Dear Mr. President Mahinda Rajapakse,
Congratulations! You have won the Sri Lanka Presidential Election 2010. You have been rewarded by the people of Sri Lanka for the promises you delivered. You deserve that. You have been a great leader to the nation by delivering promises you made and defending us not only from the most ruthless terrorists but also from foreign intimidations. We elected you as our next president because we thought you stood out of other candidates. You are more resourcefull serving the national interests. The most of the people endorsed you as the president because you eradicated terrorism in Sri Lanka. You have won the trust of the people. We admire you for restating democracy and reuniting our country.
It s also worth looking at past term (2005-2009) and reflect on shortcomings. Among other issues constant criticisms and allegations about media freedom, corruption, nepotism, political harassments, thuggery, murders, abductions and abuses of state media take significant impact on our people. People tolerated, sacrificed for the sake of war. We do not consider “war crimes” allegations of west during last stage of war since it was not intended but happened in a war situation. But we do aware that there is room for improvements in maintaining law and order in the country and democracy, tolerance for criticisms and opinions. The hard earned tax money of poor people needs to be utilized for the betterment of very same people and not for a group of people. We overlooked those allegations because you showed us how steady you are in decision making on national interests.
Today is the moment of glory, the moment of a birth of a national leader; one country, one law and one president. A leader, not for one group but to all the citizens despite to whom they have voted.
When it comes to “all”, it means different interests and needs, young and old, Tamil and Sinhalese, Christians and Muslims. A good leader would choose what is best for all.
The most important priority at the moment are the development in the North and East, national reconciliation and a political solution has to be taken within undivided Sri Lanka. There are people who have suffered three decades of war and their lives have to begin from scrap; from zero. Providing them basic needs, such as; food, clothes, shelter, medicine, health care, jobs and education will help them to understand us as a nation and seek their help to rebuild the nation.
There is increased violence, thuggery, intimidations, murders that need your immediate attention to bring perpetrators to justice and make Sri Lanka a better place to live. The bureaucracy of civil administration, murderers who walk-free because of corrupted system, decades dragging civil law cases sucking money out of poor people etc are burdens to poor people and are more important than banning adultery movies. We assume you are smarter than Taliban extremists, we do not wish to have extreme restrictions, we as Buddhists, respect freedom of speech and beliefs. In short we are thirst of democracy. So please educate every citizen about laws, rights and obligations, so you can reduce abuse of law and violence in the Country.
Mr. President, do not take extreme paths; neither extreme Buddhism nor extreme Islam. Stay in the middle path, the path where we all can walk freely! Then you will find hearts of all people, and we shall treat you as our king!!!
We sent you this message not to humiliate you but to congratulate you and to let you know that we love our president and our country. We hope you have an ear for us to listen what we got to say! We wish you all the best, the strength and the determination to deliver the promises you mentioned in your 2010 manifesto!
Subha Anagathayak!
NoEalamInSL
27.01.2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sri Lankan Media, Western Media, Elections Loom
by NoEalamInSL
Its Presidential elections in Sri Lanka. Unlike previous 5 presidential elections (in 1982, 88, 1994, 1999, 2005); this presidential election is held under one law, one president, and one country. Sri Lanka is finaly freed from LTTE brutal terrorism after 30 years. Eelam War IV ended on 19th May 2009. Ever since President Rajapakse came to power in 2005, Sri Lanka has been on continuous development despite eruption of bloody Eelam war IV in 2006 against LTTE. The war was 24-7 for 2 years time. It is not just a war but a war against most ruthless terorists and who were funded, guided and directed by super powers. President Rajapakse not only fought a war against the most brutal terrorists in the world but also against pro-LTTE propaganda by west media and diplomatic intimidations by super powers in UN, UNHRC and other world bodies including ICRC, HRW which are under the leadership of same super powers; USA, UK, EU.
In comparison to war against terror superpowers whom were fighting a war against terrorism (Al Qaeda) are yet to achieve results while President Mahinda Rajapakse not only totally eliminated LTTE and won the war but also accomplished 90% of his promises given to his people in his 2005 manifesto. What west and the western media and its local agents here in Sri Lanka still struggling are try and manipulate the ground realities in Sri Lanka. They will again hear from Sri Lankans on the 26th January 2010 that they are not only wasteful creatures to bombard nations to stone age but also brainless hypocrites to have double standards on war against terror.
The FBI called LTTE as the most ruthless terrorists in the world followed in 2008. Al Qaeda which was the number one enemy of USA and its allies ( FBI LTTE Gets 1st Place Over Al Qaeda in 2008, Temilnet FBI: Taming the Tamil Tigers ) The war against Al Qaeda terrorists was supported by every state of the world while the war against LTTE was supported by only few countries. Surprisingly the superpowers US, UK, EU objected the Mahinda Rajapakse's war against LTTE. President Mahinda Rajapakse Government might not be perfect yet it is the best government Sri Lanka ever had.
There are certainly room for improvement but it is unlikely that Sri Lankans will choose another candidate as the President of Sri Lanka in 2010!
Anti-Rajapakse-front (as appear on this video)also criticizes President Rajapakse for sending a personalized greeting to mobile phones in Sri Lanka on the new year day. A personilzed greeting to a mobile seems an innovative thought by a president. I would definitely be delighted to have such a greeting from the president my country on the new year day. It gives me an impression of a symbol of a friendly nation. But unfortunately they use his friendliness as a intimidation to attack the president. Do they expect us to imitate their western norms and values? Or are they trying to imply western standards in Sri Lanka? What they forget is, Sri Lankans belong to a collective culture, it differs from western individualistic norms and values. They may have absorbed western norms, values and attitudes but should not criticise Sri Lankans in western perspective.
Sri Lanka is a hot topic for both businessmen and politicians, especially for the West Europeans, because giving a critic on Sri Lankan government attracts millions of Tamils around the world. They are busy attacking President Mahinda Rajapakse government to attract Tamils votes and try to defeat President Rajapaksa at elections on 26th Jan 2010.
So pro-LTTE western nations are sending their media agents and UN Special Rapporteurs on TV, You Tube, renewing outdated, discarded issues like Channel4 Executions, media attacks, killings, as well as new staged grenade attack of Tiran Allas to tarnish image of Sri Lanka. These deliberate manipulations and intimidation s are directed at Mahinda Rajapakse who fought and won a war super powers were embarrassed to admit or accept. They invaded Iraq on false allegation of WMD, later, post war investigations and commissions (NL, UK, USA) concluded that the war against Iraq was illegal but none of these media gave such a publicity as they do for Sri Lanka. Is this called unbiased reporting? is this called reporting with responsibility in west part of the world?
The human rights violaions, media threats, corruptions and thuggery have been decreased since the end of war in May 2009, as it is said here. But some journalist who makes comments on free media (Groundviews journalist 7:43 doesnt even allow readers to make a critic in his blog. Before pointing out others, it is wise to criticize your own attitude, be an example to others.
Dr. Palitha Kohana:
With regard to the west, we had some difficulties mainly owing to the fact that the LTTE had a well oiled propaganda machine operating in western capitals and in various international agencies. They influenced the policy makers in such a way that they tended to take a fairly sympathetic view of the LTTE. Despite this, Sri Lanka was successful in getting the LTTE proscribed in 27 European Commission states, in the United States, in Canada and so on. So we did have a number of significant successes in our foreign relations, even with regard to the west. The president has consistently maintained that Sri Lanka is a non-aligned country, and therefore, we have to ensure that good relations are maintained with all countries. It has to be said that the president's influence on foreign policy formulation in the last four years was a significant factor in managing our foreign relations in a satisfactory way. There was a time when we were not getting what we needed from the west including military material and funding for our development efforts. President Rajapaksa turned to other friends India, Iran, China and Russia.
Related links:
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20100123_03
Please read Mahinda Rajapakse Manifesto 2010
http://www.mahinda2010.lk/manifesto2010.html
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Human Rights Improved EU Freezes Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to Sri Lanka - 19.10.2009
The European Union has decided to freeze Generalized Systems of Preferences (GSP allows Sri Lankan 7,200 products to enter EU markets free of taxes or duty free access) to Sri Lanka as a collective punishment for so called Human Rights Violations during war against LTTE separatist terrorism.
LTTE terrorism has destroyed the tiny island, Sri Lanka both economically and socially. The present president of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse ended 30yr war by eliminating entire LTTE leadership and most of its members in 2years of his four year presidency. The West Europeans (especially EU) strongly condemned the President Mahinda Rajapakse's war on LTTE and threatened to use economical sanctions if the war against LTTE was not stopped. President Mahinda Rajapakse continued his war against LTTE, and eliminated entire LTTE leadership and most of its members. EU is bit embarrassed of Mahinda Rajapakse and uses its resources to punish this war torn tiny nation collectively. EU's accusations are war crimes during last phase of war against LTTE, human rights violations, 300,000 IDPs (Tamil refugees), media freedom, labour etc which have improved (investigations to deaths were done, 200,000 IDPs resettled etc) since the war over on 19th May 2009.
