SL Parliament Suspends Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe? 30 Nov 2011

1:58 Runil strips tie in parliament 2:23 Dinesh slams at Ranil for being a traitor 2:34 Wimal Weerawansa wonders if Ranil is wearing Pentagon clothes other than Commonwelath tie? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtCX9xGbgm4

When Opposition Leader Ranil rose to make the statement under the Standing Orders 23/2, Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said that the government was against allowing such a statement to be made. "We received a copy of this statement. The content of this statement is sub judice. Several sentences are sub judice. We cannot debate an issue which is before a court of law. Therefore, this statement cannot be allowed to be made. We urge the Speaker to give a ruling against making this statement."

Ranil: Only four sentences of this statement are challenged.

I can leave them out if I am allowed to state this to the House. The statement should not be stopped just because of four sentences.

Leader of the House: Both the beginning and end of the statement are interconnected. Not only the sentences from the beginning and the end but also the content of the statement are in violation of the sub judice principle. You can bring in another statement.

Chief Government Whip Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena: "By expressing his willingness to amend the statement, the leader of opposition has admitted that the statement is in violation of sub judice principle."

Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekera: "This is an important issue. Please allow this statement to be presented."

Ranil: "What we demand to know is the government's position on the international conventions. If this is a big deal for you, I can omit the name of Sarath Fonseka."

Leader of the House: "You can make any statement, but we are duty bound to respond to them. You cannot omit names from the statement and present it. We are not ready to respond to statements that are sub judice. Expecting us to do so is unjust."

Speaker Rajapaksa: "I would like to get the expert opinion of Prof G. L. Peiris in this regard."

External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Peiris: "One sentence is connected to the other. Removal of four sentences does not answer the dispute highlighted. The statement should be fully and clearly amended."

MP Jayasekera: "Please allow this considering it a special occasion."

Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne: "The argument first raised by the Opposition Leader was that four sentences are not connected to each other. Now he offers to remove names and make the statement.

1:50 Ranil: "As the Opposition Leader of this House, I am questioning whether this government is violating international human rights conventions to which it is a signatory. I am wearing the tie of Commonwealth Parliamentary Union of which you are the President. (Shows his tie to the House)

Chief Government Whip: "Opposition Leader first said something else now says something contradictory."

Ranil: "I have a right to make this statement."

Chief Government Whip: "While we are planning to hold Commonwealth meeting in this country, our Opposition leader tries to make treacherous statements against the country."

Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa: "I like to know apart from the Commonwealth tie what else he is wearing from other organisations including the Pentagon."

Ranil: "We all are members of the CPU. This minister wants us to resign from it."

Speaker: "I have paid attention to what you all have said. I cannot make my ruling immediately. I will let the House know my position tomorrow (30)."

At this point Opposition Leader removed his tie and showed it to the House while Government MPs booed him.

Speaker: "All the MPs standing must sit down. If anybody attempts to disturb the House he would be removed from the Chamber."

island.lk
http://ceylon-ananda.blogspot.com/2011/11/denied-permission-to-talk-of-sf-irate.html

video source: Derana 29 Nov 2011 Ranil not allowed to make statement in Parliament link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Po8QB3hf8

Related posts: http://www.dailymirror.lk/caption-story/15120-rally-to-free-fonseka.html

Pesident Barack Obama vs President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the General Assembly of the United Nations 2010 2011

UN SPEECH 2010 President Barack Obama, USA.
United States of America, General Debate, 65th Session 23 September 2010. Address by His Excellency Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America at the 65th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 23- September 2010).
President Obama UN Speech 2010 Statement Summary



UN SPEECH 2011 President Barack Obama, USA.
United States of America, General Debate, 66th Session 21 September 2011. Address by His Excellency Barack Obama, President of the United States of America at the General debate of the 66th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 21-24 and 26-30 September 2011)


UN SPEECH 2010 President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka

 

President Rajapaksa UN Speech 2010 Statement Summary

MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA, President of Sri Lanka, said the fact the United Nations was in the sixty-fifth year of its existence served to underline the Organization’s durability as an important mechanism to ensure cooperation between States and discussion between sovereign nations. Saying that he was giving this address at a critical juncture in the history of his country, he added that in two months, he would be assuming a second term in office. His mandate would be different from the last; he planned to deliver sustainable peace and prosperity, and ensure that terrorism would not be able to raise its ugly head again.

In 2005, he was elected on a promise to rid the country of terrorism and was proud and humbled that Sri Lanka was now at peace. Over the past year, much was reported regarding the country’s liberation from terrorism. “However, far less has been said of the suffering we had to undergo and the true nature of the enemy we have overcome,” he said, and added that the rapidly forgotten truth was that the country faced one of the most brutal, highly organized, well-funded and effective terrorist organizations, which could even spread its tentacles to other countries.

Many of the atrocities of terrorism that the West experienced recently had been present in Sri Lanka for nearly 30 years. Almost 100,000 lives had been lost, among them the President of Sri Lanka, intellectuals and politicians. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was an organization so brutal that even those it claimed to represent, the Tamil community, were as much victims of its terror as the rest of the population. Those observing from afar who suggested the Sri Lankan Government should have conceded to the demands of those terrorists needed to be reminded that “terror is terror, whatever mask it wears”. His responsibility was to the peace and prosperity of the nation.

Invoking the capacity of current international humanitarian law, he said it must be remembered that such law evolved essentially in response to conflicts waged by the forces of legally constituted States, not terrorist groups. The asymmetrical nature of conflicts by non-State actors gave rise to serious problems which needed to be considered in earnest by the international community. He reminded that, “We, along with many others, made repeated attempts to engage the LTTE in constructive dialogue,” but the attempts were rejected.

The entire focus was now on building peace, healing wounds and ensuring economic prosperity. In order to fulfil those aspirations, economic development and political reconciliation needed to go hand in hand. Towards that end, constitutional changes would evolve with full participation of stakeholders. He mentioned the return of 90 per cent of the internally displaced persons, rebuilding of the eastern province, and establishment of a Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission. He welcomed support from the international community as rebuilding took place, and said the economy was well on its way to realizing the dividend of peace, as the economy grew by 8 per cent in the last quarter.

Despite the struggle against terrorism, the country graduated from middle income status, unemployment declined to around 5 per cent, poverty went from 25 to 15 per cent. In order to receive full potential he welcomed a supportive external environment. He concluded by saying that leaders who have been chosen by their people faced difficult decisions; they must be entitled the goodwill and confidence of the international community, and the results of their decisions needed to be evaluated objectively and allowed to speak for themselves.



