Cricket amid war crimes unpunished

Jon Snow

Cricket’s vast achievement in Sri Lanka today is to have conjured a blanket of turf, leather, and willow that saves most of us from having to think of Sri Lanka in any other light. But elsewhere on this sumptuous isle there is a bad light that stopped play altogether – play amongst the children women and men who died in the closing weeks of Sri Lanka’s civil war. The beguiling, tiny, round, ground at Galle in the south is as far from the Jaffna Peninsula as you can reach without leaving the country altogether.

The English cricketing authorities plumped to resume ‘business as usual’ in a country which is facing international excoriation in the light of a growing mountain of evidence pointing to horrific war crimes.

Amid the sweat, the heat, and the romance of this colonial ground, cricket has ensured that a whole world of sport is absorbed in a game, whilst the fate of up to 40,000 civilians (UN expert panel estimate) slaughtered on fields on the very same island lie unaddressed and largely unmentioned.

It is just three years since the Sri Lankan military herded 120,000 Tamils into an ever decreasing ‘no fire’ zone. Every time the Tamils moved, they moved their ragged shelters and their makeshift clinics with them. As in all war, the International Red Cross identified the clinics to the ‘other side’ to safeguard them from bombardment. That ‘other side’ was the government side, whose shells rained down on the fragile facilities.  As the military shrank the ‘no fire’ zones, so the shelling and bombing intensified.

By the end, the United Nations estimates that up to 40,000 women, children and men lay dead. The Tamil Tigers are not blameless of course – the UN’s expert panel found credible evidence of war crimes on either side, but the vast majority of deaths were caused by government shelling.

Widespread access to simple mobile phones ensured that many Sri Lankans recorded what happened – either as fleeing Tamil refugees, or as triumphant soldiers recording the trophy footage of their own abuse, raping, and killing.

This is the footage that contributed to Channel 4‘s ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields – War Crimes Unpunished‘.

In normalising life as soon as possible, the cricketing authorities have been joined by the leaders of the Commonwealth, who have decided to hold their 2013 meeting in Sri Lanka. The leaders have chosen to ignore the UN Human Rights Committee vote calling upon Sri Lanka to investigate the evidence of war crimes thoroughly and hold those responsible to account. That Commonwealth meeting will be presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

And who is he? The evidence laid out in the ‘Killing Fields’ documentary points to the direct involvement of Mr Rajapaksa and his brother, the defence minister, in the massacre in the closing weeks of Sri Lanka’s civil war. They have yet to be properly investigated – the Sri Lankan authorities categorically reject the evidence and the allegations as ‘malicious’. For the two men at the top of Sri Lanka,  ‘normalisation’ cannot come fast enough.

Relief projects for the displaced in the North to end by July

Friday, 30 March 2012 

The government has decided to conclude the UNHCR project in the North to provide assistance in the resettling of the displaced persons in the North and helping them commence a livelihood. The project commenced on June 1st, 2007 and is to conclude on June 30th, 2012.

The UNHCR conducted the project together with the Resettlement Ministry and provided financial assistance, resettled the displaced and coordinated work related to providing a better life for the people in the North. The project also collected monthly data to analyze and provided a progress report to the authorities and other organizations involved in providing relief to the people.

The Resettlement Ministry has recorded the number of displaced persons as 270,000 and states that while 97% of the people have been resettled, only 6,040 persons remained to be resettled.

The Ministry also states that while the persons to be resettled have to be provided with assistance, they cannot be resettled until the de-mining is completed in their hometowns.

Lanka accuses US of adopting double standards

 

Colombo: Citing America's close ally Israel's decision to sever ties with the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka on Thursday accused the US of adopting double standards saying Washington was against any global involvement in the Jewish state but did not follow the same policy for Colombo. 