Now, Sri Lanka has become again a focus point. The presidential Elections will be held on 26th January 2010, West Europeans use this golden opportunity and use their resources to influence Sri Lankans not to choose Mahinda Rajapakse because MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE defeated 30 year conflict on which they lived as a parasite letting Sri Lankan poor people suffer three decades. The cause of the conflict was not apparently genuine but initiated from a group of Eelam extremists who claim Tamils are discriminated and genocided by the majority Sinhalese while 58% of minority Tamils live among Sinhalese and Europeans used it as a weapon to carve out Sri Lanka and promote two states option as a solution to the conflict like they did in other conflict zones.
The approach of Mahinda Rajapakse to the conflict is integration and democratization giving all citizens equal rights.
LTTE terrorism has destroyed the tiny island, Sri Lanka both economically and socially. The present president of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse ended 30yr war by eliminating entire LTTE leadership and most of its members in 2years of his four year presidency. The West Europeans (especially EU) strongly condemned the President Mahinda Rajapakse's war on LTTE and threatened to use economical sanctions if the war against LTTE was not stopped. President Mahinda Rajapakse continued his war against LTTE, and eliminated entire LTTE leadership and most of its members. EU is bit embarrassed of Mahinda Rajapakse and uses its resources to punish this war torn tiny nation collectively. EU's accusations are war crimes during last phase of war against LTTE, human rights violations, 300,000 IDPs (Tamil refugees), media freedom, labour etc which have improved (investigations to deaths were done, 200,000 IDPs resettled etc) since the war over on 19th May 2009.
Now, Sri Lanka has become again a focus point. The presidential Elections will be held on 26th January 2010, West Europeans use this golden opportunity and use their resources to influence Sri Lankans not to choose Mahinda Rajapakse because MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE defeated 30 year conflict on which they lived as a parasite letting Sri Lankan poor people suffer three decades. The cause of the conflict was not apparently genuine but initiated from a group of Eelam extremists who claim Tamils are discriminated and genocided by the majority Sinhalese while 58% of minority Tamils live among Sinhalese and Europeans used it as a weapon to carve out Sri Lanka and promote two states option as a solution to the conflict like they did in other conflict zones.
The approach of Mahinda Rajapakse to the conflict is integration and democratization giving all citizens equal rights.
Friday, November 13, 2009
General Sarath Fonseka: Resignation
His Excellency the President
Through the Secretary, Ministry of Defence,
Public Security, Law and Order
Presidential Secretariat
COLOMBO
12 November 2009
Your Excellency
REQUEST TO RETIRE FROM THE REGULAR FORCE OF THE SRI LANKA ARMY
1. I, General G S C Fonseka RWP RSP VSV USP rcds psc presently serving as the Chief of Defence Staff, was enlisted to the Ceylon Army on 05th Feb 1970 and was commissioned on the 01st June 1971. On the 6th Dec 2005 due to the trust and confident placed on me, Your Excellency was kind enough to promote me to the rank of Lieutenant General and appoint me as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army in an era when the Country was embroiled with the menace of a bloody terrorism and was in a stalemate state after having toiled for a solution politically or otherwise for over 25 years without a success.
2. During my command of 3 years and 7 months, the Sri Lanka Army managed to eradicate the terrorist movement having apprehended an unbelievable stock of arms and munitions and decisively defeating the LTTE and its murderous leadership. which Your Excellency is obviously aware of. I would not be exaggerating to state that I was instrumental in leading the Army to this historic victory, of course with Your Excellency’s political support, which helped to materialize this heroic action. Though the field commanders, men and all members of the Army worked towards this common goal, it is with my vision, command and leadership that this yeomen task was achieved.
3. I do appreciate the fact that the Country and Your Excellency did recognize my services which led to me being promoted to the first ever serving four star general to command the Army, nevertheless the courses of action which initiated subsequently greatly depressed me which I have enumerated in the Annex hereto.
4. Considering the facts mentioned in the Annex and more, which I am privy to withhold, I am compelled to believe that Your Excellency and the Government has lost your trust and faith bestowed upon me for reasons best known to Your Excellency. Hence as the senior most serving military officer in the Country with 40 years of service, such a situation does not warrant a continuation of my duties any longer, thereby I have the honour to request that I be permitted to terminate my services and retire from the Regular Force of the Army with effect from 01st December 2009.
5. Furthermore I have the honour to request that on retirement Your Excellency would be kind enough to grant me sufficient security which includes trained combat soldiers, a suitable vehicle with sufficient protection (Bullet proof) and escort vehicles for my conveyances due to the fact that I am considered as one of the highest priority targets by the LTTE, which they are yet capable of achieving. Also, I wish to bring to Your Excellency’s kind notice that over 100 men, six escort vehicles and a bullet proof vehicle have been placed at the convenience of the former Commander of the Navy, Admiral WKJ Karannagoda. I presume that such arrangements would be made available to me, considering the threat factor I am facing, which Your Excellency is well aware of.
6. I would also wish to quote an example in the case of the former Indian Chief of Army Staff General A S Vadiya, instrumental in leading the Indian Army in Operation Blue Star against the Sheiks at the Golden Temple, Amristar in 1984, was assassinated whilst on retirement in 1986 purely in revenge of his victories achieved. I do not wish to experience a similar incident as I have already sustained serious injuries after the attempt on my life by a suicide cadre of the LTTE. Thereby, I am compelled to entrust you with my security which is requested for life.
7. Furthermore, I would like to emphasis on a statement made by me during my tenure as the Commander of the Army. In that, I mentioned my dislike to be in command forever and also I would ensure that my successor would not be burden with the task of war fighting, which I abided with. Hence, as I have already overstayed my retirement date by 4 years, I wish to proceed on retirement without further delays.
8. Forwarded for Your Excellency’s kind consideration please.
I have the honour to be
Your Excellency’s
Obedient Servant
G S C FONSEKA RWP RSP VSV USP rcds psc
General
Chief of Defence Staff
CONFIDENTIAL
Annex A
12 November 2009
FACTORS AFFECTING MY RETIREMENT FROM THE REGULAR FORCE OF THE ARMY
1. Various agencies misleading Your Excellency by stating a possible coup immediately after the victory over the LTTE which obviously led to a change of command in spite of my request to be in command until the Army celebrated its 60th Anniversary. This fear psychosis of a coup is well known among the defence circle.
2. Appointing an officer pending a disciplinary inquiry who performed duties only as a holding formation commander in the final battle as my successor, disregarding my recommendations to appoint Major General G A Chandrasiri as the Commander of the Army who was the then Chief of Staff and an officer with an exemplary service as the Security Forces Commander in Jaffna for over 3 years. This has already led to a deterioration of the high standards I was capable of introducing to the Army, to my bitter disappointment.
3. Appointing me as the Chief of Defence Staff, though a senior appointment to that of a service commander, with basically no authority, except for mere coordinating responsibilities in a manner which mislead the general public of the country and most members of the Armed Forces. In that the Secretary Defence pushing me to vacate the post of the Commander in just two weeks after the victory and Your Excellency insisting me to hand over duties in less than two months depriving me of my morel obligations in revamping the welfare and providing a sound administration to the men who fought a gallant battle.
4. Further, prior to my appointment I was mislead on the authority vested with the CDS. I was made to understand that the appointment carried more command responsibilities and authority than earlier, but subsequent to my appointment a letter by the Strategic Affairs Adviser to the Secretary Defence indicated that my appointment was purely to coordinate the services and not that of overall command. The letter is attached herewith for Your Excellency’s information. Such actions clearly defines Your Excellency’s and the Governments unwillingness to grant me with command responsibilities which leads to believe in a strong mistrust in me, which is most depressing after all what was performed to achieve war victory.
5. During a subsequent Service Commanders Meeting, the Secretary Defence was bold enough to state an unethical and uncalled statement by mentioning that “if operational control of all three services is granted to the CDS it would be very dangerous”, which indeed was a loss of face to me in the presences of subordinate services commanders.
6. Your Excellency, you too made a statement at the very first security council soon after the 18th of May 09 when the battled was declared over, “that no further recruitment would be necessary” and “a strong public opinion is in the making stating that the Country is in possession of a too powerful army.” It was surprising to hear such a comment from Your Excellency in spite of your repeated praise and boast of the war victory. I personally felt that Your Excellency has commenced mistrusting your own loyal Army which attained the unimaginable victory just a week ago. You again repeated the same statement even after I handed over the command. Over these comments I felt disgusted as we even insulted those who made the supreme sacrifice by such comments.
7. The present Army Commander immediately on assuming duties commenced transferring senior officers who immensely contributed to the war effort during my command tenure including those junior officers working with my wife at the Seva Vanitha Army Branch which was clearly to challenge the loyalty of officers and most discouraging to the officer corps of the Army, with a wrong signal being transmitted on my authority.
