War Crimes of the International Community in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO , SinhalaNet 2009.05.24 10:33PM] SPUR (Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka Inc)

Reg: A003 0777 M

P.O. Box 4066, Mulgrave VIC 3170, Australia

Phone: (+613) 9795 7143 Fax: (+613) 9795 7142

24 May 2009

Media Release

The EU and some other members of the "International Community" (IC) have unfortunately joined the LTTE international wing in adding their voice to alleged Human Rights violations during the last stages of the "civil" war in Sri Lanka.

What are these countries doing in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan and what have they been doing in many other countries in S America, Africa and Asia – if not committing human rights violations and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity?

The coalition of the willing marched into Iraq - declaring there were weapons of mass destruction and chemical weapons in Iraq. The country was strip-searched but no weapons of mass destruction or chemical weapons were found. Was that not a war crime - to invade a sovereign country on a pretext - on a made up story and destroy that country’s infrastructure and put the population through hell? Was that not a violation of human rights?

Having given Iraq permission to invade Kuwait, the US attacked Iraq and imposed sanctions on the government so stringently that the children were malnourished - was that not a war crime and violation of human rights?

Is not the constant bombing of Pakistan border villagers and killing civilians by the US and her partners a human rights violation and a crime against humanity?

Some of the vociferous members of the International Community (IC) who left no stone unturned to save the LTTE leadership stand indicted of committing human right violations and also war crimes against Sri Lanka.

1. By allowing the LTTE to collect money to purchase heavy weapons these members of the IC have aided and abetted the LTTE to commit war crimes and human rights violations against the entire population of Sri Lanka.

2. The US by providing training to Theepan - an LTTE leader.

3. India – by initially training and arming the LTTE and other terrorist groups to destabilise Sri Lanka and allowing many intransigent South Indian politicians to act as if Sri Lanka is a part of India.

4. Human rights violations perpetrated by the UK.

a. UK for allowing the LTTE to establish their head office in London and to formulating their war activities from the UK,

b. Giving the LTTE front organisations grants which were used to equip the LTTE with weapons,

c. The MI5 providing Anton Balasingham with forged papers and smuggling him out of Sri Lanka and into England and alleged close relationship with K.P Pathmantahan, the LTTE leader in his recent moves and travelling. It is alleged that M15 is planning to revamp the LTTE vis a vis the position occupied by Anton Balasingham and his wife to be re-established with KP.

d. Providing facilities for the LTTE print and electronic media to propagate anti-Sri Lanka cold war with the intention of harming the interest of Sri Lanka her people.

5. France, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Norway etc by allowing the LTTE to carry out terror attacks on various Sri Lankan establishments on their soil and not taking action against the perpetrators of these crimes have aided and abetted in those crimes against Sri Lankans.



6. All those countries that allowed LTTE front organisations to raise money in millions of dollars to provide weapons that were turned on the Sri Lankan population, indiscriminately killing civilians - are guilty of human rights violations.

7. Norway, the biggest violator of human rights against the Sinhalese, Tamils, Malays, Burghars, the entire population of Sri Lanka by their encouragement, support and supply of equipment to the LTTE, by providing them with information of the movements of the armed forces while acting as the monitoring mission during the infamous ceasefire they brokered. Norway should be tried for carrying out an undeclared war on a sovereign country without any provocation. And directly strengtheninga UN banned terrorist organization.

8. Some of the UN agencies also aided and abetted the LTTE in various ways, the Representative of the UN Secretary General in Sri Lanka hid himself in a toilet to telephone KP - the weapons procurer for the LTTE. While some agencies have supplied material, equipment to the LTTE even the ICRC is not guiltless.

This war would not have gone on for so long had the international community acted more responsibly and recognised and acknowledged the LTTE for what it was - a terrorist organisation – and:

• Prevented the collection of funds in their countries,

• Froze their assets

• Not merely banning them under a toothless UN resolution, but banned them under the criminal codes of the respective countries,

The LTTE would not have been able to reach the levels of sophistication they did without the assistance of the guilty IC members.

The concerned members of the IC are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the attempted mass killing of the Sinhala, Muslim and of Tamil people - because the crimes the LTTE committed in Sri Lanka were aided and abetted by the IC therefore, the IC is guilty by association.

The countries of the EU - France, Germany, Britain who so vociferously condemn Sri Lanka and others SHOULD confess to the human rights violations they have committed and put themselves up for investigations and take their punishment on a first committed first served basis.

The best thing these IC members can now do to absolve themselves of this guilt is to leave Sri Lanka alone to develop and forge bonds to become again the ONE NATION it was before colonial and neo–colonial manoeuvres which brought in division and dissent among Sri Lankan people similar to many other developing countries.

Jeanne Jayasinghe

President.