Sri Lanka In Fact Won – G.L. Peiris

March 29, 2014

The most educated member of the Rajapaksa regime with a doctorate from Oxford, External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L Peiris says that the voting tally at the UN Human Rights Council on the resolution against Sri Lanka was “23 for, and 24 against.” Talking to the State run Daily News from Hambanthota where the Foreign Minister was located while the vote in Geneva was taking place on 27th March, the erudite Minister says that “the outcome of the vote on the U.S sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission reflects that more countries are against the U.S at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.”

Gamini Lakshman Peiris

According to theDaily News “He added that the results do not reflect the opinion of the entire world. The Minister said Sri Lanka asked for a separate vote on the operative paragraph 10 of the resolution which proposes to handover the investigation to Human Rights Commissioner Navanetham Pilley.  However our suggestion to divest her of responsibility in this regard got 14 votes in favour where as 23 against. Ten abstained from voting, meaning that the number of countries that did not support the resolution are greater than those supporting it.”

The vote on whether to postpone the resolution was taken prior to the vote on the actual resolution. The proposal to postpone the resolution was defeated 23 to 14 which opened the floor for the actual vote where the resolution was passed with 23 countries out of 47 voting in favour and 12 against.

Speaking to State media the Minister adds “The resolution has not gained the support of the Asian region whereas 33 of the 36 countries that co-sponsored the resolution are from Europe.”

The resolution initially sponsored by five countries including the United States eventually had 41 countries joining in as co-sponsors at the time of the formal adoption. The vote on the resolution which calls for an international investigation to the human rights violations in Sri Lanka,  passed with 23 countries voting for it while 12 voting against and 12 abstentions, is now part of international law and will be implemented whether Sri Lanka accepts it or not. At the HRC a resolution is passed simply if the yes vote is more than the no. There is no practice within the UN, any other international body or in any vote for that matter where the abstentions are counted with the No vote.

Apparently the legal luminary, Rhodes Scholar, Oxford graduate, Dean of the Colombo Law Faculty and the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris  believes otherwise and argues that abstentions at the UNHRC can be counted as a No vote and therefore Sri Lanka has apparently in fact won the battle of Geneva.

New govt will move resolution in UN against Lanka: Jayalalithaa

TNN | Mar 29, 2014,
CHENNAI: Chief minister J Jayalalithaa said steps would be taken to make India move a resolution at the UN seeking action against Sri Lanka for killing innocent Tamils during the war. At a meeting in Madurai on Friday, she said she would ensure that those responsible for the genocide are punished. The assurance comes on a day the Centre faced flak from parties and activists for abstaining from voting on a USbacked resolution on Lankan war crimes. 

"When your government is formed at the Centre, India would move a resolution in the UN to get those behind the killing in Sri Lanka during the war punished ," Jayalalithaa said. She also said Tamil Nadu fishermen could carry on fishing without any trouble and the rights of Tamils would be established. 

Jayalalithaa continued her tirade against Congress alleging that the Centre was meting out stepmotherly treatment to Tamil Nadu fishermen and Sri Lankan Tamils. 

Replying to Union minister P Chidambaram's recent comment that she was not aware of ground realities as she was heli-hopping to her campaign venues, she said in her 32-year political career she had visited every nook and corner of the state. "I have campaigned for months during Lok Sabha and assembly elections since 1984 and have walked in every village,'' she said. "I have campaigned for Chidambaram himself. He has followed me in an open jeep," she said and justified her chopper travels saying that she wanted to cover many places in a short time.

BASL Condemns Attack On Lawyers Using Neth FM And Expresses Support For Lawyers Wrongfully Named

March 29, 2014 

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has issued through its Secretary, a strong statement, condemning an unacceptable attack on some lawyers, who have been named and portrayed in a negative way for providing legal services to persons alleged to be involved in offences involving terrorism.

Priyantha Gamage

In the statement, it is pointed out with reference to legal provisions, that it is the duty of all lawyers to provide services to all those who seek professional assistance. The statement emphasizes that such attacks amount to obstruction of justice and should not be tolerated. It also says that the BASL supports the lawyers named to continue to discharge their professional duties without fear or favour.

Neth FM is reputed to be owned/controlled by persons close to the Rajapaksa regime.

Read the full statement here

JVP blames Govt. for Geneva defeat 

 March 29, 2014 
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday claimed that the government is to blame for the loss at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva.
 
General Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva said the president had rejected the resolution on the grounds that it could not accept such a resolution. Despite the rejection, the resolution would not be reversed by the United Nations as they have already passed it in Geneva, he added.
 
Silva also alleged that the government had not been capable of securing the votes of countries such as Kuwait and Indonesia, which had voted in favour of Sri Lanka during the previous vote. He claimed that it was unambiguous that the doubts prevalent in the minds of the Indonesian and Kuwaiti authorities dealt with the human rights related offences on the rise in the aftermath of the war."Although it had been clear that the United States (US) sponsored resolution was introduced due to political motives, we had a duty of defeating the resolution but we failed as we could not secure the trust of some of the allied member nations," he said.

Sri Lanka stocks down as foreigners exit after UN resolution

March 28 Fri Mar 28, 2014 

(Reuters) - Foreign investors pulled out from the Sri Lankan bourse in heavy volume on Friday, a day after a U.N. resolution approved an international probe into the island nation's war crimes.

The bourse saw a net foreign outflow of 2.77 billion rupees ($21.19 million) worth of shares, the highest single-day outflow since Feb. 6, extending the net foreign outflow so far this year to 6.9 billion rupees.

"Investors are a bit more worried about the economic impact and growth due to the resolution," a stockbroker said on condition of anonymity.

The United Nations on Thursday launched an inquiry into war crimes allegedly committed by both Sri Lankan state forces and Tamil rebels during the conflict that ended in 2009, saying the government had failed to investigate properly.

Sri Lankan stocks fell on Friday from a more-than-five-week high hit in the previous session, led by large-cap shares. The main stock index ended 0.34 percent, or 20.45 points, weaker at 5,972.17.

Analysts said the outcome of the resolution was expected, but investors sentiment has been dented over concerns it could hurt the country's economy. Several potential buyers of risky assets are awaiting a clear direction.

Two stockbrokers said a foreign fund sold 12.5 million shares of conglomerate John Keells Holding PLC on Friday. The stock still ended up 0.99 percent at 225 rupees.

Top contributors to the day's fall were Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC, which fell 2.92 percent, and Ceylinco Insurance PLC , which fell 5.14 percent.

Turnover was 3.29 billion rupees, the highest since Feb. 6 and more than thrice of this year's daily average volume. ($1 = 130.7000 Sri Lanka rupees) (Reporting by Ranga Sirilal andShihar Aneez; Editing by Sunil Nair)

Two Senior BBC Sinhala Service Producers Suspended

March 29, 2014 |

Two senior producers of the Sinhala Sandeshiya Service of the BBC World Service have been suspended from service until further notice, allegedly on charges of harassment, Colombo Telegraph reliably learns.

Bandara

According to inside sources, Chandana Keerthi Bandara and M.J.R. David have been suspended few days ago by the BBC, after two controversial recruits – one from Sinhala Service and the other from Tamil Service made official complaints against the duo.

Although the BBC on previous occasions have, in fact, commented on cases of this nature, a BBC World Service Spokesman when contacted by Colombo Telegraph, declined to comment “on individual cases” in this particular case.

“We do not comment on individual cases but where we find instances of misconduct they will be dealt with. The BBC is leading the industry in the way we support staff with complaints and this includes maintaining a confidential and fair process,” BBC World Service Spokesman Paul Rasmussen told Colombo Telegraph.

The BBC spokesman however, did not deny the suspension of its two Senior Producers attached to the Sinhala Service.

“The fact that we do not comment on individual cases does not indicate that the BBC accepts that suggestions put to us by any newspaper are factually accurate,” the BBC spokesman said.

The Colombo Telegraph has been unable to reach Bandara or David for comment.

As we reported earlier, there is another case against Chandana Keerthi Bandara also pending. This was based on a complaint made by former editor of the Sinhala Service Priyath Liyanage, who was also suspended once and sent for rehabilitation twice within the past two years for breaching the BBC’s code of conduct.

Review: In Our Translated World

Contemporary Global Tamil Poetry, Translated by
M.L.Thangappa.Anushiya Ramaswamy,Maithili Thayanithy
Selected and complied by Tamil Literary Garden, Canada
Edited by Chelva Kanaganayakam, TSAR Publications, Toronto, 2013

Professor R.S. Sugirtharajah-Mar 29, 2014 

This collection brings together nearly eighty poems by Tamils from Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Singapore and the Tamil Diaspora dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Australia. As the editor, Chelva Kanganayagam, says in his deceptively erudite and witty introduction, this is not a historical record but a contemporary testament to the poetic impulses of the Tamils in their effort to articulate their identity in an increasingly interconnected and yet isolated world.