8. With a pain of mind it was noted that the same Army which gained victory for the Nation was suspected of staging a coupe and thereby alerting the Government of India once again on the 15th of October 2009, unnecessarily placing the Indian Troops on high alert. This action did tarnish the image and reputation gained by the Sri Lanka Army as a competent and professional organization who was capable of defeating a terrorist group after the Malayan Emergency, in the eyes of the World. This suspicion would have been due to the loyalty of the Sri Lanka Army towards me as its past Commander who led the Army to the historic victory.
9. During my absences from the Country (23 Oct 2009 to 5 Nov 2009) being on overseas leave, the Army Headquarters was bold enough to change the security personnel deployed at the AHQ Main Entrance and the Ministry of Defence emphasizing the withdrawal of the Sinha Regiment troops who were attached to me, as you are aware is my parent regiment and supplementing them with other regimental personnel. The Sinha Regiment troops were good enough to provide security to the Ministry of Defence for 4 years and it is surprising to note how the combat efficiency of the said troops supposed to have dropped overnight as per Secretary Defence’s opinion. Further the Sinha Regiment troops numbering a mere 4, non combatants, deployed for vehicle checking duties at the AHQ Main Entrance, were replaced by 14 armed Armoured Corps personnel, whilst a further two platoons were brought in to prevent the 4 non combat Sinha Regiment personnel performing duties, creating a mockery to the general public including to some foreign missions. This clearly indicates a questionable loyalty of troops good enough for duties for over four years purely due to the fact that the troops were from my Regiment. This also indirectly reflects mistrust on me or an indication that the persons concern wish to keep a tab on my movements and visitors to my HQ/residence which is a clear display of suspicion created on me.
10. Further on instructions of the Secretary Defence, troops from the Gajaba Regiment was brought in to the MOD complex which indicated a divide loyalty within the Army and reasons to believe that the Army now being politicized. This is being encouraged by the Army Commander too who thinks that the Armoured Corp troops should over power Sinha Regiment troops.
11. Instigating malicious and detrimental news items and rumors by interested parties including several senior government politicians which led to identify me as a traitor in spite of my personal contribution of the government to change the history of our country.
12. During my absence from the Country, an acting CDS or an officer to overlook duties was not appointed which indicates that the much spoken appointment of the CDS is unimportant to the Government and the National Security Council. If the appointment was of significant important as stated by most, it should have been imperative to appoint somebody to oversee the duties and thereby I am convinced that I have being granted with an unimportant appointment in spite of all the work done.
13. It is with sadness that I note that the ordinary Army which I toiled to transform into a highly professional outfit is now loosing its way. Increased desertions, lack of enthusiasm to enlist (A drop in enlistment rate by 50% is recorded), disciplinary problems on advocating divided commands indicates an unprofessional organization in the offing. During the last two months the members deserted are higher than the recruitment.
14.The plight of the IDPs is also a point of great concern to me. Thousands of valiant soldiers sacrificed their valuable lives to liberate these unfortunate civilians from the brutality and tyranny of the LTTE in order that they could live in an environment of freedom and democracy. Yet, today many of them are continuing to live in appalling conditions due to the lack of proper planning on the part of the government and the IDPs who have friends and relatives elsewhere in the country must be given the choice to live with them until proper demining has been done in their areas.
15.Your Excellency’s government has yet to win the peace in spite of the fact that the Army under my leadership won the war. There is no clear policy to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil people, which will surely ruin the victory, attained paving the way for yet another uprising in the future.
16. The peace dividend the whole country expected at the conclusion of the war has yet to materialize. The economic hardships faced by the people have increased while waste and corruption have reached endemic proportions; media freedom and other democratic rights continue to be curtailed. The many sacrifices the army made to end the war would not have been in vain, if we can usher in a new era of peace and prosperity to our motherland.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
No victor has ever been tried before a War Crimes Tribunal - Dr. Kohana with BBC Hard Talk
No victor has ever been tried before a War Crimes Tribunal
Foreign Secretary and newly appointed Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona speaks to Hard Talk about the new challenges facing the country following the defeat of the LTTE.
There’s now evidence that KP not only procured arms for the LTTE but for other illegal and terrorist organizations in the world.
Q: The Sri Lankan government very successfully carried out the capture of the man called ‘Asia’s biggest human right’s violator’, this is seen largely as a positive direction in weakening the LTTE global network. How useful has the information received from him turning out to be in this process?
The capture of KP was certainly a major boost for the government. Now we have in our custody the man who succeeded Prabhakaran to the leadership of the LTTE and the one who had access to the LTTE’s criminal network. The LTTE had a major illicit trading empire which included drug running, gun running and people smuggling. KP was both in the centre of this as well as the major procurer of arms for the LTTE. There’s now evidence that he, not only procured arms for the LTTE but for other illegal and terrorist organizations in the world. So capturing KP was a major blow to the LTTE, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that its overseas structure has been crippled. There are many other elements who work for the LTTE and are still roaming around especially in the western countries. We have information on them and we hope to work with friendly governments in order to bring those persons within the law. As long as these persons remain free the LTTE’s criminal network will continue to function where intimidation, illegal fund raising and extortion will continue to flourish. So it is important to bring these other criminals also to book as soon as possible.
Q:As the Chief Arms dealer KP under Prabhakaran was also in charge of setting up and coordinating the LTTE overseas branches. And as the man behind the raising of funds, buying arms and shipping them so successfully, for a large part of the group’s military his contribution for the growth of the LTTE is not small. In your opinion how serious a crime are these and what form of legal action would you ideally see taking place against him?
Some of these things he’s alleged to have done are criminal activities, and therefore the full force of the law will have to bear on him. But I will leave the details to the more competent, to deal with the legal aspects.
Q:Would you say there was a change in the attitude of the global intelligence agencies following the defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka?
At certain times we ourselves were a little confused about the attitude of certain countries, especially certain friendly countries, because we couldn’t understand the vehemence with which they appeared to want to rescue the remnants of the LTTE, forgetting that this country had suffered for 27 years from terrorism. There wasn’t a single day in those years when a child could go to school without the parents fearing for their safety or people to work without worrying if they will return alive. Terrorism was pervasive in this society and the LTTE was at the root of it. Here we were on the verge of eliminating this group and certain countries were calling for a cessation of hostilities ostensibly to save the civilians. But the government itself succeeded in saving the vast majority of the civilians without much harm coming to them, despite the fact that it was the LTTE that had herded those civilians as a human shield. So this did cause some consternation in our ranks and we still do not understand the motive behind this. I find it very difficult to believe that it was only the humanitarian angle for the simple reason that the government’s clearly stated goal was to save the people who were held hostage by the LTTE. In any other situation I’m sure the world would have supported without any hesitation what the government was doing. But in this case there was all this ambivalence which caused us much confusion. But thankfully that episode is over and the great majority of the people held hostage are rescued and they are in government care and the LTTE is no more. Our goal now is to re-establish our relations with all the countries with whom we had enjoyed good relations in the past. We will work at it and will try to explain the reasons for what we did and when we did it. Again I must underline the fact that this country suffered from terrorism for a long time and our goal was to end that suffering. You can already see the results; just beyond here there are children playing on the Galle Face Green once again. When was the last time we saw that. I think the transformation brought about by the proactive policy adopted by the government in dealing with the LTTE has borne fruit already within a short period and I’m sure all the other issues that people are criticising us for will be resolved in the same manner.
Q:Are you saying that the pressure brought about by some of these countries have lessened now?
I think the pressure by and large is much less now, but I get the impression that some elements are trying to scratch that old wound and continue to seek to rectify whatever they failed to do, in the days leading up to the end of the conflict. We have seen the latest report by the Amnesty International which is so replete with inaccuracies. It is almost unbelievable. The way that they have compiled that report, and the manner in which an alien cultural framework has been imposed to pass judgment, have got their facts wrong, and also concocted certain facts and situations, make me wonder where this Amnesty International has gone. It used to be a respected organization.
Q:So who is really at fault in that aspect? Is it the failure of our own Missions in those countries that have failed to counter the propaganda that have so successfully come out of the LTTE funded members of the Tamil Diaspora?
I think there is a combination of factors. First and foremost there are those in the West who still feel that Asians and Africans can’t get anything right without their assistance. I have to be very blunt about it, I’ve lived in the West for 25 years and I do understand their thinking. So when we did not respond to their views I think there was a feeling of being let down, so that feeling of disenchantment continues. Secondly the LTTE and its apologists have continued to feed a certain line to the liberal minded Westerners. And they have very happily adopted this line because the liberal mindset is intrinsically inclined towards the ostensible underdog. They tend to champion the causes of the oppressed and the discriminated or even ostensibly discriminated. So this was a happy combination of circumstances for the LTTE. The LTTE’s stories were happily lapped up by certain elements of the liberal west.