UN SPEECH 2011 President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, General Debate, 66th Session 23 September 2011. Address by His Excellency Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the General debate of the 66th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 21-24 and 26-30 September 2011)

Shame on us Daily Mirror Editorial Nov 24, 2011

Nothing would have made President Rajapaksa's seventh budget speech more dramatic than the scuffle that broke out at the House on Monday. Reading of a budget, which ought to have exhibited the legislature's sense of pragmatism and the respect for democratic principles, instead, became a wrestling pit where the arm-power of some beat every other fundamental human quality, such as common decency and respect.

It is in this scenario that Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa pledged to conduct an inquiry into the incident that led to the departure of the Unpers from the House when the budget speech was in progress. In fact, this incident is not the first of its kind, nor will it be the last.

The House has had its days when coffins and wreaths were brought in by the MPs as a mark of protest. Assaults had not been rare, for even the Buddhist monks who were elected to Parliament had not been spared despite their saffron robes. More often than not, the schoolchildren in the viewing gallery have been hurried out due to the abusive language used by the MPs during debates; the words that spill out from their mouths are too derogatory to be included in the Hansard. The picture they present in the House is far from what was printed in their election posters.


Video (courtesy Debrief)Thuggery Inside SL Parliament. MPs Were Assaulted 21 Nov 2011

The conduct of these MPs has been a cause of concern, yet nothing feasible has been done so far to curb the situation. It may be true that they are beyond the age of reform, and their behaviour at the House is nothing but the reflection of their real selves. None of these reasons belittle the fact that the two hundred and twenty five members elected by the people's vote are not there to epitomize political violence - their obligations to the public who voted them into power run much deeper than that.

At a time when numerous allegations are levelled against Sri Lanka on human rights violations and suppression of the free media, the last thing the country needs is a set of parliamentarians showing their fistpower at each other, thus shredding the last remains of democracy into pieces. One cannot blame the international community for conjuring wrong pictures of Sri Lanka, when the very persons who brag about their patriotism, continue to tar its image with their unruly and undemocratic behaviour. After all, it would be too much to expect from the international observers, members of the diplomatic missions and foreign journalists who were at the viewing gallery, to leave their budget speech memories behind Parliament doors.

Above all, their shocking conduct places the country's citizenry in a bad light. As the choice-makers who thought these individuals were fit enough to be people's representatives, the public have underrated the power of vote. Ignoring the growing trend of indecency both in and out of the House, the people had obliviously placed the cross before their names over and again.

It is a shame on them alright, for behaving like a set of exotic tribesmen at the bottom of the civilization- ladder, who had no choice but to let their arms and legs talk when the language was not developed enough to express themselves.

Shame on us too, for voting them into power and trying to envision statesmen who do not exist among modern-day politicians.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

The Thanksgiving

(ORIGINALLY From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving)

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. Because of the longstanding traditions of the holiday, the celebration often extends to the weekend that falls closest to the day it is celebrated.

Video: The Thanksgiving Song by Adam Sandler

History
Thanksgiving in North America had originated from a mix of European and Native traditions.[1] Typically in Europe, festivals were held before and after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a good harvest, and to rejoice together after much hard work with the rest of the community.[1] At the time, Native Americans had also celebrated the end of a harvest season.[1] When Europeans first arrived to the Americas, they brought with them their own harvest festival traditions from Europe, celebrating their safe voyage, peace and good harvest.[1] Though the origins of the holiday in both Canada and the United States are similar, Americans do not typically celebrate the contributions made in Newfoundland, while Canadians do not celebrate the contributions made in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[2]
In Canada
Main article: Thanksgiving (Canada)
The Order of Good Cheer, 1606 by Charles William Jefferys, (1925).

The origin of the first Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to the explorer Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving celebration was not for harvest, but in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs. On his third and final voyage to these regions in 1578 Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Frobisher Bay in Baffin Island in present Day Nunavut to give thanks to God and in a service ministered by the preacher Robert Wolfall they celebrated Communion, the first ever service in these regions.[3] Years later, the tradition of a feast would continue as more settlers began to arrive in the Canadian colonies.[4]
Oven roasted turkey

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving can also be traced to the French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century, who also took to celebrating their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing their food with the indigenous peoples of the area.[5] Champlain had also proposed for the creation of the Order of Good Cheer in 1606.[6]

As many more settlers arrived in Canada, more celebrations of good harvest became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish and Germans, would also add their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the U.S. aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey or what were called Guineafowls originating from Madagascar), were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.[5]

In the United States

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth By Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914)

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. There is also evidence for an earlier celebration on the continent by Spanish explorers in Texas at San Elizario in 1598, as well as thanksgiving feasts in the Virginia Colony.[7] The initial thanksgiving observance at Virginia in 1619 was prompted by the colonists' leaders on the anniversary of the settlement.[8] The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. In later years, the tradition was continued by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623.[9][10][11] While initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists, the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.[12]

According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.[13]
Contending origins

The claim of where the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States, and even the Americas, has often been a subject of debate. Author and teacher Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon of the University of Florida have argued that the earliest attested "Thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565, in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.[14][15]

Similarly, many historians point out that the first thanksgiving celebration in the United States was held in Virginia, and not in Plymouth. Thanksgiving services were routine in what was to become the Commonwealth of Virginia as early as 1607.[16] A day of Thanksgiving was codified in the founding charter of Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia in 1619.[17]

Colombo Telegraph: White Flag Case:Justice Warawewa’s judgment contradicts Wikileaks

By Colombo Telegraph (November 20, 2011)
original post source: Colombo Telegraph: White Flag Case:Justice Warawewa’s judgment contradicts Wikileaks

Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was sentenced to three years in jail and fined Rs.5000 in a two-one split verdict delivered in the white flag case with two judges finding him guilty on one of the charges while one of the judges WTMPB Warawewa acquitted him on all three charges. However, according a leaked US diplomatic cable Fonseka did discuss the “white flag story” with the American Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis at a lunch meeting with UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya the day Sunday Leader story was published. The Ambassador wrote “ “After Fonseka arrived, the former general discussed his interview in the Sunday.

Leader news paper on December 13, in which he had accused Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of ordering at the end of the war the shooting of any LTTE leaders who might try to surrender under flags of truce.” She further wrote to Washington. “Fonseka claimed he did not know until two days later about the flurry of phone calls between Gotabhaya, the Norwegian ambassador, and the LTTE leadership regarding surrender and said he had been told details by journalists”

Photo: Judges Deepali Wijesundera (President) (C)W.T.M.P.B. Warawewa (R) and M.Z. Razeen (L) (November 18, 2011)

See External links for Excerpts of judgment:
Excerpts of judgment by Deepali Wijesundara President of the High Court Trial-at-Bar, and Judge Zulfikar Razeen. Why Gen Sarath Fonseka was found guilty on the first charge? - Transcurrents
Excerpts of judgement by by Judge W.T.M.P.B. Waraweera: Why Gen. Sarath Fonseka was found not guilty on all three charges? -  Transcurrents

Below Excerpts of the judgment by Judge W.T.M.P.B Warawewa and the related US Embassy Cable.