This commanding and seductive volume is the product of the vigorous efforts of the Tamil Literary Garden, Canada, whose efficiency, transparency and integrity have become an enviable benchmark among the literary organizations in the Tamil speaking world. This distinctive volume is modelled on the Harvard Loeb Classical Library series, where the original text is placed side by side with the English translation. The juxtaposition of the original and the translated texts will enable readers to see for themselves the different hermeneutical strategies employed by the translators to arrive at their creative and imaginative solution. These poems show that there are no such things as untranslatable words.

Dr Sascha Ebeling releasing the book

In a brief review like this, it is not easy to do justice to each of these poets and their poetical experimentations. The volume deals with weighty issues - migration and exile; loss of love and land; clash of native and cosmopolitan values; the nostalgic yearning for the past and the uncertainty of future prospects, confidence and trepidation in transacting daily routines, the intricate interface between native innocence and urban unease. What comes out clearly through these poems is not only the anxiety and humour but above all the humanity of the Tamils.

As the reader will note, this volume is not a simple, straightforward translation but an act of creative, imaginative re-enactment. The translators have ruthlessly dissected the original and elevated the key narrative movements and striking idioms so that they appear dazzlingly fresh. Their translations are a witness to the emotional power of words and language. Anthea Bell, a long time translator, once commented that “translators are in the business of spinning an illusion. The illusion is that the reader is reading not a translation but the real thing”. These thee translators,- Thangappa, Ramaswamy, Thayanithy-, have spun plenty of illusions for the reader. Be prepared to be mesmerized.

R.S.Sugirtharajah
University of Birmingham
27/03/2014

Philippines signs landmark deal to end Muslim uprising

The peace accord concludes formal negotiations between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (pictured) and the government which began in 2001

27 March 2014 

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel group in the Philippines has signed a peace deal with the government that brings an end to one of Asia's longest and deadliest conflicts.

President Benigno Aquino and rebel leaders attended the signing ceremony at the presidential palace in Manila.

Thousands of people have been killed over four decades of separatist fighting in the south of the country.

Talks on the deal began in 2001 and a ceasefire has been in place since 1997.

The Philippines has faced separatist movements for decades in Mindanao, where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is based, and in Jolo, home to the radical Islamist Abu Sayyaf group, which is reportedly linked to al-Qaeda.

Communist rebels have also waged a guerrilla conflict over parts of the country from 1969.

Correspondents say Thursday's deal paves the way for mostly Muslim areas of Mindanao to have more autonomy, but it will not end all violence as other groups have vowed to keep fighting for full independence.

"In signing this agreement, the two sides have looked not to the problems of the past, but to the promise of the future,'' Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak - whose country brokered the peace talks - said at Thursday's ceremony.

"After so many years of conflict, and so many lives lost, it is a momentous act of courage."

It is estimated that more than 120,000 people have died in separatist violence since the 1970s in Mindanao, the main southern Philippine island.

The area is home to most of the country's five million Muslims, but Christians remain the overall majority.

Kerry to meet Russia's Lavrov for Ukraine talks in Paris on Sunday

• Top diplomats discuss Ukraine and agree to meet in Paris
• Vladimir Putin calls Barack Obama late Friday

Guardian staff and agencies

Saturday 29 March 2014 

Secretary of state John Kerr will fly to Paris to meet with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Halfway home from Saudi Arabia, US secretary of state John Kerry has abruptly changed course. He will now stay in Europe for talks on Ukraine.

Kerry to Meet Russia's Lavrov for Ukraine Talks in Paris on Sunday by nelvely

Two attacks in two days: insurgents target Afghan election 

Saturday 29 Mar 2014
Often the first thing you notice is that Kabul’s abysmal traffic has suddenly gone perceptibly less abysmal. Kabulis soon know. The word soon gets out.