Then thirdly, of course we have to work hard as a government and as a Foreign Ministry to convey our message to these elements in the West. And when we say we I should not limit this just to the Foreign Service. The LTTE has no Foreign Service but it does manage to get its message very successfully to the West. There are thousands of Sri Lankans in the West who appear to be happy to leave everything to the government. There are of course others who have worked tirelessly on behalf of the country despite living abroad. We need to get our message across to the world in a much more organized and consolidated manner so that the disinformation continuing to be propagated by the LTTE and its sympathizers can be nullified to some extent. As I said before the current mindset is a result of a combination of factors and not a result of one single element.
Q:Analysts believe that with the intelligence developed by debriefing K.P., the Sri Lankan government should be able to dismantle the entire international network of the LTTE. But would you say enough is being done by your representatives in these countries to nab the LTTE fund collectors and ensure that they are either prosecuted or extradited to Sri Lanka for trial?
It is never enough. We are working hard but we need to do more because there are times when your best is not enough. We have those working here very hard, doing late hours, and I do know that our missions diligently do as they are asked to do and work very hard but we still need to do more to ensure that the remnants of the LTTE are not allowed to gain life and rid the world of this scourge.
Q:How much harder is this task made with the refusal by certain countries to support your work? Would you say this has also been a contributing factor?
The vast majority of the countries supported our work solidly and we received absolutely and unqualified support from countries like India, Pakistan, China and Russia and the Asian region and some further afield, not just to support our task but also in the Human Rights Council. The Sri Lankan resolution won handsomely in the UN Council and those who championed the opposite view were disgraced literally. There was a clear message sent to the international community that Sri Lanka’s cause was not something to be sneered at but applauded. And that message went across very clearly from the Human Rights Council and I hope this message is heard ad taken seriously by those concerned.
Q:How much a concern would these calls of being tried for war crimes etc be today as opposed to the pressures the government felt during the UN resolution?
I think these are misguided messages for the simple reason that if you look at the history of war crimes there isn’t one instance where a winner of a war has been tried before a Tribunal. They have always been set up for losers. And if you were to take winners then the start would have to be taken elsewhere. Sri Lanka did not drop atom bombs or destroy entire cities during the war. I think these are just misguided and it is far better if we left these emotional comments aside and get back to rebuilding our society and reconciling our people and getting back to life.
Q:Similar arrests are expected of LTTE activists in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, India and even in Scandinavia and very likely also in Norway in the coming year. What special difficulties do you foresee especially in the Scandinavian countries given their continued support towards the LTTE? How can you ensure that these countries are no longer made safe havens for senior LTTErs?
We will continue to work with them. I would never say there was no support. I wouldn’t say that the LTTE was ever endorsed by Norway; they were the acknowledged facilitator of the peace talks and their argument was that as facilitator it was not in a position to take sides. Our goal it to get all our friends on board to get back to our old friendships before terrorism raised its head.
Q:A statement issued by US Assistant Secretary of State Bob Blake following a meeting with the Tamil Diaspora in the US, had gone on to recommend that the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil diaspora community in America should ‘engage one another on political reconciliation and reconstruction’. What in your opinion is the necessity to ‘engage’ the Tamil diaspora in the US when the more practical approach would have been to directly engage in talks with the Tamils living in Sri Lanka’s North and East? Is this a situation that the government is comfortable with?
I have my own views on that. The government has engaged expatriate Tamils in a very constructive manner. The government in February brought in a representative group of Tamils with whom we had a dialogue for 2 days. We continue to do that. Every time the Foreign Minister or I go overseas we make it a point to talk to Tamil representatives, especially in countries where there is a large concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils. We continue to do that in the hope that we may win back as many of our people. Our approach has succeeded to a great deal. Today we have many Tamils inquiring about investing in Sri Lanka about recovering their lost properties. I learnt from the BOI recently that there are 31 buildings coming up in Colombo all being built by expat Tamil people. Our efforts to engage them is certainly bearing fruit. Of course there is an element that will continue to harbour hatred towards Sri Lanka. They were the militants, who supported the LTTE and terrorized their own people to collect funds for the LTTE. Today there is no reason for their existence so they will continue to exert unnecessary pressure. So my response to Ambassador Blake is that we will continue to engage the Tamils and we hope that may will return. They may not all come here to live.
The other point s that there is this thinking that all our problems can be solved by applying a political solution. I fail to see the logic behind this. Every successive government tried such a political solution but each approach was rejected by the LTTE. When we know through experience that every effort failed not through a failure to try but despite all efforts it is a little superficial to suggest that a political solution will solve all our problems. So I’m not particularly convinced about this approach.
The suggestion appears to be that there is a problem with the Tamil people. Again I don’t subscribe to that. The problem was with the LTTE and not the Tamil speaking people. If there were a problem with them why have 54% of the entire Tamil speaking people of this country migrated to Sinhala speaking areas? They did it on their own. If they had a problem why did they voluntarily come to these areas? I think it is a wrong construction to assume that the problems in Sri Lanka were constructed of some political vacuum.
If we can treat all people with dignity and give everyone equal opportunity we don’t have to worry about the political solution. Anyway where are we going to apply this solution? Are we going to do that to the 54% of those living in and around Colombo or those in the North and East? In the North the entirety of the Tamil population is 750,000. There were 300,000 in the Wanni area who are now in the camps. There’s no one outside the Wanni area. The total number in the Jaffna peninsula is miniscule compared to the rest of the island. I think it is easy to suggest that a political problem will solve, when, even if we have problems, they are certainly not in an political form. Like in every other country people have problems with job opportunities or getting children to school etc. We need to address them but not through an ethnic approach but by giving everyone an equal opportunity.
Q:Then how should we treat the All Party Representative Committee process that is seeking such a solution?
The APRC process was begun to look at certain changes to the Constitution. These will be changes that will have the endorsement of the bulk of the political spectrum of the country. That was the objective behind setting up the APRC so that the government could carry the vast majority of the people with it with the changes envisaged. We made the mistake in the past of trying to impose the solution from the top. But on this occasion President decided that any changes would carry the majority support.
Q:The Indian High Commissioner’s message in Colombo on the occasion of the Independence Day conveyed that a "broad-based political settlement" of the ethnic conflict would enable the Rs.500-crore relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation package for the displaced. Does this mean the relief and reconstruction package would come only when a broad based political settlement is in place?
I don’t think. India has been very supportive of our issues. We are confident of this support. Their own suggestion is that we should implement the 13th amendment. And the President has said he will. I don’t think India has gone beyond that in their discussions.
Q: How do you see the continued ‘concern’ shown by the international community towards the situation of the IDP’s?
The cross party delegation from the House of Commons publicly said that these camps were better than they had seen elsewhere. I think its phenomenal that we have been able to provide housing, food and medical care within such a short period. This achievement can’t be compared with any other situation in the world. Outsiders are just finding new reasons for finding fault with us. The latest is the rains. Of course the conditions would deteriorate. When the government asked the international agencies in paving the paths and roads in the camps they refused on grounds that these would be converted to permanent camps. Today the same agencies are complaining that the roads are unusable. The same with the lavatories. They will continue to criticize us because they’re determined to continue that bitterness and hatred.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=58610
Foreign Secretary and newly appointed Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona speaks to Hard Talk about the new challenges facing the country following the defeat of the LTTE.
There’s now evidence that KP not only procured arms for the LTTE but for other illegal and terrorist organizations in the world.
Q: The Sri Lankan government very successfully carried out the capture of the man called ‘Asia’s biggest human right’s violator’, this is seen largely as a positive direction in weakening the LTTE global network. How useful has the information received from him turning out to be in this process?
The capture of KP was certainly a major boost for the government. Now we have in our custody the man who succeeded Prabhakaran to the leadership of the LTTE and the one who had access to the LTTE’s criminal network. The LTTE had a major illicit trading empire which included drug running, gun running and people smuggling. KP was both in the centre of this as well as the major procurer of arms for the LTTE. There’s now evidence that he, not only procured arms for the LTTE but for other illegal and terrorist organizations in the world. So capturing KP was a major blow to the LTTE, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that its overseas structure has been crippled. There are many other elements who work for the LTTE and are still roaming around especially in the western countries. We have information on them and we hope to work with friendly governments in order to bring those persons within the law. As long as these persons remain free the LTTE’s criminal network will continue to function where intimidation, illegal fund raising and extortion will continue to flourish. So it is important to bring these other criminals also to book as soon as possible.
Q:As the Chief Arms dealer KP under Prabhakaran was also in charge of setting up and coordinating the LTTE overseas branches. And as the man behind the raising of funds, buying arms and shipping them so successfully, for a large part of the group’s military his contribution for the growth of the LTTE is not small. In your opinion how serious a crime are these and what form of legal action would you ideally see taking place against him?