"Israel has taken this step (to cut ties with UNHRC) despite losing the vote (against it) 36 to 1. Only US supported them. How do you explain US position when Israel says they are withdrawing from UNHRC?" Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, a deputy minister and the government's acting spokesman, told reporters. 
He was referring to the Council's decision to launch a fact-finding mission into Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 
Abeywardena asserted that the Sri Lankan government too was totally against foreign interference in the country. 

His comments came days after the UNHRC approved in Geneva a US-backed resolution censuring Sri Lanka over its rights record. 

"America, which has stated at the Geneva session that an international inference is needed in Sri Lanka, objected against such an involvement in Israel," he noted. 

Israeli Premier Benjamin Natanyahu has charged the UNHRC of bias for ordering an investigation into Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank. 

Israel has said the UNHRC mission would not be granted permission to enter the country. 

Asked if Sri Lanka planned to sever ties with UNHRC, Abeywardena replied in the negative. 

"What I want to highlight is the inconsistency in the process." 

He, however, said the government was yet to make its official stand known on the resolution. 

"The Cabinet has not taken any decision on the resolution yet," he stressed. 

Earlier, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris had said the government had taken a decision not to abide by the resolution. 

However, Abeywardena said the government would be issuing its official statement very soon. 

The US-moved resolution which had sought to commit Sri Lanka for expeditious implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was adopted by 24-15 with 8 abstentions last week. 

Sri Lanka resisted the move to present the resolution claiming it was a biased action by the West to prop up the pro-LTTE diaspora. 

PTI 

Sri Lanka to take some websites to court

March 30, 2012
COLOMBO, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is to file legal action against some websiteswhich published defamatory articles on the Sri Lankan president and his family, anofficial said Thursday.

Cabinet spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told reporters on Thursday that hehad submitted a report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding websites whichcontinuously target the president.

Abeywardena said that while Sri Lankan newspapers and the electronic media can bemonitored and approached for clarifications, it is difficult to do the same on the variouswebsites which publish articles on Sri Lanka from unknown locations both in Sri Lankaand overseas.

He said that these websites which are not registered with the Media Ministry violatemedia ethics and the media culture.

The Sri Lankan government had recently requested news websites operating in SriLanka to register with the government.

However of the 100 applications received only 50 were registered as the rest had failedto meet the stipulated requirements, the government said.

Abeywardena said that appropriate action will be taken against the websites which havean agenda for tarnishing the image of the president and subsequently legal action willalso be considered.

Iranian ships registered under the Sir Lankan flag

Friday, 30 March 2012

Details about four commercial vessels that have been registered under the Sri Lankan flag and three other vessels that are to be registered in the same manner on a directive by President Mahinda Rajapksa following a request by the Iranian leader have now surfaced.

These Iranian vessels have been registered under the Sri Lankan flag on a Presidential directive in order to assist Iran overcome the sanctions imposed on the country by the US.

Following are the four vessels that have been registered under the Sri Lankan flag:

1. BV/RODERTINA (former name DIANPHE)

2. BV/RICIDA (former name GLORY)

3. BV/VALENTIA (former name BEGONIA)

4. BV/VERONICA (former name GLOXINIA)

Following are the three Iranian vessels that are currently in the process of being registered:

1. GL/IMELDA (former name TANDIS)

2. GL/GRACIA (former name SALIS)

3. GL/PLARISA (former name PARDIS)

White van abductions are under the directions of President and Gota as confirmed by Sagara the victim