Excerpts of the judgment by Judge W.T.M.P.B Warawewa:

This case is based on an interview the former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka gave The Sunday Leader Editor Frederica Jansz in December 2010.

White Flag Case Verdict: General Fonseka Rejects Unfair Judgment (18 Nov 2011)

Original post source Sunday Times: Amidst Fonseka furore MR faces vital issues: (Sunday November 20, 2011)
"Don't the people have the right to speak?...it is an unfair judgment... I reject this judgment with disgust... If the people accept that injustice was done to me... I call upon them to rise against injustice... I salute the judge who held that I was not guilty of the charges. His bravery is an honour to the judiciary" General Sarath Fonseka was convicted and sentenced to three more years in jail and fined Rs 5,000. He was to serve a further six months if the fine was not paid. The sentence on Fonseka will run consecutively after he completes his present 30 month jail term.

Three-member bench -- Deepani Wijesundera (presiding), with Zulficar Razeen and W.T.M.P.B. Warawewa -- convened at 11.30 a.m., Friday 18 Nov 2011.

Two judges (Ms. Wijesundera and Razeen) had found Fonseka guilty of the first count -- violating the emergency regulations (since withdrawn) by telling Frederica Jansz, Editor of The Sunday Leader, that Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had ordered (then) Brigadier Shavendra Silva not to let any Tiger rebels waving white flags "to surrender and kill them all." This was during the final stages of the war in May 2009.

-Second charge: he had, by making those remarks "aroused communal feelings directly or indirectly."
-Third count: "arousing anti-government feelings among the public and creating disputes among them."
-A dissenting judgment by Warawewa who had ruled that Fonseka was not guilty of all three charges.

Sunny Side of Sex: India

In the four-part series, "Sunny Side of Sex" Sunny Bergman travels around the world over the boundaries of our thinking about sexuality, love, femininity and the body. From a personal perspective, Sunny involved in Uganda, China, Cuba and India in search of surprising ideas to our own (Western) ideas pry about what is normal, or should be. 

Sunny Bergman documentary "Sunny Side of Sex: India" explores how ancient Indians freely preached the religion of sexual pleasure.As prudish as our (Dutch) church has declared sinful sex as freely proclaimed the ancient Indians of the religious sexual pleasure. In Baul on the border of India with Bangladesh, the ancient sexual yoga is a daily ritual. The body is an altar, sex prayer. Telecast on 17th Nov 2011, 20:55.

Only Gotabhaya thought a military victory was possible – Erik Solheim (video)

Eric Solheim made this remarks last week in Oslo seminar followed by the launch of the evaluation report of the Norwegian Peace effort in Sri Lanka. The evaluation has been performed by CMI in Bergen and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and deals with the Norwegian peace effort in Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2009.

Gothabaya Rajapaksa the only exception

No one. Maybe with the exception of Gothabaya Rajapaksa but he’s the only person I can mention who thought a military victory was possible.

No one in Colombo thought it was possible, I was very hard to say very close to Indian intelligence and an enormous amount of time throughout this process and never, ever did any Indian official hint that a military victory was possible until mid 2008. Then they started, I observed the change in Mr.M.K.Narayanan and other s and gradually shift into the position that maybe, still maybe the government can wipe out the tigers military victory.


If Karuna was not split, it was not, I think, in the invertible, it was basic from personal characteristics, not very nice, but it was what happened and it made an enormous change .

විමල් වීරවංස: වම නොදන්නා වමේ අවුල - ශ්‍රී ලංකාව. Wama Nodanna Wame Awula - Wimal Weerawansa

විමල් වීරවංස: වම නොදන්නා වමේ අවුල - ශ්‍රී ලංකාව.

"එදා කුමාර (JVP)ඇතුළු කීප දෙනෙක්‌ කිව්වේ තනිව තරග කළ යුතුයි කියලයි. ඒත් මමත්, නන්දන ගුණතිලකත් පැහැදිලිව කිව්වා ජනාධිපතිවරණයේදී මහින්ද රාජපක්‍ෂ දිනවිය යුතුයි සහ ආණ්‌ඩුවේ කොටස්‌කරුවන් විය යුතුයි කියලා. ඒ හරහා එල්.ටී.ටී.ඊ. ය පරාජය කරන්න ක්‍රමානුකූලව පියවර ගත යුතුයි කියලා. ඒත් එදා ජවිපෙ මහින්දව දිනවලා ජාතික කොඩිය මහින්ද අතට දීලා අපි යනවා පන්ති සටනට කියා ජවිපෙ ගත්තේ බාල තීරණයක්‌. දැන් එක හාදයෙක්‌ කියලා තිබුණා චන්ද්‍රිකා එක්‌ක සන්ධාන ගහපු එකත් වැරැදියි, මහින්ද එක්‌ක සන්ධාන ගහපු එකත් වැරැදියි, සරත් ෆොන්සේකා දිනවන්න ක්‍රියාකරපු එකත් වැරැදියි කියලා. එදා මහින්ද රාජපක්‍ෂ දිනවන්න උදව් කරපු එක වැරැදි නම් මහින්ද දිනවීම හරහා රටේ ඒකීයභාවය ආරක්‍ෂා කරගැනීමත් වැරැදිද?"

එත්... ජාතික විමුක්තියක් ලංකාවේ කොහොමද කරන්නේ මහින්ද රාජපක්‍ෂ:

1. රජය මිනිස්සු මරල දානවනම්, රජය මිනීමරුවන්ගෙන් කට උත්තරයක් ගන්න වත් දෙන්නේ නෙත්නම්

2. රජය හමුදාවට LTTE පරාජය කරන්න සාර්ථක නායකත්වයක් දුන්නු, LTTE ත්‍රස්තවාදීන්ගෙන් රට බෙරගන්න අවුරුදු 37 උතුර නැගෙනහිර ක්‍රියාන්විත සේවයේ ඉඳල අවසාන අවුරුදු තුන සාර්ථක නායකත්වයක් දුන්නු සෙන්පති ජෙනරාල් සරත් ෆොන්සේකාව (සුළු )බොරු චෝදනා දාල අමානුෂික ලෙස අත්අඩංගුවට ගෙන අවුරුදු තුනක් සිරගත කර දහස් ගණන් සිංහල, මුස්ලිම් මිනිස්සු කිතු-කිතු වලට මරල දාපු 11,000 LTTE ත්‍රස්ත වාදීන් නිදහස් කර කොට?