Two attacks in two days insurgents target Afghan election by nelvely

'Colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing': UN rapporteur on Palestine blasts Israel

A Palestinian man reacts as he sits atop rubble after his home was demolished in Jabel Mukaber, a village in the suburbs of East Jerusalem (Reuters / Ammar Awad)

March 23, 2014 

The UN Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine accused Israeli authorities of conducting colonialist policies that constitute forms of apartheid and ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

'Colonialism, Apartheid and Ethnic Cleansing' UN Rapporteur on Palestine Blasts Israel by nelvely

Fears as reports link pet cats and a dog to TB infections

Pets are in the media firing line as two cats and a dog are linked to tuberculosis infections in what are believed to be the first cases of their kind in the world.

SATURDAY 29 MARCH 2014

A teenager contracted tuberculosis from her pet kitten, in what health officials say is among the first cases in the world of humans getting the disease from cats.

Fears as Reports Link Pet Cats and a Dog to TB Infections by nelvely

சுயாதீன விசாரணையில் இலங்கைக்கு ஆபத்து

இலங்கை அரசின் நூறு வரையான ஆதரவாளர்கள் கடந்த வாரம் கொழும்பிலுள்ள அமெரிக்கத் தூதரகத்தின் முன் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் செய்ததுடன், இந்துக்களின் சமய முறைப்படி அமெரிக்கத் தூதரகத்தின் முன் ஆர்ப்பாட்டக்காரர்கள் தேங்காய்களை உடைத்தனர். எமது நாட்டின் அதிபருக்கு எதிராக நடவடிக்கை எடுப்பதற்கு நாங்கள் அமெரிக்காவை ஒரு போதும் அனுமதியோம் என ஆர்ப்பாட்டக்காரர்கள் அப்போது தெரிவித்தனர்.  இலங்கையின் தலைநகர் கொழும்பிலுள்ள அமெரிக்கத் தூதரகத்தின் முன்னால், இலங்கை அரச ஆதரவாளர்கள் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் செய்த மறுநாள் இலங்கையிலிருந்து பல மைல்கள் தொலைவிலுள்ள அமெரிக்காவிலிருந்து அதன் இராஜாங்கத் திணைக்களப் பேச்சாளர்  இலங்கையில்  மனித உரிமை ஆர்வலர்கள் இருவர் கடத்தப்பட்டமை தொடர்பில் தனது கண்டனத்தை வெளியிட்டிருந்தார்.  இலங்கையின் நீண்ட உள்நாட்டுப் போரின் போது அதில் பங்குகொண்ட இரு தரப்புக்களாலும் இழைக்கப்பட்ட பல்வேறு மீறல்கள் தொடர்பாக விசாரணை செய்வதற்காகத் தமது வாழ்வைப் பணயம் வைத்துத் துணிந்து செயற்படும் தனது சொந்தக் குடிமக்களான இலங்கையர்களுக்கு எதிராக இலங்கை அரசால் மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் சித்திரவதைகள் மிகவும் மோசமானவையாகும் என அமெரிக்க இராஜாங்கத் திணைக்களப் பேச்சாளர் விடுத்துள்ள அறிக்கையில் சுட்டிக்காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.  இலங்கைக்கு எதிராக முன்வைக்கப்பட்ட வரைவுக்கான வாக்களிப்பு ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் சபையின் மனித உரிமைகள் சபையில் இடம்பெறவுள்ள நிலையில், ஏற்கெனவே இது தொடர்பில் இலங்கைக்கும் அமெரிக்காவுக்கும் இடையில் தீவிரம் பெற்றுள்ள முறுகல் நிலை மேலும் அதிகமாகலாம் என எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.  அதாவது இலங்கையில் இறுதிப் போரின் போது இடம்பெற்ற பல்வேறு மீறல்கள் தொடர்பில் அனைத்துலக விசாரணையை அனைத்துலக சமூகம் ஆரம்பிக்குமா அல்லது இல்லையா என்பதை உறுதிப்படுத்துவதற்கான வாக்களிப்பே இன்று  இடம்பெறவுள்ளது.  இலங்கையில் கைதுசெய்யப்பட்ட முதன்மை மனித உரிமைச் செயற்பாட்டாளர்களில் ஒருவரான றுக்கி பெர்னாண்டோவும் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தைத் தளமாகக் கொண்டியங்கும் சமாதானம் மற்றும் மீளிணக்கப்பாட்டுக்கான மையத்தின் இயக்குநரும் கத்தோலிக்க மதகுருவுமான வணக்கத்துக்குரிய பிரவீன் மகேசன் அவர்களும் கடந்த செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை அன்று இலங்கை காவற்துறையினரால் விடுவிக்கப்பட்டனர்.  தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்ட இவ்விருவரும் தடுப்பிலிருந்த மூன்று நாள்களும் வெளிநாட்டு ஊடகங்களுடன் பேசுவதற்கான அனுமதி மறுக்கப்பட்டதுடன், இவர்களிடமிருந்து கைப்பற்றப்பட்ட இவர்களது கணினிகள் மற்றும் கைத்தொலைபேசிகளின் "சிம்' அட்டைகளையும் கையளிக்குமாறு கட்டளையிடப்பட்டிருந்து.  இலங்கை அரசிடம் சரணடைந்து காணாமற் போனவர்களின் உறவுகளுக்காக முன்னின்று செயற்படும் ஜெயக்குமாரி பாலேந்திரன் தற்போதும் இலங்கை அரசின் தடுப்பு முகாம் ஒன்றில் தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார். மனித உரிமைச் செயற்பாட்டாளர் றுக்கி பெர்னாண்டோ, வணக்கத்துக்குரிய பிரவீன் மகேசன் மற்றும் ஜெயக்குமாரி பாலேந்திரன் ஆகிய மூவரும், இலங்கை அரசின் தடுப்பிலிருந்து தப்பிச் சென்று நோர்வேயில் முகாமிட்டுள்ள ஆயுததாரியான கே.பி.செல்வநாயகத்துடன் தொடர்பைப் பேணுகிறார்கள் என்ற குற்றச்சாட்டிலேயே தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டதாக இலங்கை அரசு தெரிவித்திருந்தது.  இந்த மூன்று மனித உரிமைச் செயற்பாட்டாளர்களும் கைதுசெய்யப்பட்ட புலிகளின் முன்னாள் கோட்டையாக விளங்கிய கிளிநொச்சியில் வெடிமருந்துகளை மறைத்து வைத்திருந்ததாகவும் இலங்கை அரசு குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தது. மோட்டர்கள், கைக்குண்டுகள் மற்றும் கண்ணிவெடிகள் உட்பட வெடிமருந்துகளை ஒளித்து வைத்திருந்தனர் எனவும் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்டனர்.  இவர்கள் கைது செய்யப்பட்டமையை மனித உரிமை அமைப்புக்கள் பல கண்டித்ததுடன், தற்போது தொடர்ந்தும் தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள திருமதி பாலேந்திரன் சித்திரவதைக்கு உள்ளாக்கப்படுவதாகவும் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளன.  தான் இலங்கைப் புலனாய்வுப் பிரிவினரால் தொடர்ந்தும் கண்காணிக்கப்படுவதாகவும் தனது நண்பர்கள் மற்றும் உறவினர்கள் துன்புறுத்தப்படுவதாகவும் இலங்கையின் முன்னாள் அதிபர் சந்திரிகா குமாரணதுங்க கடந்த வாரம் முறையிட்டுள்ளார்.  இலங்கை அரசால் மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் இவ்வாறான கைதுகள் மற்றும் சித்திரவதைகள் தொடர்பான முறைப்பாடுகள் பேரவையில் முன்வைக்கப்படும் தீர்மானத்தை எதிர்த்து நிற்பதற்கான வலுவை அரசுக்கு வழங்குமா எனவும் இலங்கை அரசு தனக்கெதிராக முன்வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள குற்றச்சாட்டுக்களை தானே உறுதிப்படுத்த முயற்சிக்கிறதா எனவும் கொழும்பிலுள்ள மாற்றுக் கொள்கைகளுக்கான மையத்தின் நிறைவேற்று இயக்குநர் பாக்கியசோதி சரவணமுத்து கேள்வியெழுப்பியுள்ளார்.  இலங்கை காவற்துறையினர் சட்ட திட்டங்களுக்கு உட்பட்டே தமது நடவடிக்கைகளை மேற்கொள்வதை ஏனைய உலக நாடுகளுக்கு விளக்கும் வகையில் இலங்கை அரசு தனது இராஜதந்திரக் குறிப்பொன்றை அனுப்பியுள்ளது.  போர் முடிவடைந்து ஐந்து ஆண்டுகள் ஆகின்ற நிலையிலும் கூட, சாத்தியப்பாடான போர்க் குற்றவிசாரணைகளுக்குப் பொறுப்பளிக்க வேண்டும் என இலங்கை அரசு சிறிதளவேனும் கருதவில்லை. 2009 இல் இடம்பெற்ற இறுதிக்கட்டப் போரில் 40,000 வரையான பொதுமக்கள் படுகொலை செய்யப்பட்டனர்.  இலங்கையால் இழைக்கப்பட்ட மீறல்கள் தொடர்பில் விசாரணை மேற்கொள்ளத் தவறும் பட்சத்தில் நாட்டில் கிளர்ச்சிகள் தோன்றக் கூடும் என அனைத்துலக சமூகம் அச்சம் கொள்கிறது. இந்த நிலையில், இலங்கை அரசின் இழுத்தடிப்புக்கள் தொடர்பில் அமெரிக்காவும் ஏனைய நாடுகளும் பொறுமை இழந்துள்ளதுடன், அனைத்துலக விசாரணை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட வேண்டும் எனவும் அழுத்தம் கொடுத்து வருகின்றன.  நாட்டில் நீண்ட காலம் தொடரப்பட்ட போரை  முடிவுக்கு கொண்டு வந்தவர் என்ற ரீதியில் இலங்கை அதிபர் மஹிந்த ராஜபக்­ச பிரபல்யம் பெற்றுள்ளார். போர் முடிவடைந்ததன் பின்னர் நாட்டில் பொருளாதாரம் புத்துயிர் பெற்றுள்ளது.  ஆனால் போர்க் கால மீறல்களை விசாரணை செய்வதற்கான சுயாதீன விசாரணையானது இலங்கை அதிபருக்கும் அவரது சகோதரர்களில் குறைந்தது ஒருவருக்காவது அதாவது இராணுவத்தை வழிநடத்திய பாதுகாப்புச் செயலர் கோத்தபாய ராஜபக்­சவுக்கும் ஆபத்தை விளைவிப்பதாக அமையலாம்.