thursday 29 of march 2012

There had been another victim in the Van subjected to torture

(Lanka-e-News-29.March.2012, 7.00PM) The exposures time and again by Lanka e news that the white Van and its criminal operations are being carried out under the control and directives of the President and defense Secretary Gotabaya were confirmed when Sagara Senaratne ,the brother in law of Mnister Jeewan Kumaranatunge fell victim to the white Van abduction recently , and was later released . The victim in his statement to a daily newspaper stated that he was freed because of the intervention of the President and Gotabaya. He also added that in the same Van he was abducted there was another victim who was groaning in pain. Hereunder is the newspaper report : Senaratne who was abducted on the 26th night and released subsequently had stated that but for the intervention of Kumaranatunge aiyya , the President and Gotabaya he may not be among the living now. ‘After closing my business establishment at about 7.20 p.m. , I left for Hanwella with my driver in the cab. As we were heading towards Jubilee post junction , a white van followed us blowing the horn uninterruptedly. As we stopped the cab and tried to alight, those who came in the Van from behind , caught me by the neck and went pushing me and then into the white Van rear side and put me in a prostrate position with my face upwards. They did not allow me to talk a word. When my driver screamed and came towards the Van , the inmates scolded and chased him away. Later one abductor held me by the head , while another two held my legs ad thighs tight . When I tried to shout they shut my mouth and assaulted me. I could feel the Van was speeding towards a far destination while I was being assaulted. While we were traveling there were two phone calls to the abductors . One of them was speaking with someone on the phone for a few minutes . They did not allow me to talk or look around. From the time they forced me into the Van they were attacking me with their fists and legs demanding Rs. 500 lakhs from me. When I was telling them I don’t have so much money, they went on assaulting me. As a last resort I asked for an account No. They told me to give the monies without telling anyone about this incident. Yet they went on attacking me asking money.’ My driver following this abduction had phoned all the places and communicated this incident. Jeewan Kumaranatunge aiyya had toiled hard to get me released by speaking to the President and Gotabaya. After traveling some distance I heard somebody groaning in pain in the Van. He was shouting , ’Buddhu ammo please save me. Please allow me to go’. One of the inmates then attacked him. I saw another person like a shadow in a similar position like me in the Van . I could not figure out who he was or what had happened to him. After we have traveled a long distance , there was a call to an abductor. Soon after he said, ‘we will drop this fellow and go’. The Van suddenly stopped . They dragged me out of the van and gave a water bottle stating ‘ we will give the account No. over the phone. But when depositing the money don’t tell the police or any other’. ‘Now turn and look towards the wall for 15 mins.’ , they instructed me after dropping me near a wall . Then they got into the Van and sped off. When I looked around I found that I was at Wattala near a Hotel.As I walked forward a bus came along. That bus was traveling towards Negombo. After alighting from the bus and as I was crossing to the opposite side an Airport- Fort bus arrived. When I had traveled two halts distance I saw a place where I could take a phone call.. I got down from the bus immediately and took a call to the Jaela police from that telephone call center and informed them of the incident. Within a few minutes , a police vehicle came to the place where I was , and took me to the station. After recording my statement , the Jaela police spoke to the Mirihana police on the phone. A number of vehicles from the Mirihana police arrived after about half an hour and brought me to Colombo. My life was saved because of the tremendous efforts of Jeewan aiyya , the President , defense Secretary and the police who from the moment this incident occurred moved to get me released. I thank all of them.’ These were the details revealed to the newspapers by Sagara Senaratne. From the above incident one can imagine what an unimaginably brutal and lawless reign now exists in SL. The present Idi Mahin’s regime of SL has even surpassed Idi Amin’s of Uganda of the past , in brutality , atrocity and criminality.

Sushma Swaraj led parliamentary delegation to visit Sri Lanka

30 MAR, 2012
NEW DELHI:In less than a month after India voted for a UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka, an all-party parliamentary delegation is likely to visit Colombo. 

The delegation, led by leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, is expected to be in Sri Lanka from April 16 to 21. The visit, which had earlier been planned for late last year, had to be put off because of assembly elections in five states. 

However, the visit at this juncture gains significance in the light of India recently joining 23 other countries to vote for a US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC, urging Sri Lanka to "credibly investigate" allegations of human rights violations during the last phases of its war against the rebel Tamil Tigers in 2009. 

The resolution followed pressure from political parties from Tamil Nadu, including the Congress' ally DMK, to vote for it. Sri Lanka had managed to defeat a similar vote in UNHRC in 2009 with the help of India and other countries. 