3. රජය සෙන්පති ජෙනරාල් සරත් ෆොන්සේකා හිරේ යවල 600 පොලිසියේ නිලදාරීන් අමු අමුවේ මරා දාපු, දළඳා මාලිගයට පහර දුන්නු, ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධියේ 118 බෞද්දයන් මරපු, අරන්තලාව සාමනේර වහන්සේලා 35 ක් කපා-කොට දාපු කරුණා අම්මාන්(කරුණ Amman) අද නිදහෙ ඇමති කම් දරන කොට?

4. රජය සෙන්පති ජෙනරාල් සරත් ෆොන්සේකා හිරේ යවල ශ්‍රී ලාන්කික ජනතාව අමු අමුවේ මරා දාන්න, ඊළාම් රාජ්ජයක් ගොඩ නගන්න, LTTE එකට යුද-අවි සපයපු කුමාරන්ප්පන් පත්මනාතන්(KP) ට රජය විසින් නිදහසේ ඉන්න දීල, රජයේ (මහජන) මුදලින් සුකොපබෝගී ජීවිතයක් සලසන කොට?


වම නොදන්නා වමේ අවුල  අමාත්‍යවරයාගේ දේශණය

Murder of JVP Rebel Leader Rohana Wijeweera: - ඔහු මරා දැමූ දවස අදයි! (1989 නොවැම්බර් මාසෙ 13 වැනිදා)

ඉල්මහේ විරු සමරු දිනය අදයි. 1988-89 භීෂණ සමය තුළ ලෙයින් යකඩින් මර්දනය කර මරා පුලුස්‌සා දැමූ මේ රටේ 60,000 කට වැඩි ශ්‍රී ලාංකික දූ පුතුන් සමරනුවස්‌ පවත්වන ඉල්මහේ සමරු දිනය නොවැම්බර් 13 වැනිදාට යෙදී ඇත්තේ ඒ තරුණ තරුණියන්ගේ සදාදරණීය නායකයා වූ දොන් නන්දසිරි විජේවීර හෙවත් රෝහණ විජේවීර මරා දැමුණු දිනය එදා නිසාය. ඉල්මහේ විරු සමරු දිනය සමරන අද දවසේ, ඒ දිනයේ ලොකුම සාක්‍ෂිකරුවා අද අපි සමගය. විජේවීරගේ අවසන් මොහොත, එදා යුද හමුදා පොලිසියේ සෙබළෙකුව සිට දැසින් බලාසිටි ඉන්ද්‍රානන්ද ද සිල්වා නම් මොහු අද ක්‍රියාකාරී ජවිපෙ සාමාජිකයෙකි. හිටපු පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙකි. ජවිපෙ කැරලිකාර පිලේ උතුරුමැද පළාතේ ප්‍රබල නායකයකුව සිටින ඔහුට, විජේවීර ඝාතනයට වසර 22 ක්‌ සපිරෙන මේ මොහොතේ එදා ඔහු දුටු සියල්ල ඒ ලෙස ඔහුගේ වචනයෙන්ම විස්‌තර කර කියන්නට ඉඩ හැරියේ, ඒ විස්‌තරය ලොවට කියන්නට ඔහු හැර වෙනත් සුදුස්‌සෙක්‌ ලොව තවත් නැති නිසාය. පින්තූර - සංජීව සමරරත්න
In 88/89 period (in Sri Lanka), JVP repeated the same mistake of turn to violence like in 1971. By this time JVP had completely lost political flavor where they acted more like terrorists than revolutionists. During the terror period JVP hardly confronted with armed forces or police, rather they mostly murdered journalists, religious leaders, educationists and intellectuals (similar tactics of LTTE terrorists).

ඔහු මරා දැමූ දවස අදයි!

Rohana Wijeweera

මට හොඳට මතකයි ඒ දිනය. 1989 නොවැම්බර් මාසෙ 13 වැනිදා. එතකොට මම වැඩ කළේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා යුද හමුදා පොලිසියේ ඡායාරූප ශිල්පියා ලෙස. මම හිටියේ ලාන්ස්‌ කෝප්‍රල්වරයකු ලෙස. ඒ දවස්‌වල මම රාජකාරි කළේ නාරාහේන්පිට යුද හමුදා පොලිස්‌ මූලස්‌ථානයේ.......

හමුදාවට සම්බන්ධ විවිධ උත්සවවල වගේම කොළඹ එවකට තිබූ වධකාගාරවලට ගෙනෙන විවිධ අන්දමේ පුද්ගලයන්ගේ ඡායාරූප ගැනීමත් මගේ දෛනික රාජකාරියේ කොටසක්‌ වෙලා තිබුණා. මට මතක විදියට එතකොට කොළඹ ප්‍රධාන පෙළේ හමුදා වධකාගාර 7 ක්‌ විතර තිබුණා. ඒ හැම එකකටම මම ගියා. එකක 60 ක්‌ විතර අපේ තරුණ තරුණියෝ හිටපු විත්තිය මට මතකයි.

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Api asarana wela wage sithata denanawa buduhamuduruwane

පිහිටක් නැති සරණක් නැති
සතුටක් ඇති මුහුණක් නැති
මේ සසර දනව්වේ....
අපි අසරණ වෙලා වගේ
හිතට දැනෙනවා.....බුදු හාමුදුරුවනේ.....

sung by Gunadasa Kapuge

It was a wake up call - Dallas. Government sleeps when thugs rule the country

Channel 4 documentary "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" becomes a reality. The spoke person for Sri Lanka Government's ruling political alliance UPFA (United Peoples Freedom Alliance) Dallas Allahappruma said that the shooting incident that took place in the Mulleriyawa was a "wake up call" for the party. People wonder whether the government of Sri Lanka was sleeping when thugs were ruling the country despite continuous call by people, media and members of parliament to take preventive measures to stop ongoing crimes by underworld and political armed gangs?

My Dear Tamil People - A Call From Imprisoned Canadian Tamils to Tamil Diaspora

" My dear Tamil people all over the world, Let us not even for a second talk about arms again. War is not the answer to anything.... We incorrectly believed that violence could achieve the goals that we sought... We now realize that what we did was not helpful in leading to a positive resolution of the issues that existed in Sri Lanka.” (from prison cell by Canadian Tamils)

US Wikileaks Reveals Very Effective Diplomatic Approach By Sri Lanka in May 2009- Dr. Dayan Jayatillea

(By Dr Dayan Jayatilleka) The threat of a resolution against Sri Lanka in March in Geneva, the speech by Canada’s Foreign Minister at the UNGA, the lobbying within the Commonwealth, the statement by the UK Labour Party’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, the remarks of the Swiss Federal Attorney General on Gen. Dias, the legal moves in the US and Europe against Lankan soldier-diplomats, and in the EU arena to legalise the LTTE, are the spearheads of a multipronged strategic offensive. 