Sri Lanka Resolution: Real World Geo-Politics And The Biggest Surprise

By Ron Ridenour -March 28, 2014

Ron Ridenour

Five years after the ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka was won by the Sinhalese government, with massive killings of Tamil civilians in the last few months, the UN Human Rights Council authorized the High Commissioner of the HRC to investigate if human rights abuse occurred.

On a vote of 23 for, 12 against and with 12 abstentions, the HRC voted to promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka by having its High Commissioner, Navi Pillay, and her successor soon-to-be:

“To undertake a comprehensive investigation into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties [referring to the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam guerrilla organization as well as the government] in Sri Lanka during the period covered by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, and to establish the facts and circumstances of such alleged violations and of the crimes perpetrated with a view to avoiding impunity and ensuring accountability, with assistance from relevant experts and special procedures mandate holders.” (1)

The Commissioner will then “present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-seventh session, and a comprehensive report followed by a discussion on the implementation of the present resolution at its twenty-eighth session.” The process could take three years.

This resolution is the fourth since May 2009, and the third sponsored by US/UK and allies. The resolutions of 2012 and 2013 merely asked Sri Lanka to implement its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) mild report, in which no mechanisms were proposed to end impunity for those who committed human rights abuse.

The biggest surprise in these sessions is that India abstained instead of voting yes as had been expected. This is a boon to Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a disappointment to Tamils. 

India maintained that the resolution will “undermine national sovereignty,” that it is an “intrusive approach, counter-productive,” and that the tough language “will hinder efforts” for rehabilitation.

Some analysts believe that India may also object to the resolution because it could set a precedent that might implicate India for its conduct in Kashmir.                      Read More

Sri Lanka rejects UN inquiry into war crimes allegations

By 

Greg Dyett-

28 MAR 2014 

(Transcript from World News Radio)

The UN's Human Rights Council has voted in favour of a Western-backed resolution calling for a comprehensive investigation into the allegations against both Sri Lankan government troops and Tamil Tiger separatist rebels.

Greg Dyett reports.

  

Sri Lanka Rejects UN Inquiry Into War Crimes Allegations by nelvely

சுகாதார வைத்திய அதிகாரியின் பணிமனை விசமிகளால் தாக்குதல்

27 மார்ச் 2014, வியாழன்

யாழ்.மாநகர சபையின் சுகாதார வைத்திய அதிகாரியின் பணிமனை இனந்தெரியாத நபர்களால் தாக்குதலுக் குள்ளாகியுள்ளது. 

 

இன்று காலை மாநகர சபை வைத்திய அதிகாரியின் அலுவலக அறை ஜன்னல்கள் உடைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதுடன், அறைக்குள் கழிவொயில் ஊற்றப்பட்டு நாசப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.  

