Sri Lanka’s Policy of Appeasement betrayed the Nation & Armed Forces at UNHRC

 

It’s now 13 years since LTTE was defeated. Let’s cut to the chase & put on the table the reason why Sri Lanka is still grappling to close the witch hunt taking place smearing the good name of the Nation & its Armed Forces. The fault lies entirely with the Foreign Policy advisors, legal teams, AG’s Dept of the successive Govts since 2009. From Foreign Minister downwards the advice was ‘don’t upset the UN’ ‘the foreign envoys don’t want Sri Lanka to ask these questions’ ‘our aid may get cut if we ask the right questions’ and so forth.

 

When initial claims of war crimes emerged – shouldn’t the Govt have asked direct questions

• Produce the police complaint by family naming the missing
• Why were the ‘missing’ not reported to the Presidential Missing Persons Commission or the OISL or the HRCSL or even on websites so the GoSL and intel could verify whether the people named even existed. Anyone can give names but were they held hostage by LTTE, did LTTE take them by force, did they go voluntarily with LTTE, were they members of LTTE armed civilian force, were they killed by LTTE & if anyone claims they were killed by Sri Lanka Armed Forces, they have to present proof. Not well-funded tamashas & sensationalism.

 

When UNHRC Resolutions emerged from 2012 onwards – where were Sri Lanka’s Govt/Foreign Ministry lawyers

 

• Did they look at the legal aspects of the Resolutions?

 

• Did they question how a personally commissioned report by the UNSG which had no mandate of UNSC or UNGA & was leaked & not even tabled at UNHRC for Sri Lanka to officially respond, could be used against Sri Lanka?

 

• Why did these lawyers not question the joint statement that claims Sri Lanka agreed to launch an inquiry – there was no such joint statement. Who was the foreign minister, who was the foreign secretary, who was our representatives in UN/UNHRC at this time?

 

• If we were to shy to ask direct questions, why didn’t we ask the questions diplomatically instead of agreeing to implement 13a? What does 13a have to do with ending terrorism? Didn’t we have a foreign minister to ask this question on the floors of the UNHRC?

 

• When UNHRC in their proposals began interfering into internal affairs of Sri Lanka going so far as to question of Judiciary & our judges, demanding Sri Lanka devolve powers, repeal terrorism acts etc – why did we not showcase to UN/UNHRC that they were violating the UN Charter Article 2(7)

 

When UN officials / foreign diplomats / foreign MPs were parroting ‘war crimes’ ‘genocide’ and even attending events commemorating supposed ‘dead’

• Why didn’t Sri Lanka’s Govt ask its officials to question whether they ‘dead’ they were shedding tears for were LTTE dead or civilian dead / LTTE civilian army dead or actual civilians who did not take part in hostilities.

 

• Why did no one ask how they died – for any civilian engaged in hostilities either voluntarily or by force & dies, is not qualified to claim to be a civilian. Anyone accusing Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces of killings has to prove they were civilians first. Why have we not demanded this answer.

 

• Why did Sri Lankan officials ask those making allegations – how Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces can kill 40,000 or more (while LTTE & Armed Forces were shooting each other) & dig graves to shove these 40,000 or more. Even a child will be baffled as to how this is even remotely possible.

 

• Why did Sri Lanka not question UNSG Ban Ki Moon as to whether he saw MASS GRAVES when he flew over the conflict zone with other foreign dignatories 3 days after the conflict end. Surely, if 40,000 or more had been killed, their bodies have to be shoved into mass graves and these graves should have been observed from helicopters if they actually existed.

 

• Why didn’t Sri Lanka insist on answers to these questions – because so far the UNHRC is making wild allegations while Sri Lanka is simply not attacking with counter questions. The failure to do so, applying an appeasement policy since 2010 is why our armed forces are being unnecessarily humiliated and slapped with international bans for no reason.

 

• It is because the GoSL failed to ask direct questions and continue to ask the questions until they got answers that Sri Lanka lands itself in this predicament 13 years after the conflict ended.

 

• Why did Sri Lanka fail to question the EU regarding Yasmin Sooka – she was an EU employee nominated to head a NGO that was to look into affairs of South Africans. How did she plug an anti-Sri Lanka project ITJP into this South African intiative? Why didn’t Sri Lanka Govt question the EU regarding this questionable role. She has been churning reports against Sri Lanka under this South African NGO more than serving South Africans. Why has GoSL failed to demand Sooka produce lists of civilians instead of LTTE ‘missing’. Why have GoSL officials not challenged Sooka’s reports & demanding evidence instead of glossy printed propaganda.

 

• Why has GoSL failed to point out Sri Lanka’s conflict was not ethnic but terrorist. Sinhalese & Tamils were never fighting with guns & ammunition. LTTE has killed more Tamils than anyone cares to count. Why should Sri Lanka agree to Truth & Reconciliation – why should Sri Lanka reconcile with terrorists & no Truth can omit the role of foreign countries, foreign intel, the Church & international NGOs linked to LTTE helping LTTE terror. Why has GoSL failed to raise these key points instead of meekly accepting every crap thrown at Sri Lanka in Geneva annually.
• Sri Lanka’s Govts & officials have failed to use the pen as the Sri Lanka Armed Forces used their guns since LTTE fronts are using their pen to secure what LTTE failed to do with the gun, while Sri Lanka’s officials continue to meekly follow the appeasement line without challenging the facts & demanding to produce the evidence.

 

All that Sri Lanka’s Officials and Ministers end up doing in Geneva is proudly appraise how Sri Lanka has been following every demand UNHRC presents instead of asking the questions that would silence UNHRC.

 

It is because of this stupidity that the Armed Forces cannot enjoy the victory over terrorism that they deserve and are slapped with silly bans just to carry the sham witch hunt for geopolitical objectives.

 

While UN/UNHRC are faulted – the GoSL & officials in particular the legal teams have disappointed the Nation & the Armed Forces.

 

 

Shenali D Waduge