President Mahinda Rajapakse. 66th United Nations General Assembly 23.09.2011

President Rajapaksa is competent and experienced to address the world body, United Nations General Assembly on terror and peace as the leader who successfully eradicated the menace of terror that engulfed Sri Lanka for over three decades, in a short span of three years when the world was watching in disbelief the winning of the war which they claimed to be unwinnable. There are many other mighty and small nations who have become victims of terror including the USA, Britain, France, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other nations. But Sri Lanka was attacked by the most powerful and feared terrorist organization which has tentacles worldwide. Though it is completely eradicated on the ground in Sri Lanka the front organizations worldwide are active and the network is functioning with enormous sums accumulated and with the help of the misguided diaspora.

Doe eens normaal man - Doe eens zelf normaal man

Dutch parliament get intensed on several topics: Euro crisis due to Greekland credit crisis, budget cuts, immigration and integration and anti-Islamic wind in Europe. The dialogue between Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD political party) and his Coalition Partner Mr. Geert Wilders (PVV)got clashed on Thursday (22 Sep 2011) after PM Rutte had complained Mr. Wilders that PVV part member Mr. Raymond de Roon has called Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan a "Islamic monkey". Rutte in the most vivid terms condemned and took distance from that statement, but Wilders denied that Wilders had said so. When Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte asked for explanation from his coalition party leader Geert Wilders on his comment 'Islamic monkey' refering to Turkish Prime Minister, Geert Wilders said to Dutch prime minister "Doe eens normaal man" (do once normal, man). The back and forth argument showed how street language have become common in the parliament. Dutch people are disappointed about current trend of language use in the parliament. Some argue that it is a sign of democratisation while some people argues that it is the corruption of morality in the society. The consequence to PVV party aftermath of his comment to the Dutch prime minister has lost his party popularity.

True Facts of Sri Lanka War by Gotabaya

The full Speech of Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the launching of the report titled ‘Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis’ July 2006 - May 2009 held on August 1 in Colombo. 
"The purpose of today’s event is to officially release the report that has been compiled by the Ministry of Defence on the Humanitarian Operation. The purpose of this report is to set out the factual background and operational context, which brought peace to Sri Lanka by liberating our people from the brutal terrorism of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the LTTE, in May 2009.

The report begins with a detailed analysis of the LTTE, including its true nature and its growth and sophistication over the years and the threat it posed to all Sri Lankans. The LTTE was a vicious terrorist group that suppressed democracy in the areas it dominated, killed all its rivals and assassinated moderate Tamil politicians and intellectuals and spread terror throughout Sri Lanka with its many attacks on innocent civilians. Raising funds through its international criminal network, the LTTE not only had the ability to use semi-conventional tactics on land, but also acquired sea and air dimensions to strengthen its offensive capability.

Debate on Sri Lanka War:

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Sri Lanka War Crimes Debate at UNHRC

1-5 Lies Agreed Upon. Respond to Channel 4

In (Part 1-5) Lies Agreed Upon' reveals how Channel-4 "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" dress up with lies of UN officials, staged dramas 2:00, civilian deaths, bombimg of hospitals IDP facilities. "This film contains very disturbing images" thats how Channel-4 journailst Jon Snow begins the dramatic opening of documentary "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields ". Jon Snow presents a poor forensic investigation based on "staged war situations" and biased evidences into the final weeks of three decades of war between Government of Sri Lanka and most ruthless terrorist organization LTTE. Sri Lanka's Killing Fileds (First Broadcasted on Tueday 14th June 2011by Channel4: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sri-lankas-killing-fields/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1) a doctored footage and deliberate lies are presented as authentic. Numbers are pulled from thin air and presented as facts. Sources are not mentioned faces are hidden, voices are distorted just like the truth unmensioned, hidden and distorted. The very title itself represents outlandish and cynical attempt to revoke memories of Cameroush. Channel-4 does not claim ownership of any footage, facts or figures, faces or names; yet to an uninformed audiance (high ranking officials of United Nations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_p1TfTguW0 ) C4' Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" appeared to be a great story. It is said that the trust of the innocents is the liars most useful tool. Thats what Channel-4 production begs in its reveal.

Sri Lanka responds to 'war crimes' claims. Lies turned into myths - Raji...

In this explosive dialogue, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha is trashing platora of warcrimes claims, lies and allegations manupilated from time to time by Channel 4, Al Jazeera and western countries to roll back Sri Lanka war victory against LTTE while hospitals in Libya are being bombarded today by NAVO, US military killing innocent Libyans.

Conserving Sri Lanka's top predator, the elusive leopard in Kandy - Thre...

This video shows an attempt to give humans (children) as preys to Leopards in Kandy city jungle "Udawatta-kele" adjoining Temple of Tooth ( Dalada Maligawa). Sri Lanka leopard researchers urge plantation companies to reforest unproductive land to help conserve wildlife.

Big cats (Leopards)in the Kandy city jungle "Udawatta-kele" should be killed or take safety measures to protect Humans. People get killed and people cant go into the nature. These researchers are psychopaths. no where in the world have a wild life forest with killing macines. No need to be a scientist, any person with common sense will realize the danger of a Leapard to humans.

THE HISTORY OF CEYLON

(VOLLUME II: PAGE 375-803)

AN HISTORICAL RELATION OF THE ISLAND OF CEYLON, IN THE EAST INDIES

TOGETHER WITH

AN ACCOUNT OF THE DETAINING IN CAPTIVITY THE AUTHOR, AND DIVERS OTHER ENGLISHMEN NOW LIVING THERE ; AND OF THE AUTHOR'S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.

BY ROBERT KNOX,
A CAPTIVE THERE NEAR TWENTY YEARS.

ILLUSTRATED WITH FIGURES, AND A MAP OF THE ISLAND.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR JOSEPH MAWMAN, LUDGATE STREET, BY J. V. DOVE, ST. JOHN'S SQUARE. 1817

RIGHT WORSHIPFUL,
WHAT I formerly presented you in writing, having, in pursuance of your commands, now somewhat dressed, by the help of the printer and graver, I a second time humbly tender to you. 'Tis, I confess, at best, too mean a return for your great kindness to me; yet I hope you will not deny it a favourable acceptance, since it is the whole return I made from the Indies, after twenty years stay there, having brought home nothing else; but

Who is also wholly at your

Service and Command,

ROBERT KNOX.