 

 

 

 

- See more at: http://onlineuthayan.com/News_More.php?id=243362788128898380#sthash.OefACq11.dpuf

Adopted Resolution: End Of The Sleepwalking

| by NILANTHA ILANGAMUWA

( March 28, 2014, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) It was nothing surprising! We plucked the alyssicarpus in order to what we had cultivated. The failure of the country in the national and international arena is the systematic plot which is strategically designed by the old feudalistic clan which maintains dominancy over the power. The “Rajapaksa democracy” is the vaginalis of the social disorder which is now the normal practice in the country, that is decorated by the “popular Buddhism” and “historical myth” injected to the general attitude as the cultural rights.

Human Rights Council - 25th Session

Voting of resolution L.1/Rev.1 ” Promoting reconciliation, accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka ” during the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council. 27 March 2014. UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré

This is the most embarrassing moment that any free thinking person could face while standing before the country. Those who have no shame and continually engaged in the annihilation of ethics and freedom, dignity and humanity can further gamble in the country by using naked power. This moment can be equated to a man who is standing naked in front of a woman before making love. The Rajapaksa clan tends to do whatever they desire and because of this the country is in a dilemma. The time has come to have real statesmen! Unfortunately the seeds of leadership have been eliminated for one feudalistic reason after another.

The third resolution on Sri Lanka has been adopted and there is much ado by many parties. The malnutrition of the intellectual capacity or the diplomatic skill we have seen during the last few days was brought to the edge yesterday, both before and after the adoption of the resolution. Many politicians who are with the government emotionally played the game while showing their stupidity as the country’s representatives.

__________________

"It was one of my friends who visited Sri Lanka recently and spent three weeks, meeting various people from grassroots activists to so called “intellectuals” who brought up a very good question after his short visit. One intellectual proudly told him about his dinner with the president. I can do no better than borrow the words from best anarchists, where they described this kind of inferiority complex as being none other than but “intellectual masturbation”. This kind of complicity may guide you to have political appointments inside or outside the country but it will never be a positive contribution to the social change." 
__________________

However, neither the government nor those who contribute to the government in the opinion level has shown their capacity to solve this problem. All they have done is contribute to the further isolation and feign anger for the serious problems the country needs to face. As this writer mentioned earlier, the whole problem is about the country itself. The scenario is about the killings of people and burying the general freedom in broad day light.

Many countries have overcome and survived tragedies, from slavery to genocide. But Sri Lanka is tragically moving backwards to the level where many countries were in late the 60s to early 70s. It was one of my friends who visited Sri Lanka recently and spent three weeks, meeting various people from grassroots activists to so called “intellectuals” who brought up a very good question after his short visit. 

One intellectual proudly told him about his dinner with the president. I can do no better than borrow the words from best anarchists like Mikhail Bakunin, Alexander Berkman, Albert Camus, Emma Goldman and etc., where they described this kind of inferiority complex as being none other than but “intellectual masturbation”. This kind of complicity may guide you to have political appointments inside or outside the country but it will never be a positive contribution to the social change.

“I have seen many countries, and I have seen people who led the armed struggles against the state for real change. But particularly in Sri Lanka, what I thought strange was how yesterday’s rebel take a ministerial post in the today’s government”. In this one question he unveiled the complicity of the social dynamic in the country. Here is the real problem that we have to deal with.

Adopting the third resolution is big achievement indeed, but it has not touched the very area which requires investigation. However, this resolution is a different approach from what the international community took in last few decades while issuing statements, one after another and gave ad hoc based advice to an already rotten system. The outcome of that kind of kindergarten lessons, shows on the street when the country’s first lady chief Justice was kicked out from the post and unarmed civilians who peacefully protests for drinking water were killed.

The time has come. The resolution is the concluding operation of catching a fly in a dark room. Only now do they turn on the light to see what they are trying to catch and find that the subject of their search is a long way off.

Thus, the sleepwalking the international community has finally awakened on the issue of Sri Lanka.

Nilantha Ilangamuwa edits the Sri Lanka Guardian and he also an editor of the Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives, bi-monthly print magazine. He is the author of the just released non-fictions, “Nagna Balaya” (The Naked Power), in Sinhalese and “The Conflation”, in English. He can be reached at ilangamuwa@gmail.com