Some of these things he’s alleged to have done are criminal activities, and therefore the full force of the law will have to bear on him. But I will leave the details to the more competent, to deal with the legal aspects.
Q:Would you say there was a change in the attitude of the global intelligence agencies following the defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka?
At certain times we ourselves were a little confused about the attitude of certain countries, especially certain friendly countries, because we couldn’t understand the vehemence with which they appeared to want to rescue the remnants of the LTTE, forgetting that this country had suffered for 27 years from terrorism. There wasn’t a single day in those years when a child could go to school without the parents fearing for their safety or people to work without worrying if they will return alive. Terrorism was pervasive in this society and the LTTE was at the root of it. Here we were on the verge of eliminating this group and certain countries were calling for a cessation of hostilities ostensibly to save the civilians. But the government itself succeeded in saving the vast majority of the civilians without much harm coming to them, despite the fact that it was the LTTE that had herded those civilians as a human shield. So this did cause some consternation in our ranks and we still do not understand the motive behind this. I find it very difficult to believe that it was only the humanitarian angle for the simple reason that the government’s clearly stated goal was to save the people who were held hostage by the LTTE. In any other situation I’m sure the world would have supported without any hesitation what the government was doing. But in this case there was all this ambivalence which caused us much confusion. But thankfully that episode is over and the great majority of the people held hostage are rescued and they are in government care and the LTTE is no more. Our goal now is to re-establish our relations with all the countries with whom we had enjoyed good relations in the past. We will work at it and will try to explain the reasons for what we did and when we did it. Again I must underline the fact that this country suffered from terrorism for a long time and our goal was to end that suffering. You can already see the results; just beyond here there are children playing on the Galle Face Green once again. When was the last time we saw that. I think the transformation brought about by the proactive policy adopted by the government in dealing with the LTTE has borne fruit already within a short period and I’m sure all the other issues that people are criticising us for will be resolved in the same manner.
Q:Are you saying that the pressure brought about by some of these countries have lessened now?
I think the pressure by and large is much less now, but I get the impression that some elements are trying to scratch that old wound and continue to seek to rectify whatever they failed to do, in the days leading up to the end of the conflict. We have seen the latest report by the Amnesty International which is so replete with inaccuracies. It is almost unbelievable. The way that they have compiled that report, and the manner in which an alien cultural framework has been imposed to pass judgment, have got their facts wrong, and also concocted certain facts and situations, make me wonder where this Amnesty International has gone. It used to be a respected organization.
Q:So who is really at fault in that aspect? Is it the failure of our own Missions in those countries that have failed to counter the propaganda that have so successfully come out of the LTTE funded members of the Tamil Diaspora?
I think there is a combination of factors. First and foremost there are those in the West who still feel that Asians and Africans can’t get anything right without their assistance. I have to be very blunt about it, I’ve lived in the West for 25 years and I do understand their thinking. So when we did not respond to their views I think there was a feeling of being let down, so that feeling of disenchantment continues. Secondly the LTTE and its apologists have continued to feed a certain line to the liberal minded Westerners. And they have very happily adopted this line because the liberal mindset is intrinsically inclined towards the ostensible underdog. They tend to champion the causes of the oppressed and the discriminated or even ostensibly discriminated. So this was a happy combination of circumstances for the LTTE. The LTTE’s stories were happily lapped up by certain elements of the liberal west.
Then thirdly, of course we have to work hard as a government and as a Foreign Ministry to convey our message to these elements in the West. And when we say we I should not limit this just to the Foreign Service. The LTTE has no Foreign Service but it does manage to get its message very successfully to the West. There are thousands of Sri Lankans in the West who appear to be happy to leave everything to the government. There are of course others who have worked tirelessly on behalf of the country despite living abroad. We need to get our message across to the world in a much more organized and consolidated manner so that the disinformation continuing to be propagated by the LTTE and its sympathizers can be nullified to some extent. As I said before the current mindset is a result of a combination of factors and not a result of one single element.
Q:Analysts believe that with the intelligence developed by debriefing K.P., the Sri Lankan government should be able to dismantle the entire international network of the LTTE. But would you say enough is being done by your representatives in these countries to nab the LTTE fund collectors and ensure that they are either prosecuted or extradited to Sri Lanka for trial?
It is never enough. We are working hard but we need to do more because there are times when your best is not enough. We have those working here very hard, doing late hours, and I do know that our missions diligently do as they are asked to do and work very hard but we still need to do more to ensure that the remnants of the LTTE are not allowed to gain life and rid the world of this scourge.
Q:How much harder is this task made with the refusal by certain countries to support your work? Would you say this has also been a contributing factor?
The vast majority of the countries supported our work solidly and we received absolutely and unqualified support from countries like India, Pakistan, China and Russia and the Asian region and some further afield, not just to support our task but also in the Human Rights Council. The Sri Lankan resolution won handsomely in the UN Council and those who championed the opposite view were disgraced literally. There was a clear message sent to the international community that Sri Lanka’s cause was not something to be sneered at but applauded. And that message went across very clearly from the Human Rights Council and I hope this message is heard ad taken seriously by those concerned.
Q:How much a concern would these calls of being tried for war crimes etc be today as opposed to the pressures the government felt during the UN resolution?
I think these are misguided messages for the simple reason that if you look at the history of war crimes there isn’t one instance where a winner of a war has been tried before a Tribunal. They have always been set up for losers. And if you were to take winners then the start would have to be taken elsewhere. Sri Lanka did not drop atom bombs or destroy entire cities during the war. I think these are just misguided and it is far better if we left these emotional comments aside and get back to rebuilding our society and reconciling our people and getting back to life.
Q:Similar arrests are expected of LTTE activists in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, India and even in Scandinavia and very likely also in Norway in the coming year. What special difficulties do you foresee especially in the Scandinavian countries given their continued support towards the LTTE? How can you ensure that these countries are no longer made safe havens for senior LTTErs?
We will continue to work with them. I would never say there was no support. I wouldn’t say that the LTTE was ever endorsed by Norway; they were the acknowledged facilitator of the peace talks and their argument was that as facilitator it was not in a position to take sides. Our goal it to get all our friends on board to get back to our old friendships before terrorism raised its head.
Q:A statement issued by US Assistant Secretary of State Bob Blake following a meeting with the Tamil Diaspora in the US, had gone on to recommend that the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil diaspora community in America should ‘engage one another on political reconciliation and reconstruction’. What in your opinion is the necessity to ‘engage’ the Tamil diaspora in the US when the more practical approach would have been to directly engage in talks with the Tamils living in Sri Lanka’s North and East? Is this a situation that the government is comfortable with?
I have my own views on that. The government has engaged expatriate Tamils in a very constructive manner. The government in February brought in a representative group of Tamils with whom we had a dialogue for 2 days. We continue to do that. Every time the Foreign Minister or I go overseas we make it a point to talk to Tamil representatives, especially in countries where there is a large concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils. We continue to do that in the hope that we may win back as many of our people. Our approach has succeeded to a great deal. Today we have many Tamils inquiring about investing in Sri Lanka about recovering their lost properties. I learnt from the BOI recently that there are 31 buildings coming up in Colombo all being built by expat Tamil people. Our efforts to engage them is certainly bearing fruit. Of course there is an element that will continue to harbour hatred towards Sri Lanka. They were the militants, who supported the LTTE and terrorized their own people to collect funds for the LTTE. Today there is no reason for their existence so they will continue to exert unnecessary pressure. So my response to Ambassador Blake is that we will continue to engage the Tamils and we hope that may will return. They may not all come here to live.
The other point s that there is this thinking that all our problems can be solved by applying a political solution. I fail to see the logic behind this. Every successive government tried such a political solution but each approach was rejected by the LTTE. When we know through experience that every effort failed not through a failure to try but despite all efforts it is a little superficial to suggest that a political solution will solve all our problems. So I’m not particularly convinced about this approach.
The suggestion appears to be that there is a problem with the Tamil people. Again I don’t subscribe to that. The problem was with the LTTE and not the Tamil speaking people. If there were a problem with them why have 54% of the entire Tamil speaking people of this country migrated to Sinhala speaking areas? They did it on their own. If they had a problem why did they voluntarily come to these areas? I think it is a wrong construction to assume that the problems in Sri Lanka were constructed of some political vacuum.
If we can treat all people with dignity and give everyone equal opportunity we don’t have to worry about the political solution. Anyway where are we going to apply this solution? Are we going to do that to the 54% of those living in and around Colombo or those in the North and East? In the North the entirety of the Tamil population is 750,000. There were 300,000 in the Wanni area who are now in the camps. There’s no one outside the Wanni area. The total number in the Jaffna peninsula is miniscule compared to the rest of the island. I think it is easy to suggest that a political problem will solve, when, even if we have problems, they are certainly not in an political form. Like in every other country people have problems with job opportunities or getting children to school etc. We need to address them but not through an ethnic approach but by giving everyone an equal opportunity.