London, lit of August, 1681.
A

At the Court of Committees for the East-India Company, the 10th of August, 1681. WE esteem Captain Knox a man of truth and integrity, and that his relations and accounts of the Island of Ceylon, (which some of us have lately perused in manuscripts) are worthy of credit, and therefore encouraged him to make the same public.

ROBERT BLACKBOURNE, Secretary.

By Order of the said Court

August 8th, 1681.

Mr. Chiswell*

I perused Captain Knox's description of the Isle of Ceylony which seems to be written with great truth and integrity; and the subject being new* containing an account of a people and country little known to us—I conceive it may give great satisfaction to the curious, and may be well worth your publishing..

CHR. WREN

Wanchaka Dhamma Ha Chithopaklesha Dharma - වන්චක ධර්ම හා චිත්තෝපක්ලේශ ධර්ම

07.Wanchaka Dhamma Ha Chithopaklesha Dharma - වන්චක ධර්ම හා චිත්තෝපක්ලේශ ධර්ම

PLAYLIST & TRANSCRIPT OF PARTS 1,2,3, 4: Malinda Seneviratne at Lessons Learn & Reconciliation Commission.14jan

My representations are framed by my understanding of the teaching of Siddhartha Gauthama, in particular the Charter on Free Inquiry, the Kalama Sutra. As such I would hope that my submissions privilege reason over emotion and moreover call for the same privileging in the matter of learning lessons and imagining and implementing measures of reconciliation subject to the caveat that conclusions drawn are regularly verified in practice and adjusted in accordance to flaws discerned. My appeal is further framed by the two principle drivers proposed by the Buddha: wisdom and compassion.

0:40 Reconciliation connotes a bridging of difference, a coming together. It assumes therefore disjuncture, disunity, dissatisfaction and disagreement. In the matter at hand the operative term would be ‘grievance’. I am of the view that if grievance is perceived then it is real. Grievances can be imagined of course, but to the extent that even such constructions factor into real life politics and provoke outcomes, they need to be treated as real for the aggrieved. To the extent that such grievances are felt by a citizen then it is incumbent on the state to ensure that there is a mechanism to address these grievances, ascertain their true dimensions and deliver redress.

1:25 Grievances, as articulated by Tamil representatives, self-appointed or otherwise, are broadly of two kinds: the traditional homeland claim and inequalities or anomalies pertaining to citizenship.

TRADITIONAL HOMELAND CLAIM
History
With respect to the first, that of traditional homelands, I submit the following:

1:40 On February 14, 1766, Kirthi Sri Rajasinha, the King of the Kandyan Kingdom ceded a stretch of land in the Eastern part of the island, 10 miles in width from the coast to the Dutch East India Company. The relevant maps are contained in Fr. S.G. Perera’s ‘The History of Ceylon’. Prof. James Crawford refers to this treaty in his book ‘The creation of states in international law’ as one of the earliest such agreements recorded. Lorna Dewaraja’s work elaborates on this period and this treaty provides ample evidence to refute all claims of ‘historical’ or ‘traditional’ homelands.

The implication is that the Kandyan Kingdon had the right to cede that portion of land and that it continued to have sovereignty over the rest of the territory until the British obtained full control of the island in 1815.

In 1766 therefore there was no question of sovereignty of any other polity and when the relinquished sovereignty was recovered and reasserted in 1948 by the State of Ceylon it naturally reverted to the political geography prior to the signing of that treaty.

That treaty, moreover, is the genesis of the demographic realities of today’s Eastern Province where the bulk of the Tamil population lives on that 10 mile wide strip of coastal land. Their ancestors were brought there by the Dutch to grow tobacco. Even today the majority of the Grama Niladhari divisions contain a Sinhala majority population.

If the issue of homeland requires a longer throw back into the past, we can go to the 10th Century, to the golden period of Chola expansion/invasion and the invasion of the island by Raja Raja Chola in the year 993. Raja Raja Chola is also known as a builder of Hindu Temples. The inscriptions at these places, according to the Archaeological Survey of India, resolve all doubts about traditional homelands and sovereignty. The inscriptions at the temples in Tanjavur and Ukkal speak in glorifying vein that Raja Raja Chola conquered many countries, including one ‘Ila-mandalam’. The inscription elaborates that this ‘was the country of the warlike Singalas’. The plunder of wealth, one notes, is not from ‘Singalas’ who lived in ‘Ila-mandalam’ (which is a corruption of ‘Sihala’ or ‘Hela’) but the land of the ‘Singalas’, whether they were warlike or not being irrelevant to the issue.

Now this is not some careless minute penned by some ignorant, misled, arrogant European. Neither is it gleaned from the much vilified Mahawamsa which, despite the vilification, remains the key corroborating text in the matter of unearthing the history of this part of the world. These were authored or sanctioned by a conqueror and written for the purpose of glorification. He had no stake in lying.

The archeological evidence shows that what is today called the Northern and Eastern Provinces were at one time the heartland of Buddhist civilization in the island. Although there have been claims that these were the work of Tamil Buddhists, the thesis is not supported outside the rhetoric.

I conclude that the claim is a fiction and one which was not only a key element of Tamil chauvinistic propaganda but a notion that stands squarely in opposition to reconciliation among communities.

I submit however, that to the extent that history is version, there is a manifest need to have the issue cleared once and for all so that no doubts remain regarding the issue of sovereignty, ownership and claim. I propose that a historical audit be administered where all claimants are required to provide adequate substantiation divested of rhetoric and buttressed by independent authority and corroboration. I submit that reconciliation requires a resolution of competing theories about exclusive rights to territories, while offering the caution that the notion of ethnic enclaves rebels against reconciliation and moreover is not supported by demographic and geographical realities.

Devolution

In this regard, let me speak to the much-bandied term pertaining to ‘resolution’, i.e. devolution and within it in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

I submit that devolution as a constitutional and political mechanism for resolution makes sense only if history, geography, demography and economic/development prerogatives support it. I submit that devolution fails on all counts and as such the 13th Amendment is an aberration for all these reasons, not to mention its illegality, its violation of democratic spirit in enactment and implementation and delivery failure.

Even if ethnic enclaves do not exacerbate mutual suspicion among communities, they need to exist for devolution to sit in concord with reconciliation. The demographic reality is that the majority of Tamils live outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces and this face cannot be attributed to the conflict alone. The geographical reality includes the fact that in the Eastern Province that majority of the land area is inhabited by communities where the Sinhalese form the vast majority.

Devolution, as per the 13th Amendment, has been proven an economic and political failure, with two-thirds of monies allocated being spent on maintaining political structures with the benefits accruing in proportions horrendously skewed in favour of politicians.

