British policy on failed asylum seekers under fire
March 13, 2012, 10:26 pm 
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Sri Lankan government has come under heavy NGO flak on the sidelines of the 19th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa strongly criticized for introducing the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, to pave the way for him to contest the next presidential polls.
A Presidential Secretariat source told The Island that the 18th Amendment to the Constitution couldn’t be a human rights issue. The official said the new law gave the incumbent President an opportunity to contest the next poll, but didn’t interfere with the right of the Opposition to field a common candidate or candidates.
Geneva-based sources told ‘The Island’ that executive director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, who is also the overall co-ordinator of CPA projects, had lambasted the Rajapaksa administration for undermining democracy and the rule of law. Saravanamuttu alleged that a culture of impunity prevailed in post-war Sri Lanka, with those in power depending on the military to take care of anti-government protests and even to sell vegetables.
The NGO activist also criticized the police for failing in their duty, while underscoring the danger in allowing the military to increase its role in society. The military was also accused of taking over land belonging to the Tamil community in the Northern Province, three years after the conclusion of the conflict, in the guise of setting up new high security zones.
The ‘side event’ organized by the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), attracted those backing the Sri Lankan government, representatives of Geneva-based diplomatic missions and both Sri Lankan and international NGOs pushing for an international war crimes inquiry over accountability issues, in Sri Lanka. Saravanamuttu alleged that a body of an unidentified person had been set ablaze in Colombo 5, where he lived, though no one raised the issue. He blamed the Rajapaksa administration for the absence of rule of law and over dependence on the military.
Ms. Sunila Abeysekera alleged that the army had raped a 13-year-old girl in the Jaffna peninsula, while TULF leader V. Anandasangaree’s son, Canada-based Gary, accused troops of killing the rape victim. Sri Lankan troops were accused of sexual abuses, not only in Sri Lanka but in the Caribbean, where they serve under the UN command in Haiti. The government was blamed for carrying out 32 extra-judicial killings last year and abductions. The government was also accused of denying people the freedom to express their views.
The meeting was told that the abductions were continuing, in spite of the conclusion of the conflict.
At a separate meeting, Saravanamuttu, Ms Abeysekera and Ms Nimalka Fernando declared that Sri Lanka was nothing but a ‘hellhole’ in South Asia. Responding to a query by ‘The Island’, sources said that British representatives at the meeting reacted with dismay when Ms. Fernando, on behalf of the NGO delegation, lashed out at the British for sending back failed asylum seekers. Asked whether the British were blind to their assertion that Sri Lanka was a ‘hellhole’, Ms. Nimalka shot back: "The British are the same as SL."
Responding to criticism, a spokesperson for the Presidential Secretariat said that the presence of Saravanamuttu, along with Ms. Fernando and Ms. Abeysekera in Geneva itself had undermined their hate campaign directed at Sri Lanka. Their presence at the UNHRC meant that they could leave the country through the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and return in the same manner, after lambasting the country. The official pointed out that a Geneva-based Norwegian diplomat, during a recent meeting with the GoSL delegation, headed by Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe had accused Sri Lanka of preventing NGO activists from participating in ‘side events.’
Commenting on criticism directed at the UK over repatriation of failed asylum seekers, the official emphasized that many countries, including the UK had realized that organized gangs were exploiting loopholes in their judicial systems to smuggle in bogus asylum seekers. The UK and Australia have taken a series of measures to tackle bogus asylum seekers as part of their overall strategy to curb illegal migration. The recent EU crackdown highlighted tough action on the part of the global community, the official said, urging HRW to get in touch with the British High Commission in Colombo, if it needed further clarification regarding their efforts to stop illegal migration.
The deployment of the military was the prerogative of the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, the official said. Confirming that troops had been called in some time back to distribute vegetables due to a crisis in the market, the official said that it was unfortunate that NGOs opposed troops providing relief to those struggling to make ends meet.
Jaffna Security Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Mahinda Hathurusinghe said that his troops hadn’t been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl recently. Asked whether the Jaffna police or the military had received a complaint, the Maj. Gen. said that as the NGOs had access to the entire Northern Province, including Jaffna, they could make inquiries. The official said that he wasn’t surprised by the latest allegation by those singing for their supper. The bottom line was that whatever the critics said here or abroad, the people and those countries with permanent missions in Colombo couldn’t be deceived.
QUESTION: Yes. A new footage showing execution of 12-year-old son of LTTE leader Prabhakaran has surfaced. Do you have any comments on that with the Sri Lankan delegation lobbying hard at Geneva?
‘I was a direct victim and witness to the atrocities perpetrated by the bombing of churches and schools. These have impelled me to narrate my personal experience as well as convictions about the Tamil struggle to the international community…Our deep conviction within us, is for the ultimate triumph of Truth and justice… All four Religions in Sri Lanka have failed miserably vis a vis the ethnic conflict and war… We expect the international community to go beyond “self-interest” and “bloc-politics” and take decisions based on truth and justice,’ said Rev. Dr. S. J. Emmanuel, at the Human Rights Conference –Canada 2012, on the topic, International Protection of Human Rights in the 21 st Century – A case study on Sri Lanka, held on February 18, 2012 organised by Centre for War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR). He is the President of the Global Tamil Forum,(GTF) an umbrella organisation for Sri Lankan Tamils in 14 countries. We share his full speech with the readers. 
March 14, 2012
“Canada strongly urges the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the commission’s recommendations and develop an implementation road map with clear timelines while also addressing the issues the report did not cover. The report’s recommendations—if implemented—can contribute to the process of political reconciliation that must now take place to address the root causes of deadly strife and division. However, to date, we have seen a lack of both accountability and meaningful attempts at reconciliation on the part of the Sri Lankan government. Decisive action is now required.
