Swire fires first salvo at the government

Saturday, 16 November 2013 

Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister Hugo Swire in his address at the closing session of the Commonwealth People’s Forum at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has fired the first salvo at the Mahinda Rajapaksa government.

He has charged that Sri Lanka needs to show meaningful commitment to the reconciliation process it has set out, strengthen respect for human rights and ensure the independence of the judiciary.

Speaking of the Commonwealth and its values, Swire has said, “We look to our hosts Sri Lanka, to demonstrate, to demonstrate its respect for the values of the Charter. All the people of Sri Lanka suffered during its long civil conflict, and none should regret the end of LTTE terrorism.”

He has further said, “But as it emerges from those years of conflict, Sri Lanka needs to show meaningful commitment to the reconciliation process it has set out, strengthen respect for human rights and ensure the independence of the judiciary. The Government needs to represent the interests of all Sri Lankan people, including minority groups. With the recent elections to the Northern Provincial Council all provinces have in place local governance structures to represent the views and interests of local communities.

We now want to see all elected representatives being able to contribute meaningfully to regional governance.”

Swire has also called for freedom of expression, stop intimidation of journalists and human rights defenders and investigate abuses.
“We urge Sri Lanka to implement all of the recommendations of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report, including investigations into ‘disappearances’. We encourage Sri Lanka to investigate human rights abuses, transparently and credibly; guarantee freedom of expression; and, stamp out intimidation of journalists and human rights defenders including by bringing those responsible to justice,” he has said.

Swire has further noted, “But we should also recognise progress in areas such as infrastructure regeneration and resettlement of internally displaced people. This is important, too. I hope the advances made in demining – which the UK has supported - Northern Provincial Council elections and reintegration of ex-combatants will eventually prepare the way for a comprehensive political settlement.”

“This CHOGM is an opportunity for Sri Lanka to demonstrate where it has made progress. ‘But it will also focus attention sharply on those areas where Sri Lanka still needs to do more to protect its people. We will look to Sri Lanka, to demonstrate its commitment to Commonwealth values,” he has added.

Cameron puts Sri Lanka on notice over war crimes

Britain's David Cameron put Sri Lanka on notice Saturday to address allegations of war crimes within months or else he would lead a push for action at the United Nations.

British Prime Minister David Cameron visits The Sabapathi Pillay Welfare Centre in Jaffna, north of Colombo, on Nov 15, 2013. (AFP/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse greeting British Prime Minister David Cameron in Colombo on Nov 15, 2013. (AFP/Sri Lankan Presidency)

• 
• 

prevnext

• THUMBNAIL
• ENLARGE
• CAPTION 

Channel NewsAsia ‏

16 Nov 2013 

COLOMBO: Britain's David Cameron put Sri Lanka on notice Saturday to address allegations of war crimes within months or else he would lead a push for action at the United Nations.

Cameron Puts Sri Lanka on Notice Over War Crimes by nelvely

What is it for?

Nov 16th 2013 |From the print edition

THE biggest achievement of the Commonwealth, its admirers say, is the fact of its unlikely existence. That so many former British colonies and dominions should be content to co-exist in a club which has the queen as its head is remarkable. 

What is it for by nelvely

British Prime Minister and TNA leaders shun families of disappeared in Jaffna

• by Ruki
• - on 11/16/2013
• 
  • Photo courtesy Marisa de Silva
    Tamil families of the disappeared, primarily from the North, gathered in front of the area between the Public Library and Duriappa Stadium by 2pm, on 15th Nov., as they thought the visiting British Prime Minister would land at the Duriappa Stadium. They were accompanied by some Christian clergy and activists from Colombo. The British authorities had been very reluctant to provide information about Mr. Cameron’s movements, including when I and friends of mine  sought information in London. Later the families heard Mr. Cameron had landed in Palaly – the Air Force-run airport, located outside Jaffna city. So the families and their supporters walked towards the road leading from Palaly upto the Public Library.
British Prime Minister and TNA Leaders Shun Families of Disappeared in Jaffna by nelvely

Sri Lanka: Engaging the Diaspora

By Salma Yusuf-November 16, 2013

A robust policy on diaspora engagement remains critical to domestic stability and international relations in postwar Sri Lanka.