There were some doubts over whether the Indian delegation will go ahead with its visit after the vote as Sri Lanka, which had appealed to India, was upset over New Delhi's decision. 

The all-party delegation is expected to meet top functionaries in the government, including Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and their counterparts, including representatives of Tamil parties. 

The allegations of war crimes date back to the last stages of the Sri Lankan civil war which ended in May 2009 with the death of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and many of his followers.

In conversation with Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu: The resolution in Geneva and its discontents

*groundview journalism For citizens 

Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu is the Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, the institutional anchor of Groundviews. He is today one of three human rights defenders senior government ministers consider traitors and would like to, as in ancient times, kill, and, inter alia,break the limbs of. Though Sri Lanka’s foreign minister distanced himself from these remarks, the President and his brother, the all-powerful Secretary of Defence, have not expressed a single word of condemnation, or distanced themselves from the minister’s comments, who has openly and repeatedly said he derives his legitimacy from the Rajapaksa’s.

Much of this hate and harm directed against Dr. Saravanamuttu and other key human rights defenders of late has been on account of their participation at the recently concluded 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, and in particular, supporting a US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka. There hasn’t been much informed debate and discussion within Sri Lanka on the contents and genesis of this resolution. Many who joined the protests against the resolution in Sri Lanka, and particularly in Colombo, didn’t even know what they were protesting against. State media launched, and to date, continues with, an incredibly vicious campaign of hate speech not seen since Sri Lanka lost the GSP+ status, which was also due to Sri Lanka’s non-cooperation with, as Dr. Saravanamuttu noted at the time, “what was effectively termed an affront to national sovereignty and pride”. The same ignorance, misplaced patriotism and flawed logic seemingly animated foreign policy and engagement over the US resolution in Geneva.

When Dr. Saravanamuttu is asked as to why anyone should believe his take on, and indeed, support of the US resolution in Geneva, he goes into how the resolution came about and the non-participation of the government in its framing despite an invitation by the US administration. He also flags the history of commissions in Sri Lanka, including a number set up under the present administration, which have failed to result in or influence any meaningful reform of change. We move on to three key questions – the fears of UN interference in domestic affairs as a consequence of the resolution, the perceived hypocrisy of the US in tabling such a resolution against Sri Lanka, when it’s own human rights record is far more blemished and suspect, and why the fullest implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations is championed by those, such as Dr. Saravanamuttu, who when the final report came out, flagged deep flaws and silences over, amongst other issues, the meaningful investigation of allegations of war crimes.

We then talk about how far removed Sri Lanka’s domestic politics and sentiment is from international advocacy and scrutiny of the country’s human rights record, and how whipping up the basest emotions of a largely ill-informed public through propaganda can help Sri Lanka really address outstanding concerns over governance, human rights and accountability into the future. Dr. Saravanamuttu also flags the central challenge of human rights advocacy today, where criticism of government is conflated with, and perceived to be criticism of country.

From this, we move on to address the fall-out of the growing sentiment from government that because the LLRC’s final report has somehow over-stepped its mandate, its implementation will be piecemeal. We also look at what government and some other commentators of late have noted, which is that the US resolution has already led to a hardening of the regime’s stance on reconciliation, and increased the pushback against implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations.

Dr. Saravanamuttu then addresses the question as to why there isn’t greater public agitation and demand for the implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations, and why there isn’t even interest in getting to know the contents of the final report, which to date haven’t been distributed by the government in Sinhala or Tamil (Editors note: Read Who really supports reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka?).

Even though the three human rights defenders who in the past couple of weeks have suffered the brunt of the hate speech campaign published a letter clarifying their position (Counter-productive propaganda and human rights in Sri Lanka), the attacks continue. We ask Dr. Saravanamuttu why, in the fact of such a vicious and violent response from government, he continues in his advocacy for human rights.

