Rajapaksa denies Army killed Balachandra

A file photo of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.-

March 1, 2013

Even India was “harassed” by UNHCR over Kashmir, he says

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has denied that the Army killed LTTE chief Prabakaran’s 12-year-old son Balachandran.

“Had it happened, I would have known [it]. It is obvious that if somebody [from the armed forces] had done that, I must take responsibility. We completely deny it. It can’t be,” he told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.

On new evidence of wrongdoing in the final stages of the war in 2009, collated by international organisations and media outlets, he said that putting out such reports and videos was their job. “We must not merely look at one side. They must not merely listen to one group and the Opposition [in Sri Lanka]. So they [the Opposition] are trying to get the support of other countries to create an ‘Arab Spring’ here. That won’t happen in Sri Lanka.”

Provincial elections

Asked whether he would hold the Northern provincial elections in September, as he had told this newspaper, Mr. Rajapaksa said: “Yes, we will hold [the poll] in September. That’s why we have postponed the other [provincial] elections too. I did not want to face the criticism that I was doing it only because I had no intention of holding the Northern provincial elections.” The North would have powers which are “not more, not less” than those enjoyed by the eight other provinces.

On the coming U.S.-sponsored resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Mr. Rajapaksa said Jaffna was provided with all infrastructure just three years after the war ended. “Who did this within three years? Anybody who has come and seen it has talked about it positively and has commended us.”

Even India was “harassed” by the UNHRC over Kashmir, he said. “Sri Lanka is like a volley ball. Everyone is taking turns punching it to cover up their sins.”

On the issue of a political solution for the Tamil people, he said that unless the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), an umbrella group of Tamil parties, joined the Parliamentary Select Committee, there could be no way forward. “Without TNA [on the committee], I will not be able to do anything… Earlier, all the leaders gave their solutions from the top. It has failed. The 13th Amendment has failed. Everything has failed,” he said.

Mr. Rajapaksa allayed fears that MPs of the majority community would hijack the agenda, pointing out that some individuals and parties in the government would not allow it to happen.

The President said he had not discussed with India its support to Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. “India must know its duty, as a neighbour…, as a friend of Sri Lanka. I can’t dictate to India.”

Referring to External Affairs Minister Salman Kurshid’s comments in Parliament on accountability for alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka, he insisted that Sri Lanka had held people accountable for excesses. “We have filed cases… We have handed down punishments. But this can be done only as per the laws of this country…I have released 14,000 [LTTE] prisoners, who had serious charges against them like murder, after a process of rehabilitation. Had I filed cases against the 14,000 people, what would have happened? I am a Buddhist. We have tolerance and compassion. There are still some more people [of the LTTE] in prison. We are examining ways…to release them.”

Sri Lanka’s relations with India were fine after the 2012 vote in Geneva. “There are many incidents to show that the relationship is good. We don’t hold… Indian fishermen who routinely fish in our waters…Thousands of fishermen are crossing and fishing…We sent so many Indian prisoners back home. Despite incidents in Tamil Nadu [where Sri Lankan pilgrims were sent back], there has not been any incident [involving] Indians in Sri Lanka. I understand that there are people who want India to have some confrontation with Sri Lanka… It is all politically motivated,” he said.

WikiLeaks: Sinhala Community Will Treat Tamils Even More Poorly With Prabhakaran Gone

By Colombo Telegraph -March 2, 2013

“Mixed but moderate responses in Tamil Nadu followed the news of the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), from relief to indifference to occasional outright denial. Despite the efforts of political parties to turn concern over the Sri Lankan war into votes in Tamil Nadu, the issue had little impact on the recent elections. Fears of organized uprisings for the defeated LTTE turned out to be unwarranted, as sporadic and ineffectual episodes of protest fizzled out, and Tamils were left with only colorful conspiracy theories to mark the passing of the famed chief of the Tigers. The historic ties between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, only 30 miles apart, failed to inspire both voters and potential protesters, but security concerns still muted the commemoration of the 18th anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination by an LTTE suicide bomber. Unease remains over what the few remaining LTTE supporters in the state might do.” the US Consulate Chennai (India) informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable analyses the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Tamil Nadu reaction. The cable was written on May 22, 2009 by US Consulate Chennai.

The US Consulate wrote; “S.C. Chandrahasan, a leader of Tamil Nadu’s Sri Lankan refugee community, said that news of Prabhakaran’s death was met with sadness by many of the refugees who, despite their distaste for the LTTE’s tactics, believe that Sri Lanka’s Sinhala community will treat Tamils even more poorly with Prabhakaran gone. Chandrahasan added that the dominant sentiment is resignation, and that he does not believe there will be unrest in the refugee community in the wake of the LTTE’s defeat. The fate of the Tamil internally displaced persons (IDPs), and not a Tamil ‘Eelam’ or separate state, has now become the main rallying cry for the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement, which organized rallies in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin (in southern and coastal Tamil Nadu), peaceably calling for UN intervention to monitor the treatment of Tamil IDPs in Sri Lanka.”

“Some die-hard Prabakharan supporters in Tamil Nadu refuse to accept that the LTTE leader is dead. Assurances that Prabakharan was ‘hale and healthy’ came from the Tamils’ Protection Movement, as the MDMK’s Vaiko refused to accept that the LTTE commander had been killed, and many speculated that the image shown on television was of one of Prabhakaran’s body-doubles.” the Consulate further wrote.

The US Consulate wrote; “May 21 marked the 18th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by an LTTE suicide bomber just outside of Chennai in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. This year no member of the Gandhi family traveled to the site to mark the anniversary. Media speculation centered around two possible explanations: that either the Gandhi family wanted to avoid the potential embarrassment of facing pro-LTTE protests or that security considerations kept them away. Karti Chidambaram, son of Home Minister P. Chidambaram, cited ‘security concerns’ as the reason for the absence of the Gandhi family at the Sriperumbudur memorial.”

Placing a comment the US Consulate wrote; “The Sri Lankan civil war has long cast a shadow over Tamil Nadu. Revulsion over the Rajiv Gandhi assassination in 1991 moved support for the LTTE from polite society to the fringes of political discourse. Sentiment shifted temporarily back in the direction of the LTTE last year as Tamil civilian casualties mounted in Sri Lanka. The change in sentiment was shallow and short-lived: the parties that most vocally took up the Tamil cause lost badly in the recent elections. But the refusal of some in Tamil Nadu to believe Prabhakaran is dead demonstrates the depth of pro-LTTE sentiment on the far periphery of the state’s political culture. Their numbers are likely quite small, but they may be willing to extend aid and comfort to elements of the LTTE fleeing their military defeat on the island. Tamil Nadu, which is a short boat ride away and where Sri Lankan Tamils can fairly easily blend, is a logical destination for the remnants of the defeated terrorist organization.”

Read the cable below for further detail;