Q:Then how should we treat the All Party Representative Committee process that is seeking such a solution?
The APRC process was begun to look at certain changes to the Constitution. These will be changes that will have the endorsement of the bulk of the political spectrum of the country. That was the objective behind setting up the APRC so that the government could carry the vast majority of the people with it with the changes envisaged. We made the mistake in the past of trying to impose the solution from the top. But on this occasion President decided that any changes would carry the majority support.
Q:The Indian High Commissioner’s message in Colombo on the occasion of the Independence Day conveyed that a "broad-based political settlement" of the ethnic conflict would enable the Rs.500-crore relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation package for the displaced. Does this mean the relief and reconstruction package would come only when a broad based political settlement is in place?
I don’t think. India has been very supportive of our issues. We are confident of this support. Their own suggestion is that we should implement the 13th amendment. And the President has said he will. I don’t think India has gone beyond that in their discussions.
Q: How do you see the continued ‘concern’ shown by the international community towards the situation of the IDP’s?
The cross party delegation from the House of Commons publicly said that these camps were better than they had seen elsewhere. I think its phenomenal that we have been able to provide housing, food and medical care within such a short period. This achievement can’t be compared with any other situation in the world. Outsiders are just finding new reasons for finding fault with us. The latest is the rains. Of course the conditions would deteriorate. When the government asked the international agencies in paving the paths and roads in the camps they refused on grounds that these would be converted to permanent camps. Today the same agencies are complaining that the roads are unusable. The same with the lavatories. They will continue to criticize us because they’re determined to continue that bitterness and hatred.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=58610
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I have a dream in Sri Lanka!
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Killinochchi, go back to Mulutivu, go back to Trincomalee, go back to Batticaloa, go back to Jafna, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the Sri Lankan dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day Tamils of North of Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese of South will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, LTTE with its vicious racists, with its Tamil Diaspora having their lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Sri Lanka, little Tamil boys and Tamil girls will be able to join hands with little Sinhala/Muslim boys and Sinhala/Muslim girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the Sri Lanka with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if Sri Lanka is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the Central hilltops of Sri Lanka. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of Dumbara. Let freedom ring from the Jungles of Mulativu!
Let freedom ring from the North of Sri Lanka!
Let freedom ring from the South of Sri Lanka!
But not only that; let freedom ring from East of Sri Lanka!
Let freedom ring from West of Sri Lanka!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Nuwara-Eliya. From every mountainside of Badulla, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Tamil men and Sinhala men, Hindus and Buddhists, Muslims and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Friday, August 7, 2009
Dayan Jayatilleka: From Geneva to Sri Lanka
Interview with Dayan Jayatilleka from Centre for Policy Alternatives on Vimeo.
August 1, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Recorded on 31st July 2009, this was the first interview on video given by Dayan Jayatilleka after he was asked to quit his position as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva a few weeks ago. Going into the reasons behind his sudden sacking, the interview interrogates his most contentious submissions regarding the 13th Amendment, his take on the current Presidency and future prospects for peace in Sri Lanka, key memories of his sojourn in Geneva including the epic Human Rights Council sessions and other issues related to politics and democracy. I also ventured to ask some impertinent questions about his love life, given that for the duration of the interview, he was flanked by his wife Sanja.
Dayan’s been a regular voice on Groundviews. In addition to contributing over 30 articles to Groundviews, Dayan has penned hundreds of detailed comments and generated tens of thousands of pageviews.
When the former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge wrote to Groundviews in response to Lasantha Wickremetunge’s murder, it was Dayan to whom she addressed her comment to. Dayan’s response triggered off a critical debate with one of Sri Lanka’s leading bloggers on the freedom of access to communities displaced by war, which at the time was on-going and increasing in its ferocity. More recently, in Taking a page from Chechnya: Sri Lanka’s insincere constitutional reform and its apologists, Dayan engaged with another well known online identity in Sri Lanka, Aacharya. Two recent articles that generated a lot of debate that also featured Dayan’s input were,
Out in the Wilderness — Dayan Jayatilleka on 13th Amendment and getting sacked by Boggles
Sending Dayan home: the triumph of folly in Sri Lankan politics?
With Dayan’s departure from Geneva, Groundviews loses a unique perspective into the workings of an opaque regime. Nevertheless, the content generated by him or on account of him on Groundviews is an unparalled public record of historic interventions in Geneva, as well as insights into the policies and practices of the Rajapakse regime domestically. Going back to his first submission in July 2008, one can guess why the Rajapakse regime finds men like Dayan, once useful, now terribly inconvenient.
Don’t Lose the Peace
Xenophobia, cultural or otherwise, is profoundly counter-productive for winning the war as well as the peace. Scholarly and scientific research has shown that creativity and innovation in all fields takes place not so much from within the bowels of homogeneous and unchanging cultures but precisely where cultures interface, interact, exchange and cross-fertilize. Sir Arthur C Clarke correctly observed that Sri Lanka contains the greatest cultural diversity in the most compressed space, which is a source of conflict but potentially also of great creativity. Unless we embrace pluralism, learn to celebrate the treasure that is our own diversity, and tap into it as an energy source for advance, we shall certainly be unable compete regionally or globally. Worst of all we shall not be using all our cultural capacities, making the best of our endowments, making the best of ourselves.
The best performing of our youngsters, the brightest minds coming out of our universities with First classes, are migrating. Unless we can retain them by creating an environment in which the intelligent discerning internationally aware individual can flourish, we may win the war but lose the capacity to re-build, regenerate. Post war Sri Lanka must not be like pre-war Sri Lanka, because that order was so flawed as to contain the seeds of war. As we reconstruct we must restructure, transform, learning from past mistakes.
Similarly, post war Sri Lanka must be unlike wartime Sri Lanka. If ideologies of resentment and closure prevail over those of conciliation and openness, we shall be unable to manage the problem of the hemorrhage of quality human resources, which in turn will decide whether we shall develop or decline as a country.
It will serve little purpose if we win the war and lose the peace.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Dayan Jayatilleka From Geneva to Sri Lanka
A national icon has been ripped off for personal favorations. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka is an indispensable Firewall for Sri Lanka.
He defended Sri Lanka against unintended Human Rights violations, anti-Sri Lanka propaganda in the international frontline. He lead and won UNHRC debate on war crime charges against Sri Lanka during last stage of war against LTTE terrorism, later he was sacked by the same government he defended. The war could continue untll end thanks to the work done by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka and team at UNHRC. There was enormous pressure to Sri Lanka at last stage of war. He blocked all threats and gave opportunity for our soldiers to totally wipe out LTTE leadership.
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka is a part of Sri Lankan victory against terrorism. What we now need is to reorganize the corrupted (political) system. Thank you Dr. Dayan, and Prof. Rajiva for the tremendous job at UNHRC in Geneva!
Dr. Dayans termination is a huge mistake and an embarrasment to Sri Lanka.
When right, keep it right. When wrong, make it right!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sexless Lankans
Nanny governments won’t do
Saturday, August 1, 2009 Leave a Comment
By Gamini Weerakoon
(August 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Holy smokes! The Rajapakse government in a seizure of morality — against booze, tobacco and sex — last week announced measures to ‘wipe out the menace of alcohol and tobacco,’ pornography on TV, screening of ‘adults only films’ throughout the country, subjected all commercial telecasts on local TV to be approved by government before telecasting, as well as advertisements on radio and newspapers to be approved by the Public Performances Board. Government will also prohibit printing of lewd publications and newspapers. The Public Performances Board Act is to be given more powers.
Uneducated move
In addition to all these measures, the Education Department made an extremely uneducated move — banning mobile phones in schools after a girl who was found with a mobile phone, committed suicide in school. On Monday it was reported that a 15-year-old schoolboy of Imaduwa who had been punished by his father for smoking a cigarette in a toilet too had committed suicide. The road to hell it appears is paved with good intentions of moral guardians.
Former President of the Rationalist Society, Prof. Carlo Fonseka having donned the garb of moral crusader, as Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol at a press conference on Tuesday declared that consumption of tobacco had been considerably reduced according to a Global Youth Tobacco Survey.
Tobacco consumption among school children had declined ‘from 5 per cent in 1997 to 0.9 per cent while consumption among adults had dropped from 13 per cent in 1997 to 5 per cent at present.’ From now on serious steps would be taken to reduce tobacco and alcohol consumption focused on preventing violation of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act, Fonseka declared.
Great is the Chinthanaya
Like all appointees of the Rajapakse government Fonseka paid lavish tributes to President Rajapakse who he said was the first national leader to include anti-alcohol, anti-tobacco and anti-drug policies as a high national priority. Pity, he forgot to mention names of pioneers of the Temperance Movement such as Anagarika Dharmapala who campaigned vigorously for temperance at the height of British imperialism when revenue from taverns was considered vital to British interests.
True enough they did not hold ‘national office’ at that time but it was manifold more difficult a task than issuing presidential declarations.