The 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opened in Sri Lanka on November 15. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to boycott, citing governance shortcomings in the host country. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a late decision to stay away also. Given that India is Sri Lanka’s immediate neighbor and an emerging global power, Singh’s decision to stay home was significant. British Prime 

Sri Lanka Engaging the Diaspora by nelvely

With No Power Sharing, Ethnic Groups Could Call For Federalism

– Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne

By Imaad Majeed

Saturday, November 16, 2013

With the conclusion of the Northern Provincial Council polls and the appointment of former Supreme Court Judge C. V. Wigneswaran as Chief Minister, there has also been a strong opposition, on the part of the government, to the devolution of land and police powers to the provinces. In their election manifesto, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) used strong rhetoric, engaging the idea of ‘self-determination’ and even calling for a merger of the North and East provinces, provoking fears of a call for separation. The 13th Amendment has come under much criticism since its imposition as of the Indo-Lanka Accord, and now that the Northern Provincial Council is in place, the implications will begin to surface in the relations between the Centre and the province, as both sides engage in a tug-o-war on power sharing.

With No Power Sharing, Ethnic Groups Could Call for Federalism by nelvely

CHOGM 2013: Cameron’s visit boosts morale of displaced Tamils

CHOGM 2013: Cameron’s visit boosts morale of displaced Tamils

Meera Srinivasan-Saturday, November 16, 2013

 British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Sabapathipillai Welfare Centre at Chunnakam, about 10 km from Jaffna town, on Friday. He walked into the narrow lanes with tiny homes adjacent to each other and talked to some residents. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran helped with translation.

The welfare centre is essentially a camp for internally displaced persons – with very basic facilities – where nearly 300 families that were forced to leave their homes during the war live.

“He [Mr. Cameron] will take us back to our home near Kankesanthurai,” said Rasaiah Rasati, 65, who seemed to be brimming with confidence after speaking to the British Prime Minister.

Many in the camp said they pinned their hopes on the British leader’s visit, though visits by many others had not made a difference to their lives.

“It has been 23 years since I left my home [due to the war]. Today, they [the army] does not let us anywhere close to our own home,” said Ms. Rasati.

Walking towards another home, Mr. Cameron asked Mr. Sumanthiran: “So basically, the army has taken over their land. They can’t go to court since the courts here won’t render straight justice, right?” With Mr. Sumanthiran nodding, he said: “This is where we have to apply pressure.” Though the government says action is being taken, nothing has changed, Mr. Sumanthiran, also a lawyer, later told The Hindu.

Besides the issue of land, Mr. Cameron, according to TNA sources, discussed the process of devolution.

Mr. Cameron held discussions with Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran at the Jaffna Public Library, where TNA leader Mr. Sampanthan and Mr. Sumanthiran were also present. He visited the offices of Uthayan, popular Tamil daily that periodically carries reports critical of the Sri Lankan government and which has been attacked several times.

According to managing director of the publication and TNA MP E. Saravanapavan, Mr. Cameron said he would also raise the issue of freedom of speech with the “higher-ups.”

AP British Prime Minister David Cameron talks to villagers of an IDP camp in Jaffna on Friday.

At a demonstration near the Jaffna Public Library, Saro Sripavan, mother of three, said she has been looking for her husband for seven years now. “He was working as manager in a cooperative society and went missing in 2006. Till date, I have no information about him,” she said, looking at his photograph.

“Every time someone important comes to Jaffna, we all assemble and try to highlight our concern, but ultimately I know only I have to look for my father,” said her son Sripavan Daneesh, who works as a sales executive.

