The 2006 Senchcholai Massacre: An Ominous Sign Of An Impending Human Catastrophe Engineered By An Evil Regime
Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah
Whilst our eyes and ears are on the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL ) with the deadline for submissions set for October 30th 2014, Sri Lanka continues its game plan of non-cooperation, non-compliance and innuendo. Whatever happens around us, for the Tamils, this is not a time to waste away, for we have things to do, submissions to make – This is a time to remember, remember every detail, to keep in mind that the world itself is pre-occupied, as Edward Mortimer said, “with all the horrors taking place in Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria, Sri Lanka has understandably fallen off the international radar.” [1] Lest we forget, the 14th of August 2014 marks the 8th anniversary of the Senchcholai Massacre. The 2006 Senchcholai Massacre: An ominous sign of an impending Human Catastrophe of Ginormous proportions, engineered by an evil regime.
Much of the sorry spectacle that the Rajapaksa government is involved in right at this hour, is centered round the government’s refusal to give access to OISL investigators to enter Sri Lanka; not to mention it’s vilification of High Commissioner Navi Pillay as showing “personal bias” [2]; its move to expand the mandate of its Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Missing Persons ,creating an unwanted distraction from the real thing, the OISL, the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA ) stating that the Commission’s primary task of investigating and inquiring into thousands of missing persons in Sri Lanka will be severely curtailed by (this expansion).[3]“; the widening of its scope by Gazette notification to include violations of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, where no mention is made of whether it included Sri Lankan Government violations; in contrast namely the specific mention of, “the alleged recruitment of child soldiers and suicide attacks, to the criminality of financial and other resources obtained by the LTTE”; its appointment of international figures to its Commission, whose Chairman Sir Desmond De Silva has been discredited for his “sham” report relating to a “controversial” case pertaining to Northern Ireland[4] and for his partisan remarks biased in favour of the Sri Lankan government[5] compromising his independence that would disqualify him under international norms – De Silva expressing the view, ” that blame for the civilian casualties during the final phase of the war lies squarely at the door of the LTTE”[6]; its attempt at crushing dissent and its encouragement of extremist forces in the Buddhist clergy known for its involvement in promoting mob violence, [7]in hate crimes and the possible intimidation of potential witnesses to its crimes.