This reduction in the amount of smoking by schoolboys claimed would be much more convincing had the learned professor told us of the methodology deployed in the survey and the size of the sample studied. Quite often such surveys are like opinion surveys conducted by ruling parties before polls. To determine the smoking habits of little rascals puffing away in closed toilets is no easy task.
As for the tom-tom beating of the success of Mathata Thitha (full-stop to intoxication) in all corners of Lanka, the Professor faces the impossible task of contradicting the statistics cited by the Minister of State Revenue and Finance, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya in Parliament. Production of liquor, the Minister said, had gone up by 16.9 percent in 2006 from the previous year (when the MT programme commenced); by 30.2 percent in 2007; 19.4 per cent in 2008.
Production of local arrack which stood at 38.4 million litres in 2005 rose to 44.9 m litres in 2006; 50.88 m litres in 2007 and 45.9 million litres in 2008. Foreign liquor sales had shown similar trends. Little wonder wags at the city’s bars say that Mathata Titha resulted in Tithata Matha (Full-stop was drunk) and now it is Mathata Hitha (Longing to drink). Arrack sales it should be noted is only a fraction of kasippu or moonshine sales — the poor man’s drink.
Sexless Lankans
All Sri Lankan governments have been increasingly opposed to sex. The accepted principle is: We Sri Lankans don’t have sex. We simply multiply like amoeba by simply splitting up into two or more amoeba. So no one will raise an eyebrow over the ban on ‘adults only’ films or pornography on TV. It will be well accepted by the pious with acclaim even though they will be longing to see such sex films.
Morality or politics
The danger however is about all commercial telecasts as well as radio and TV advertisements being subject to scrutiny of the Public Performances Board (PPB). Is this move made on behalf of safeguarding ‘the morals of the nation’ or using morality as a fig leaf to safeguard the interests of the government? Does it mean that political advertisements such as those appearing in newspapers prior to elections too will be subject to rulings of the PPB? Is this preparation for elections?
Maniacs and nymphomaniacs
And what of the ban on cellular phones in schools by the Education Department, the museum of the fossilised relics of the nation like school principals? To them, cellular phones in the hands of girls or boys are dangerous weapons which could turn the girls into nymphomaniacs and boys into sex maniacs. They don’t see the utility value such as calling parents at home or their vehicles parked far away from school gates.
Perhaps time has dimmed their memories of such popular ditties half a century ago such as:
Telephone cumbi digge aalay karanne,
Meet me at the Savoy, kiya,
OK my boy kiya,
Denne anney…
Those were the days of land phones — one phone to about a thousand people but still the mating calls went through. With millions of cellular phones around — as much as ball point pens — what can the fossils in this so called Education Department do against youthful desires?
History has shown us that good governance is only possible through conviction and persuasion; not by rules, regulations and legislative enactments. Nanny governments, however well intentioned, have never been successful..
source: http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/08/nanny-governments-wont-do.html
Saturday, August 1, 2009 Leave a Comment
By Gamini Weerakoon
(August 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Holy smokes! The Rajapakse government in a seizure of morality — against booze, tobacco and sex — last week announced measures to ‘wipe out the menace of alcohol and tobacco,’ pornography on TV, screening of ‘adults only films’ throughout the country, subjected all commercial telecasts on local TV to be approved by government before telecasting, as well as advertisements on radio and newspapers to be approved by the Public Performances Board. Government will also prohibit printing of lewd publications and newspapers. The Public Performances Board Act is to be given more powers.
Uneducated move
In addition to all these measures, the Education Department made an extremely uneducated move — banning mobile phones in schools after a girl who was found with a mobile phone, committed suicide in school. On Monday it was reported that a 15-year-old schoolboy of Imaduwa who had been punished by his father for smoking a cigarette in a toilet too had committed suicide. The road to hell it appears is paved with good intentions of moral guardians.
Former President of the Rationalist Society, Prof. Carlo Fonseka having donned the garb of moral crusader, as Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol at a press conference on Tuesday declared that consumption of tobacco had been considerably reduced according to a Global Youth Tobacco Survey.
Tobacco consumption among school children had declined ‘from 5 per cent in 1997 to 0.9 per cent while consumption among adults had dropped from 13 per cent in 1997 to 5 per cent at present.’ From now on serious steps would be taken to reduce tobacco and alcohol consumption focused on preventing violation of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act, Fonseka declared.
Great is the Chinthanaya
Like all appointees of the Rajapakse government Fonseka paid lavish tributes to President Rajapakse who he said was the first national leader to include anti-alcohol, anti-tobacco and anti-drug policies as a high national priority. Pity, he forgot to mention names of pioneers of the Temperance Movement such as Anagarika Dharmapala who campaigned vigorously for temperance at the height of British imperialism when revenue from taverns was considered vital to British interests.
True enough they did not hold ‘national office’ at that time but it was manifold more difficult a task than issuing presidential declarations.
This reduction in the amount of smoking by schoolboys claimed would be much more convincing had the learned professor told us of the methodology deployed in the survey and the size of the sample studied. Quite often such surveys are like opinion surveys conducted by ruling parties before polls. To determine the smoking habits of little rascals puffing away in closed toilets is no easy task.
As for the tom-tom beating of the success of Mathata Thitha (full-stop to intoxication) in all corners of Lanka, the Professor faces the impossible task of contradicting the statistics cited by the Minister of State Revenue and Finance, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya in Parliament. Production of liquor, the Minister said, had gone up by 16.9 percent in 2006 from the previous year (when the MT programme commenced); by 30.2 percent in 2007; 19.4 per cent in 2008.
Production of local arrack which stood at 38.4 million litres in 2005 rose to 44.9 m litres in 2006; 50.88 m litres in 2007 and 45.9 million litres in 2008. Foreign liquor sales had shown similar trends. Little wonder wags at the city’s bars say that Mathata Titha resulted in Tithata Matha (Full-stop was drunk) and now it is Mathata Hitha (Longing to drink). Arrack sales it should be noted is only a fraction of kasippu or moonshine sales — the poor man’s drink.
Sexless Lankans
All Sri Lankan governments have been increasingly opposed to sex. The accepted principle is: We Sri Lankans don’t have sex. We simply multiply like amoeba by simply splitting up into two or more amoeba. So no one will raise an eyebrow over the ban on ‘adults only’ films or pornography on TV. It will be well accepted by the pious with acclaim even though they will be longing to see such sex films.
Morality or politics
The danger however is about all commercial telecasts as well as radio and TV advertisements being subject to scrutiny of the Public Performances Board (PPB). Is this move made on behalf of safeguarding ‘the morals of the nation’ or using morality as a fig leaf to safeguard the interests of the government? Does it mean that political advertisements such as those appearing in newspapers prior to elections too will be subject to rulings of the PPB? Is this preparation for elections?
Maniacs and nymphomaniacs
And what of the ban on cellular phones in schools by the Education Department, the museum of the fossilised relics of the nation like school principals? To them, cellular phones in the hands of girls or boys are dangerous weapons which could turn the girls into nymphomaniacs and boys into sex maniacs. They don’t see the utility value such as calling parents at home or their vehicles parked far away from school gates.
Perhaps time has dimmed their memories of such popular ditties half a century ago such as:
Telephone cumbi digge aalay karanne,
Meet me at the Savoy, kiya,
OK my boy kiya,
Denne anney…
Those were the days of land phones — one phone to about a thousand people but still the mating calls went through. With millions of cellular phones around — as much as ball point pens — what can the fossils in this so called Education Department do against youthful desires?
History has shown us that good governance is only possible through conviction and persuasion; not by rules, regulations and legislative enactments. Nanny governments, however well intentioned, have never been successful..
source: http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/08/nanny-governments-wont-do.html
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Dayan Jayatilleke too won a “war ” for the President, in the diplomatic front
Posted on July 20th, 2009
By Charles.S.Perera
It is a contradiction of the President Mahinda Rajapakse, who had on the one hand most rightly promoted the leadership of the Government Armed Forces in recognition of their heroic contribution to save Sri Lanka from the perils of terrorism, and on the other hand to have “sacked” the most distinguished , brilliant, forthright, and an outspoken diplomatic worrier who won another “war” for him in the diplomatic front in Geneva.
It was a great fortune that we had Dayan Jayatilleke in Geneva at a time when the International Community was all out to take revenge from the Government of Sri Lanka for nothing else but for defeating the attempt of the terrorists to set up a Tamil Home Land in the North of Sri Lanka.
Dayan Jayatilleke a diplomat of exceptional quality, defeated the aims of another sort of terrorists who made all efforts to give a life line to Prabhakaran and his terrorist cohorts, and having failed in that effort to accuse the Sri Lanka Government Forces for war crimes.
It was indeed the most remarkable event in the annuls of the history of Sri Lanka for the Government Forces to have eliminated terrorism that had caused so much of material damage and human loss to the country, and was on the verge of breaking away a part of its territory to create a Tamil Eelam State.