“I just want to know if my daughter, who went missing in 2008 when she was in her early 20s, is alive or dead. This uncertainty kills me,” said Kanagasingam Hemalatha.

We are here because of trust: Prince Charles

Prince Charles said he was pleased to be back in Sri Lanka. At this meet, the Commonwealth was being charged to confront the many issues affecting the security and well-being of its nations and peoples. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of CHOGM at Colombo. “Each one of us is here because of the hope and the trust we place in the Commonwealth to bring that ‘touch of healing’ to our troubles and deliver the very best future for our people,” said Prince Charles, who represented the Queen at CHOGM.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said Sri Lanka, which took over the leadership of Commonwealth, had shown enduring energy in the global Commonwealth family.

Morrison: Offshore Camp Can Handle A Profoundly Disabled Child

By Nick OlleNovember 15, 2013

Aprofoundly disabled four-year-old Tamil asylum seeker in a Brisbane detention facility will be transferred offshore along with her father, probably to Nauru, The Global Mail has learned.

Morrison Offshore Camp Can Handle a Profoundly Disabled Child by nelvely

People In Glass Houses Do Throw Stones

By Lal Wickrematunge -November 16, 2013 

Lal Wickrematunge

Varying shades of opinion were expressed leading up to CHOGM being held in Sri Lanka. Many  countries  voiced their opinions through the media and independent media outlets raised the question of the propriety of Sri Lanka hosting this event given the accusations of human rights abuses, suppression of media freedom, torture in custody and lack of reconciliation during the last five years.

The final consensus amongst the Commonwealth partners was to hold this event in Sri Lanka but to raise concerns over the issues mentioned above.  In a recent BBC ‘Impact’ interview with Mishal Husain, I agreed with this sentiment.

Remember that Australia  passed the baton  to Sri Lanka to host this event and defended that decision strongly. Australia had her own reasons to support Sri Lanka, beyond the above widely mentioned accusations. Their primary concern was  the influx of Sri Lankan refugees numbering in the thousands into Australia, as they had laws which accepted people who were subject to victimisation under the enhanced umbrella of human rights abuses. It is pertinent to note that Australian law allows a long drawn out and costly legal process to decide on each individual entry. It did not take long for the Australians to unravel the ethnic mix of the exodus from Sri Lanka. Contrary to belief they uncovered that the majority of such ‘boat people’ were not from the north and east of Sri Lanka. Australia spent a considerable amount of her tax payer’s money to stop this trend which was gathering momentum. It is public knowledge that the government of Australia was working with the Sri Lanka government and financing the island nation to patrol her maritime borders more effectively as a solution.Read More

President Rajapaksa Delivers His Welcome Address

By Malinda Seneviratne -November 16, 2013 | 

Malinda Seneviratne

[In a parallel CHOGM, perhaps....]

Fellow Commonwealth leaders, ministerial and parliamentary colleagues, delegates from around the Commonwealth, other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I extend a warm welcome to all of you on behalf of the citizens of Sri Lanka, a resplendent and resilient land whose cultural ethos if marked by anything is signature by the privileging of the quality of equanimity.  We take our joys and sorrows, fame and misfortune, profits and losses, praise and blame with a smile.

It is customary to allude to our shared past, refer to complexities of that past and the resolve by members to reinvent the collective that emerged from these commonalities.  We are gathered here, men and women from different cultures and of different faith. We will speak about the commonwealth of values and the responsibility and accountability embedded in the idea of membership.  If I were to pin it down to essence, two words remain: free and equal.

Re-invention implies a break from the past, a forgiving and forgetting, a restoration of civilization, recovery of dignity and such.  This is good.  It is good because it says that condescension has no place in this forum.  It is good because there can be no more ‘talking down’ or ‘talking tough’.  That’s what equality means.

Read More

Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa defiant on rights row

Mr Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka would "take its own time" in probing alleged abuses

16 November 2013

Continue reading the main story

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reacted defiantly to the UK's call for an inquiry into alleged human rights abuses, saying "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".

