President: Geneva Resolution misinterpreted to cause discord among armed forces-Media urged not to abuse freedom or face the consequences

By Shamindra Ferdinando-February 4, 2016, 10:03 pm 

Alleging that an attempt was being made to misinterpret the Geneva Resolution, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday emphasised the utmost importance of facing the Geneva challenge with patience, discipline and decorum.

President Sirisena, who is also Commander-in-Chief of armed forces, asserted that the country could regain international recognition by addressing issues raised in Geneva. He was addressing the nation from the Galle Face Green, Colombo before the commencement of military parade to celebrate the 68th Independence Day.

President Sirisena said his political rivals were hell bent on capturing power and various extremists were misinterpreting the Geneva process. The project was meant to cause turmoil among the armed forces as well as the public, he claimed.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will arrive in Colombo tomorrow morning (Feb 6) on a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka.

The President alleged that his An Indian High Court tells citizens: Don’t pay taxes if Govt fails to curb graft!

political opponents had made an issue of the implementation of the Geneva Resolution, which he said would lead to the restoration of freedom, democracy and reconciliation. The government efforts were in peril due to ongoing disinformation campaigns, the President alleged.

The President urged the media to be responsible and function in a fair manner or face the consequences.

Had the previous administration taken appropriate measures to address accountability issues immediately after the conclusion of the Vanni battle in May 2009, Sri Lanka wouldn’t have had to face a resolution at the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council, the President claimed.

The failure on the previous government had resulted in a process that culminated in the Oct 1 Resolution, he said.

The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government co-sponsored the Resolution which called for the inclusion of the Commonwealth and other international judges.

Commenting on the change of government last year, the President said that he and the government had received a mandate to resolve the contentious Geneva issue and pave the way for true national reconciliation.

The President expressed disappointment that major issues that had been there at the time of the British quit Sri Lanka remained to be resolved. "Although we got freedom from the imperial rule, the foreign forces left our nation, leaving behind many problems they created during their rule."

The President pointed out that the Geneva issue had to be faced and resolved in a bid to protect the pride and dignity of the military.

Having castigated political rivals as well as extremist elements, the President urged them not to seek political power at the expense of genuine peace and stability.

Recalling the threat posed by the LTTE, President paid a glowing tribute to the military for eradicating terrorism. Over 6,000 officers and men died during eelam war IV, the majority of them in the Vanni offensive.

The passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution to restore democracy had been a major victory achieved by the new government during last year, the President said. Having explained the significance of the establishment of Independent Commissions including the Election Commission and the measures taken to tackle waste, corruption and irregularities, the President stressed that as a result the parliament had been strengthened.

The President said that the new administration had restored media freedom in accordance with yahapalana policy. A future government would again curtail media freedom unless both journalists and media institutions acted responsibly. The President urged the media not to abuse the newly gained freedom.