’s domestic affairs and could hinder its reconciliation process. Eight countries abstained from voting.

Anandasangaree warned that Tamil Nadu’s hostility towards Sri Lanka could be exploited by the Chinese whose influence in Sri Lanka was growing rapidly.

Referring to recent protests in Tamil Nadu against Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel receiving training there, the TULF leader emphasized that as long as China remained Sri Lanka’s ally, even large scale training projects wouldn’t be an issue.

Anandasangaree stressed that India and Tamil Nadu should be mindful of what was going on Sri Lanka and their actions could further undermine cause of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Accusing China of helping the GoSL to saturate the Northern Province with military bases in the wake of the LTTE annihilation, the TULF leader warned the failure on the part of India to adopt a different approach without further delay could cause an irrevocable damage to Sri Lankan Tamils.

He said it was most important to set up at least an interim administration for the Northern Province to look after those still experiencing difficulties.

He accused the government of failing in its duty to provide at least basic requirements of the Tamil speaking people even three years after the conclusion of the conflict. Alleging that the vast majority of people living in the post-war Vanni were starving, the former MP said that their only option was seeking assistance from India. Anandasangaree pleaded with Tamil Nadu not to be hostile towards Sri Lanka as deterioration of bilateral relations would only make it difficult for Sri Lankan Tamils to obtain assistance from the South Indian state.