Honouring Rajapaksa: An Open Letter To The UN Resident Coordinator

By Rev. M. Sathivel –NOVEMBER 21, 2020

Formal Complain Against Honouring Rajapaksa At The UN Day And The Conduct Of The UN Resident Coordinator, Sri Lanka

Dear Ms. Hanna Singer, UN Resident Coordinator, Sri Lanka

We write to you as Human Rights activists, victims and concerned Tamils, to express our concerns about your conduct as the UN Resident Coordinator in your engagement with the Sri Lankan Government in apparent disregard to the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka. 

On 23rd October 2020, the United Nations in Sri Lanka  held a special virtual event to commemorate the world body’s 75th birthday. Sadly, it was a slap in the face for many of the country’s victims of human rights abuses and war crimes. Instead of focusing on them, the UN chose to honour one of the people implicated in their suffering, the country’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Honouring Rajapaksa at the UN Day event makes a mockery of two important UN human rights initiatives – Human Rights up Front and the secretary-general’s Call to Action on Human Rights. The UN shouldn’t be in the business of helping those suspected of war crimes launder their public image. Unfortunately, that’s what the UN Country Team did last month in Sri Lanka and we find this very offensive and adding insult to our injuries.

We are not naïve and recognize the need for you to engage given your current function. However, the photographs taken with corrupt officials and ministers who have been indicted or who are being investigated, as well as the tweets which follow, do not contain any reference to your having raised any human rights or  corruption issue in your engagement.

As you know, the recent landslide victory of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resulted in him interpreting that electoral victory as a mandate to establish an ethno-majoritarian Sinhala Buddhist state rejecting the notion of religious and ethnic pluralism and the representation of minorities as provided for under the 13th constitutional amendment. In fact, his constitutional agenda for the future, excludes any notion of devolution or the recognition of the rights of the Tamil and Muslim minority or any other marginalized group. The President has also been unambiguous and unequivocal in stating that he opposes any initiative that seeks to hold accountable those military officials implicated in war crimes. He has also established a Presidential Commission whose task is to exonerate those who have been charged with economic crimes and corruption in Sri Lanka. The establishment of a number of Task Forces which also establish a parallel system of governance in which all power resides in him. This together with the passing by Parliament of recent controversial  20th amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution and which provides for more expansive powers and greater immunity for the Executive President should give you cause for great concern. Ironically, the passing of the amendment triggered concern and resistance from not just the political opposition, but also the influential Southern Buddhist clergy. 

The human rights situation is extremely grave in Sri Lanka with many afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation by the security forces who have arresting those who dissent including Muslim lawyers. Relatives of survivors abroad are deeply concerned at how in the last few months, their families in Sri Lanka are visited, intimidated and threatened with retaliation if they do not disclose the contact details of their family members abroad. Many have had family members abroad contacted by the Sri Lankan security threatening that they should be willing to inform if their families are to remain safe in Sri Lanka. Human Rights activists in the country are the subject of intense surveillance, threats and intimidation by the security forces. Fundamental freedoms are being trampled upon and the judiciary and criminal justice system are compromised. 

It is for this reason that we are deeply concerned at your silence as the UN representative at the head of the country team in Sri Lanka to speak out on the human rights situation in the country. As stated before, we understand the political necessity for engagement with the government of Sri Lanka, but that engagement must be tempered and conditioned with statements around the human rights issues plaguing the country. We are deeply concerned at how you are normalizing the current human rights situation by playing down the abuses which are taking place and reflecting your meetings with government officials through tweets and photographs. We have examined your tweets and photographs and have been unable to find any instance in which you noted your concern on human rights issues or that many of the individuals you are meeting while deeply implicated in corruption have nevertheless been appointed to government. The photographs and tweets are insidious and provide a veneer of respectability to a government that is perceived as having gone rogue. 

We set out some examples of your conduct which are not intended in any way to be exhaustive but provide some perspective on how you and your office are perceived.

Examples 

On  14/10/2020 you tweeted about meeting Prasanna Ranatunga the Minister of Industrial Export, Investment Promotion, Tourism and Aviation (with IOM) and discussed partnerships, environmental sustainability and “decent” work and electronic visas and airport arrivals. I am sure that you are aware of the fact that a criminal case was filed against Prasanna Ranatunga in the Colombo High Court following a Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) police investigation which recommended that 15 charges be brought against him. Media reports indicate that  a court date was last set for 3 September 2020.  

On 02/10/2020 you met the Minister of Health, and had the opportunity to address a number of human rights issues regarding the rights of Muslims including Muslim victims of COVID being cremated against their will and religious traditions. Not only did you fail to raise the issues but you also failed to tweet about the issue. In your public statement you have not raised the militarisation of Sri Lanka’s COVID response, and the fact that the army runs quarantine camps, and the State Intelligence Service is in charge of trace and tracking. 

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