Devolution, moreover, rebels against current economic thinking on development. The unequal distribution of resources does not support development models that envisage multiple economic and commercial hubs.

Devolution, if its logic is played out to the end, could for example result in vast regional anomalies, with the Western Province, for example objecting to surpluses generated therein being handed out to non-performing or less affluent provinces.

Accordingly, I submit that the 13th Amendment be reviewed in its entirety, especially on its predicate, that of claimed grievances. If grievances pertaining to territory are found untenable then all territory-based proposals, I submit, are unscientific and therefore require rejection. A pandering to political realities based on constructed mythologies can tide a country over in the short term but necessarily generate further rupture down the line. Constitutional enactment should not be frivolous and should not pander to the whims of the most skillful rhetorician. It should rather be sober, realistic, reference the past and look to the future.

My contention is that the traditional homeland thesis is flawed and therefore resolution on relevant lines doomed to failure. In the absence of a robust case for devolution, minority grievances must necessarily defer to the notion of citizenship. Let me therefore comment on the second element of the grievance thesis, that of citizenship anomalies.

CITIZENSHIP ANOMALIES

I have no doubt in my mind that there have been numerous instances where minorities, particularly Tamils have suffered injustice and been at the wrong end of citizenship anomalies in terms of access to services, language-related obstacles and opportunities. In many instances, constitutional provision has proven inadequate in resolving inequities. Sloth, lack of political will, inefficiency, lack of resources including skilled personnel and also racism have resulted in ensuring that minorities are short-changed in many areas of social, economic and political life.

Let me(END OF PART 1-4)

interject here the caveat that citizenship anomalies are not the preserve of any particular community. Who after all talks of the grave injustices done to the Kandyan Peasantry and the related dispossessions? Who talks of regional disparities and class-related anomalies? Who talks about the injustices done to Buddhists and the vandalism, dispossession and cultural genocide they’ve been at the receiving end of? Who indeed talks of the Bulls issued by the Vatican to sanction and justify the slaughter of thousands upon thousands of Sinhala Buddhists? The truth is that societies are not flat, they are made of hierarchies. There are institutional and processual factors that privilege some and marginalize or irrelevance large sections of the population. It is true also that many of these anomalies are ethnic-free.

On the other hand the existence of one disjuncture does not justify the perpetuation of another. We are talking about reconciliation here and it pertains principally to the issue of inter-ethnic harmony. I submit that there are three areas that require urgent attention and relevant resolution: citizenship rights, security and sense of belonging.

Citizenship rights

Citizenship is a notion that derives principally from constitutions and legal provisions. It also pertains to administrative sensitivity to particularities and mechanisms to address these. I contend that resource lack is a factor, but nevertheless insist that not all delays and non-implementations can be attributed to this. A more robust regime of implementation is required to resolve the day-to-day problems of the citizenry which find exacerbated articulation among minorities in certain instances.

Citizenship rights can resolve many anomalies but subject to the qualification of adequate constitutional provision to insulate the citizen from the politician or the powerful. They therefore are predicated on there being adequate systemic checks and balances to correct institutional flaws in terms of transparency and accountability. They are not about special privileges for anyone but about ensuring equality across the board.

I submit that the 1978 Constitution is patently anti-citizen and that well-being is largely dependent on the benevolence of the powerful. Given power imbalances across society the overall health of society is therefore a lottery. This needs to be corrected immediately so that institutional arrangement is sturdy enough to override whim and fancy of particular ruler. I submit that the 18th Amendment was a step back in terms of this objective and that whatever ‘resolution’ of minority grievance that ensues would be in the form of ruler-largesse and not citizenship right.

Security

It is natural that security is a serious concern for Tamil people, given the context in which these hearings are being held. Propaganda-led suspicion and the reality that the vast majority of personnel engaging the LTTE were Sinhalese overrides often the reality that the very same personnel rescued a population largely made of Tamils from the clutches of a terrorist and the agonies of protracted war. The degree of threat required part suspension of normal legal provisions and the law turned a blind eye to a lot of informal processes. I submit that while such departures are inevitable in times of war and create and feed a culture of lawlessness, post-war realities require a return to and a more stringent reiteration and enforcement of the law. This has to include a correction of flaws existing in the overall framework.

The issue of ‘security’ is not a concern peculiar to minorities. It is a concern for all citizens. In this regard due

acknowledgement is necessary of the fact that destabilizing forces exist and exist in vibrancy, both here and abroad, and that they operate in concert and possess a well-oiled mechanism to paint fiction as realities, exaggerate anomalies, and move powerful players in the international community against the state and by extension the people of this country.

While the end of war considerably alleviated the sense of insecurity among all communities and especially Tamils in the Northern and Eastern Provinces who were unfortunately resident in the principal theatre of conflict, this fact is only consolation and relative merits should not and cannot be allowed to be turned into perpetual excuse for system-leak.

I acknowledge that courtesy of rabid pro-LTTE propaganda and meanness of spirit of certain key players in the international community, serious questions have been raised about the conduct of the military operation to eliminate the terrorist threat. Although these allegations even in aggregate do not indicate systemic violation of accepted practice, although they are utterly insignificant when one compares the track record of countries that have been raising shrill objections and demanding investigations, I submit that they need to be addressed in order to ward off unnecessary and distracting pressure on the country as it strives to move forward in the aftermath of a long and bloody war and in order to ensure more stringent submission to the basic norms of humanity in the future. I submit the following points in this regard.

1. One of the important and critical issues that the LLRC has to address is the issue of ‘accountability’; i.e. how proper investigations and inquiries into allegations of crimes committed by all parties during the last stages of the armed conflict are to be conducted.

2. I strongly believe that the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka did not pursue a policy of intentional and systematic harming of civilians. There is no evidence to prove that the Armed Forces carried out such a policy. And, the massive and remarkable humanitarian mission of saving the lives of some 300,000 civilians from the clutches of the LTTE during the last stages of the conflict could not have been carried out so successfully had the government pursued a barbaric policy of killing or harming innocent civilians.

3. But we need to understand that given the nature of the terrorist group that the Armed Forces had to confront and given that group’s tactics and mode of operation, there could have been instances when the Armed Forces would have been faced with the enormous difficulty in distinguishing combatants and civilians. This is natural in any type of armed conflict and in one especially between forces of a State and a terrorist group which contains combatants (and suicide bombers) dressed as civilians.

4. In such a context, there could have been instances when innocent civilians were harmed. And where allegations and accusations have been leveled (and these allegations, accusations and concerns relate in particular to those raised before this Commission by people especially in the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka), such allegations should be properly investigated.