The Sri Lanka terrorists , who were not terrorists for the International Community, used, guns, live suicide bombs, claymore bombs , snipers, and grenade lobbers , whereas the terrorists Dayan Jayatilleke had to fight used other weapons such as , verbal guns, artillery of false information, cannons of official positions, backed by political time bombs, personal mines of IMF Loans, GSP+ , heavy weapons from UK , France, and USA in the form of Foreign Ministers, to stop the military operations against the terrorists and then to discredit the government, bring it on to its knees, and finally accuse it for war crimes.
Navy Pillay like Prabhakaran the terrorist would not accept defeat, and when the resolution against Sri Lanka was lost in the UNHuman Rights Council, she wanted to make a come back to the battle ground with more false figures gathered from the terrorist website to accuse once again the Government Forces for war crimes. But our bold worrier Dayan Jayatilleke was ready to take any one head on in the diplomatic foray.
Dayan Jayatilleke’s diplomatic clashes to avoid bringing discredit to our government, and shame to our armed forces which had sacrificed large numbers of men, and risked their lives to end the cancer of terrorism that had eaten into the flesh of our motherland was also fraught with danger. The gratitude the President showed to Dayan Jaytilleke who valiantly faced the onslaught of determined International Community to bring the government before a tribunal accused for war crimes, was simply to have sacked him.
If giving credit to this hero who had fought the invisible forces unleashed by the Western powers and the UN, is to throw him out like a used dirty chiffon, it would remain in the history of our nation as a shameful aftermath for a glorious battle fought with brilliance, intelligence , and vibrant verbal force for the glory of the motherland.
All the laurels won by the President Mahinda Rajapakse for his great contribution for saving the country from terrorism, is blown away in the dry wind of shameless ingratitude by this one act.
What could be the great wrong committed by Dayan Jaytilleke for him to deserve this inglorious end of a remarkable diplomatic carrier in the service of his country ?
When I wrote to a friend on the subject asking him whether it was a decision made by the President, and if so whether it is not an unpardonable error. He wrote to me giving details of the “erratic” political path traversed by Dayan Jayatilleke , and explained that he as a Diplomat representing Sri Lanka should have been more careful making statements which may have contradicted the President’s not yet decided views on the 13 Amendment, and that his statement on Israel was an embarrassment to the President.
I disagree on both counts. On the 13 Amendment Dayan Jayatilleke had made his personal views as any other citizen even if his official capacity demanded him to be more cautious. He has a right to express his view on a matter that affects the future of Sri Lanka which he officially represents in a foreign land.
With regard to his statement on Israel, what he said is not altogether wrong, but it may be taken as a statement made without reflection as Dayan Jayatilleke is not a hypocrite and calls a spade a spade. And yet that was not an irreparable damage.
As to his erratic political path , that was the past. We always learn from our past to relate ourselves to the future. Many are those who had followed erratic paths, but it should not stand on the way to judge them for what they are now.
The President should not have precipitated to take a very unfair and unjust decision to sack Dayan Jayatilleke for those statements made in his private capacity. Even many soldiers may have been allowed to die in vein by sheer miscalculation of military strategies by the Army Commanders. The bus load of Navy personnel massacred by the terrorists at Habarana was due to the negligence of the Security staff. And so was the terrorist suicide attack of the Anuradhapura Air Force Camp where the security guards were said to have been watching a television show.
If those incidents had been overlooked in view of the over-roll performance of the Army, why was Dayan Jayatilleke not given such consideration for the greater services he had contributed for Sri Lanka at a very critical time.
And Sri Lanka is still not out of the tunnel as far as the vicious intentions of the International Community and Navy Pillay are concerned. Therefore, we still want Dayan Jayatilleke to be in his Diplomatic post in Geneva. He was a diplomat respected by his counterparts in Geneva and his removal in this manner may antagonise the diplomats of those friendly countries that voted to defeat the resolution of the UNHRC.
By Charles.S.Perera
It is a contradiction of the President Mahinda Rajapakse, who had on the one hand most rightly promoted the leadership of the Government Armed Forces in recognition of their heroic contribution to save Sri Lanka from the perils of terrorism, and on the other hand to have “sacked” the most distinguished , brilliant, forthright, and an outspoken diplomatic worrier who won another “war” for him in the diplomatic front in Geneva.
It was a great fortune that we had Dayan Jayatilleke in Geneva at a time when the International Community was all out to take revenge from the Government of Sri Lanka for nothing else but for defeating the attempt of the terrorists to set up a Tamil Home Land in the North of Sri Lanka.
Dayan Jayatilleke a diplomat of exceptional quality, defeated the aims of another sort of terrorists who made all efforts to give a life line to Prabhakaran and his terrorist cohorts, and having failed in that effort to accuse the Sri Lanka Government Forces for war crimes.
It was indeed the most remarkable event in the annuls of the history of Sri Lanka for the Government Forces to have eliminated terrorism that had caused so much of material damage and human loss to the country, and was on the verge of breaking away a part of its territory to create a Tamil Eelam State.
The Sri Lanka terrorists , who were not terrorists for the International Community, used, guns, live suicide bombs, claymore bombs , snipers, and grenade lobbers , whereas the terrorists Dayan Jayatilleke had to fight used other weapons such as , verbal guns, artillery of false information, cannons of official positions, backed by political time bombs, personal mines of IMF Loans, GSP+ , heavy weapons from UK , France, and USA in the form of Foreign Ministers, to stop the military operations against the terrorists and then to discredit the government, bring it on to its knees, and finally accuse it for war crimes.
Navy Pillay like Prabhakaran the terrorist would not accept defeat, and when the resolution against Sri Lanka was lost in the UNHuman Rights Council, she wanted to make a come back to the battle ground with more false figures gathered from the terrorist website to accuse once again the Government Forces for war crimes. But our bold worrier Dayan Jayatilleke was ready to take any one head on in the diplomatic foray.
Dayan Jayatilleke’s diplomatic clashes to avoid bringing discredit to our government, and shame to our armed forces which had sacrificed large numbers of men, and risked their lives to end the cancer of terrorism that had eaten into the flesh of our motherland was also fraught with danger. The gratitude the President showed to Dayan Jaytilleke who valiantly faced the onslaught of determined International Community to bring the government before a tribunal accused for war crimes, was simply to have sacked him.
If giving credit to this hero who had fought the invisible forces unleashed by the Western powers and the UN, is to throw him out like a used dirty chiffon, it would remain in the history of our nation as a shameful aftermath for a glorious battle fought with brilliance, intelligence , and vibrant verbal force for the glory of the motherland.
All the laurels won by the President Mahinda Rajapakse for his great contribution for saving the country from terrorism, is blown away in the dry wind of shameless ingratitude by this one act.
What could be the great wrong committed by Dayan Jaytilleke for him to deserve this inglorious end of a remarkable diplomatic carrier in the service of his country ?
When I wrote to a friend on the subject asking him whether it was a decision made by the President, and if so whether it is not an unpardonable error. He wrote to me giving details of the “erratic” political path traversed by Dayan Jayatilleke , and explained that he as a Diplomat representing Sri Lanka should have been more careful making statements which may have contradicted the President’s not yet decided views on the 13 Amendment, and that his statement on Israel was an embarrassment to the President.
I disagree on both counts. On the 13 Amendment Dayan Jayatilleke had made his personal views as any other citizen even if his official capacity demanded him to be more cautious. He has a right to express his view on a matter that affects the future of Sri Lanka which he officially represents in a foreign land.
With regard to his statement on Israel, what he said is not altogether wrong, but it may be taken as a statement made without reflection as Dayan Jayatilleke is not a hypocrite and calls a spade a spade. And yet that was not an irreparable damage.
As to his erratic political path , that was the past. We always learn from our past to relate ourselves to the future. Many are those who had followed erratic paths, but it should not stand on the way to judge them for what they are now.
The President should not have precipitated to take a very unfair and unjust decision to sack Dayan Jayatilleke for those statements made in his private capacity. Even many soldiers may have been allowed to die in vein by sheer miscalculation of military strategies by the Army Commanders. The bus load of Navy personnel massacred by the terrorists at Habarana was due to the negligence of the Security staff. And so was the terrorist suicide attack of the Anuradhapura Air Force Camp where the security guards were said to have been watching a television show.
If those incidents had been overlooked in view of the over-roll performance of the Army, why was Dayan Jayatilleke not given such consideration for the greater services he had contributed for Sri Lanka at a very critical time.
And Sri Lanka is still not out of the tunnel as far as the vicious intentions of the International Community and Navy Pillay are concerned. Therefore, we still want Dayan Jayatilleke to be in his Diplomatic post in Geneva. He was a diplomat respected by his counterparts in Geneva and his removal in this manner may antagonise the diplomats of those friendly countries that voted to defeat the resolution of the UNHRC.
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