He was speaking on the second day of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.

David Cameron faced the bowling of Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, who said the PM had been misled about the situation in the country

Mr Cameron travelled to the northern Jaffna region on Friday to hear the concerns of local Tamils who complain of human rights abuses

Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa Defiant on Rights Row by nelvely

Real enemies of reconciliation

Editorial-November 15, 2013, 8:17 pm 

Not all foreign leaders gathered in Colombo for CHOGM 2013 have read the situation here correctly. Some of them seem to believe that reconciliation could be attained overnight if Sri Lanka does as it is told by them.

This country has been recovering from three decades of war and psychological wounds inflicted by the conflict are still fresh though more than four years have passed since its conclusion. The healing process cannot be accelerated. It takes time and haste needs to be avoided. This doesn’t mean that the government should be allowed to drag its feet indefinitely on vital issues which should be addressed immediately for the benefit of hapless people in the former war zone. It may be pressured to hasten its pace, where necessary, but in a constructive manner with what it has already done appreciated. Attempts to force it to strive for the impossible at the expense of national security and its own political survival are counterproductive.

Singapore Foreign Affairs and Law Minister, K. Shanmugam is one of the few foreign dignitaries who have appreciated the difficulties in the process of achieving reconciliation and realised that it is not something that could be forced down someone’s throat. Commending the Northern PC polls as a step in the right direction, he has told the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that political reconciliation cannot be imposed by external parties, and isolating Sri Lanka will not automatically result in improvements in the welfare of its citizens. Sadly, some heads of state have not realised this simple truth.

Those who are in an inordinate hurry to bring about reconciliation had no qualms about waiting for thirty long years without lifting a finger to help the victims of terrorism. Foreign leaders who either mistakenly believe that supporting LTTE fronts in the post-war period is the way to help Sri Lankan Tamils or are doing so deliberately to further their own agendas only ruin chances of reconciliation in this country. Clausewitz famously said war was an extension of politics by other means. Going by the current diplomatic offensive against Sri Lanka by some Commonwealth leaders sympathetic to pro-LTTE groups one may wonder whether this kind of hostile diplomacy is war by other means.

Reconciliation, as Minister Shanmugam has said, should emerge from within Sri Lanka. So long as people who abhor terrorism believe that foreign governments are helping what remains of the LTTE achieve its goal politically, the chances of reconciliation are zero. The Indian government blundered by refusing to send Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Colombo CHOGM and being seen in the process as putty in the hands of the pro-LTTE politicians in Tamil Nadu.

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to India prior to attending CHOGM and his much-publicised statement that India, Canada and Britain are on the same wavelength where Sri Lanka is concerned haven’t done the reconciliation process in this country any good. When powerful nations pander to the whims and fancies of pro-terror groups it is only natural that they are seen to be partial to the LTTE and their intentions become suspect. They are the real enemies of reconciliation in that they strengthen the hands of terror backers and at the same time, albeit unwittingly, provide the hardliners on the other side with an excuse to resist efforts being made to evolve a solution.

Let all those who have been barking up the wrong tree as regards Sri Lanka’s problem be urged to heed Minister Shanmugam’s words of wisdom and desist from acting like bullies. Reconciliation is something they should try to facilitate; they cannot father it forcibly.

Tigers are in the government lap. not with us - Dinesh

 Saturday, 16 November 2013 

Former MP of the UNP, attorney Dinesh Dodamgoda says the attempt of the state media is to portray a wrong image of him personally, and of the UNP.There is no truth to the reports being given wide publicity by certain media that a man suspected to be a Tiger terrorist had been arrested from his vehicle near Sirikotha yesterday. Mr. Dodamgoda stresses that in actual fact, the Tigers are in the government lap and not in his vehicle.