5. In addressing this issue of ‘accountability’, there are, I believe, two important issues that ought to be borne in mind. Firstly, that investigating alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law does not diminish, but only enhances, the image of Sri Lanka. Investigating allegations of crimes and prosecuting those who may have committed those crimes is something that responsible States do. It is something that irresponsible States do not do. And there are plenty of examples of powerful States which have, and are, acting in such irresponsible ways in this world.

6. The objection to outside investigation is a question of sovereignty, for it assumes that all allegations leveled against a state, include petty pilfering from the Treasury, needs to be appraised by a neutral umpire. On the other hand the absence of adequate and reliable independence in arbitration can and does give strength to the call for such interference.

7. Secondly, Sri Lanka should not be seen to be a State which is unable or unwilling to carry out domestic investigations when and where necessary. The inability or unwillingness to investigate allegations through domestic investigative mechanisms gives rise to a consequence that Sri Lanka should do well to avoid: ‘international investigation’.

8. I am referring here to the notion of ‘complementarity’; one frequently referred to in the discipline of international criminal law, and one which is referred to even in the Statute of the International Criminal Court (e.g. in Article 17(a) of the Statute). Therefore, a State should not be “unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation and prosecution” that is made necessary when allegations are leveled by people, especially, in those areas where the armed conflict took place. Also, to carry out such investigations, the State should have proper, credible and independent institutions and mechanisms.

9. Therefore, I believe it is the duty of this Commission to come out with clear and concrete suggestions as to how such investigations should take place. This is of utmost importance. The LLRC comprises of distinguished members who are qualified and experienced to make such recommendations and suggestions to the government.

Reconciliation is a matter that can flounder on inadequacies in dealing with mal-intentioned entities as such level these allegations. One lesson that cannot be dismissed is that the LTTE’s intransigence and power derived to a large extent from its success in one particular sphere of operation: propaganda. A comprehensive mechanism needs to be established to counter outrageous claims as being part and parcel of the overall national security requirement.

In addition, it should be recognized that one of the most effective means of rendering such moves ineffective is a happy and thriving Tamil community living in harmony with their brethren among the Sinhalese, Muslims and other communities. Development is only one part of the answer.

Sense of belonging

Let me touch upon the issue of belonging. This is a matter that constitutional amendment alone will not resolve. I believe that we have a long tradition of compassion, forgiveness and accommodation that makes inter-communal embrace possible. Regardless of histories, regardless of wrong done to one another, regardless of vandalism and desecration, the validity or otherwise of claim, the name, identity and political persuasion of wrong-doer it is clear that this island belongs to all the citizens resident in it and that progress in any sphere will be hampered if we cannot live together and respect one another.

Wars are about the clash of arms among parties at odds with one another. And yet, wars produce commonalities that are largely unrecognized. There is commonality in the suffering, the loss of life, dismemberment, displacement, orphaning, widowing, destruction etc. There are also commonalities in hope and fear, sorrow at the loss of comrade, outrage at atrocity perpetrated. There is commonality in heroism too. Such things don’t have an ethnic identity. They have a human quality; that of inadequacy as well as ‘exceptionalism’.

Close to a hundred thousand people died over the last 30 years. Regardless of who fought who over what and with whom, there is a need to recognize that there was heroism among all groups involved in the conflict. There is a need to recognize that every person who died, every person who lost a limb or an eye or was in one way or another incapacitated and every person who was dispossessed in one way or another, was born on this land; that everyone had a mother and a father and perhaps a son, daughter, lover, spouse or friend. They are lamented as son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, wife, husband, lover or friend more so than as champion of cause or defender of principle.

In addition to all mechanisms and processes of reconciliation stated above, I propose that a monument be designed and constructed dedicated to what I would call ‘The Unnecessarily Dead’. It should contain the names of everyone who died an unnatural death directly consequent to the conflict, not just the combatants but those who were at the wrong place at the wrong time or was thought to have spoken out of turn or opposed when support was considered non-negotiable and regardless of name, identity and political affiliation of assassin, manner, place and moment of death. Side by side. They were all our fellow-creatures regardless of arguments over claims and counter-claims, right and wrong, the justice or otherwise of particular strategies and their implementation.

There are everyday acts of rebellion. There are everyday acts of rupturing inter-ethnic amity. There are everyday acts that enhance our worth as human beings. These cannot be legislated. They are born, nurtured and find articulation based on the individual’s particular understanding of the eternal verities.

As a Buddhist I can do no better than referring to the Word of the Buddha, in particular to the Sathara Brahma Viharana or the four sublime modes of living: Metta, Muditha, Karuna and Upekkha (Loving kindness, compassion, the ability to rejoice in the happiness of others and equanimity). Even as we employ wisdom and reason, the unguent that heals terrible wounds must contain the ingredients of compassion and humility. That is something every individual would do well, I believe, to take cognizance of.

I thank you for your patience and once again express my gratitude for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts.

Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta.

May all beings be happy.
January 14, 2011
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OTHER TESTIMONIES AT LLRC (WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL) AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.llrc.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35&Itemid=57

LLRC (SRI LANKA WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL) SCHEDULE

http://www.llrc.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=37

OTHER TESTIMONIES AT LLRC (WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL)
1.Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010/Gotabaya%20Rajapakshe.pdf
2.Sri Lanka Army Commander Jagath Jayasooriya:
http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Jagath%20Jayasooriya%20-%20Army%20Commander.pdf
3. Kamal Gooneratne: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Major_General_Kamal_Gooneratne_-_Commander_53_Division.pdf
4. Shavendra Silva: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Major_General_Shavendra_Silva_-_Commander_58_Division.pdf
5. Air Force Commander Roshan Gunathilaka: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Roshan%20Gunatillake%20-%20Air%20Force%20Commander.pdf
6. Navy Comander: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Thisara%20Samarasighe%20-%20Navy%20Commander.pdf
7. Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010/Rajiv%20Wijesinha.pdf
8. Jayantha Danapala: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010/LLRC-JD-Transcript.pdf
9. S.L. Gunesekara: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010/SL%20%20Gunasekara.pdf
10. Rohan Guneratne: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Rohan%20Gunaratne.pdf
11. Jehan Perera: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Dr%20Jehan%20Perera.pdf
12. Gomin Dayasiri: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Gomin%20Dayasiri.pdf
13. Kumar Rupasinha: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Kumar_Rupasinghe.pdf
14. Douglas Devananda: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Sep2010/Douglas%20Devananda.pdf
15. Thyagarajah http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/LLRC_-_10.11_Mr._Thyagarajah.pdf
16. Anandasangaree: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010/Anandasangaree.pdf
17. Farial Ashraf: http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/Sep2010/Farial%20Ashraf.pdf

2-4 Malinda Senevirathne @ Lessons Learn t and Reconciliation Commission...