Towards the end of the interview, Dr. Saravanamuttu looks at the possible implications for Sri Lanka’s political stability and economic growth over the non-implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations. We also pose to him the usual response from government over the insistence of meaningful steps towards reconciliation – that it is being unfair to a government which saw the end to a nearly 30 year old war, that steps and measures are in fact being taken but under-appreciated, and that the implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations will take money the government does not have. Finally, Dr. Sarvanamuttu addresses the perception that international advocacy supporting the US resolution in Geneva and the full implementation of the LLRC recommendation is actually a guise for regime change, and ousting the incumbent government from power.

For video of interview along same lines in Sinhala, please click here or view it directly on Vimeohere.

India Backs Sri Lanka Reminder

March 27, 2012

Call it the expediency of coalition politics or a new pragmatism in foreign policy, but India defied its own history by voting in favor of a U.S.-sponsored resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council calling for Sri Lanka to investigate human rights violations during its civil war. The decision by India to pressure Sri Lanka’s government over its war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was the first time India has voted in favor of a country specific resolution at the United Nations.

Full Story>>>

India-Sri Lanka joint sea patrolling sought

Yahoo!

By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – 5 hours ago

Colombo, March 29 (IANS) A Sri Lankan minister has called for joint patrolling by the Indian and Sri Lankan Navies to prevent clashes between their fishermen.

Douglas Devananda, the ministry for traditional industries and small enterprises development, claimed Thursday that Indians encroaching in Sri Lankan waters off Kachchaitivu Island resulted in clashes and affected the daily livelihood of the island nation's fishermen.

"Sometimes the Indians damage the fishing nets of Sri Lankan fishermen. This has become a serious issue. I have suggested that the Sri Lankan and Indian navy conduct joint patrolling near the maritime boundary of both countries to prevent these kind of incidents from taking place," said the minister.

Indian fishermen accuse the Sri Lankan fishermen and Sri Lankan Navy of attacking them when they cross the boundary line to catch fish near Kachchaitivu Island, which was ceded to Sri Lanka many years ago.

Devananda said that the only way one can find out who is attacking who is by conducting joint patrolling at the international maritime boundary line.

He also called on Tamil Nadu politicians to look at the fishermens' issue for a solution instead of levelling allegations of human rights violations against Sri Lanka.

Reprisals against supporters of Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/19/L.2, “Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka”

Lawyers Rights Watch Canada

http://www.lrwc.org/documents/LRWC.Human.Rights.Defenders.Threatened.Sri.Lanka.F.Mar.28.pdf

President Mahinda Rajapakse

Office of the President

Temple Trees, 150 Galle Road

Colombo 3, Sri Lanka

Fax: + 94 11 2446657 / +94 11 2472100 / +94 11 2430 590.

Email: secretary@presidentsoffice.lk

Dear President Rajapakse;

Re: Reprisals against supporters of Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/19/L.2,

“Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka”

Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC)^[1] is deeply concerned about the intimidation, harassment and threats directed by Sri Lanka government officials at human rights defenders, including lawyers, journalists, and human rights activists, advocating for adherence to the law and the rule of law in Sri Lanka. In particular, we are concerned for the safety and security of Ms. Sunila Abeysekara, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Dr. Nimalka Fernando and Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya who were subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats and a smear campaign because of their support for the resolution, “Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka” (Resolution), adopted by the Human Rights Council (Council) on 22 March 2012.Full Story>>>

JOINT STATEMENT: Sunila Abeysekara, Nimalka Fernando and Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu

Friday, 23 March 2012 As the three Sri Lankan human rights defenders who have come most under attack by the state media in Sri Lanka in the past week, because of our active involvement with the on-going session of the UN Human rights Council in Geneva, we feel compelled to issue this statement of clarification.

GOVERNMENT-ORCHESTRATED

THREATS AGAINST EXILE JOURNALISTS

Mr. Sunanda 

Deshapriya