He says that following the successful conclusion of the human rights festival organized by Samagi Balawegaya despite a court order and organized gangs of government thugs, a representative from the North of Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne’s NSSP requested him to drop him at the Colombo Fort railway station.

As he was leaving Sirikotha for home, police stopped his vehicle and said all vehicles should be searched on an order by the Defence Secretary.

Police, including the Mirihana HQI inspector, searched the vehicle and arrested the NSSP representative, saying it should be determined whether he is a ‘Tiger terrorist’ and released him and his vehicle, says Mr. Dodamgoda.

As there was nothing against him, the NSSP member was released on the same night.

Although that was what had happened, certain media are only reporting that a suspected Tiger terrorist was arrested from his vehicle, without reporting the full incident, he adds.

Meanwhile, NSSP leader Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne says in a statement, that the arrested associate of his party, Parimalarasa Sutharsan, complains that he was tortured by the police when he was in custody.

“We will take action regarding that in future. We highly condemn the media who carried out false propaganda stating that Mr. Dinesh Dodangoda was a supporter of LTTE. Only at our request he accompanied Com. Parimalarasa to the bus halt.”

“We strongly condemn the government for using state terrorism and thuggary against the innocent people who came from North to make our event a success,” the statement adds.

Sri Lanka: Cameron mixes diplomacy and strong-arm politics

15 NOVEMBER 2013

JON SNOWPresenter

In Sri Lanka's Tamil north on day one of the Commonwealth conference, David Cameron tells Channel 4 News he wants to focus on the human rights issues that have dogged the run-up to the summit.

Mr Cameron is in Jaffna, in the traditionally Tamil part of Sri Lanka, and is accompanied by journalists including Jon Snow. His first visit in Jaffna was to a library , where he met with Chief Minister CV Vigneswaran.

There were many women in tears hanging onto journalists, including myself, begging us to take letters and take them to David Cameron.Jon Snow

However, outside there were two protests taking place, as Jon Snow describes.

"The first, very ordered and very similarly printed protest banners. Some of the slogans read 'time to investigate British colonial atrocities'," he said.

"Then our attention was drawn to a rather bigger demonstration much further down the road and that involved a large number of women holding photographs and letters depicting what had happened to their lost loved ones.

"There were many women in tears hanging onto journalists, including myself, begging us to take letters and take them to David Cameron.

"In the end there were an armful of letters pleading for some sort of action,. But most of these young men as they were when they surrendered to the military, have never been heard of again."

As the prime minister went to leave the protesters broke through police blockades and surrounded the vehicles that were leaving.

As Channel 4 News showed in the film White Van Stories, shown on 14 November, enforced disappearances of Sri Lankan people continues to this day.

Sri Lanka: Cameron mixes diplomacy and strong-arm politics

15 NOVEMBER 2013

JON SNOWPresenter

Meagre circumstances

Mr Cameron and the journalists then headed to the newspaper offices of a Tamil newspaper, where he heard about how printing presses were recently destroyed with bullets fired through them.

Mr Cameron told staff at the newspaper of how impressed he was with their bravery.

The journalists then moved onto a refugee village were people are "still living in pretty meagre circumstances."

On the way to the refugee village, the journalists and Mr Cameron came across another pro-government demonstration.

Mr Snow said the prime minister seems "pretty concerned by what he’s seen, but I don't think he was surprised."

Independent investigation

Mr Cameron said he would be telling President Mahindra Rajapaksa - who has himself been accused of war crimes connected to the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, in which the ruthless Tamil Tigers movement was crushed by the military - that he must hold an independent inquiry into allegations of human rights violations.

Mr Cameron said that if no such investigation was forthcoming, he would urge the United Nations to conduct and international, independent investigation.

Channel 4 News has been met by both hostility and praise in Sri Lanka, due to revelations of war crimes allegations since the end of the civil war.

But Jon Snow said in the Tamil-dominated north, he was greeted by pulling who "run forward and grasp you hand and hug you".