A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Thursday, January 28, 2016
UN urged to ensure foreign judges’ participation in war crimes investigation
President’s position on UNHRC resolution
By Shamindra Ferdinando-January 27, 2016, 7:10 am
Alleging
that President Maithripala Sirisena has recently undermined a US-led
Geneva Resolution co-sponsored by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL),
the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) has requested foreign governments to
pressure the President to fully implement the proposals. In addition to
western powers, the European Union, too, endorsed the Resolution.
UK based GTF spokesperson Suren Surendiran yesterday told The Island
that they expected all those who had backed the Resolution 30/1 to
ensure that the GoSL fulfilled its obligations.
The 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) unanimously adopted the Resolution on Oct. 1, 2015.
The GTF spokesman was responding to President Maithripala Sirisena’s
recent declaration that the proposed inquiry would be wholly a domestic
investigation and there was absolutely no requirement for foreign
intervention in this matter. The President also rejected international
deadline for the launch of the investigation.
A three-member panel of ‘experts’ in March 2011 accused the Sri Lankan
military of massacring over 40,000 civilians during the final phase of
the offensive on the Vanni east front.
Surendiran emphasised that the Resolution which dealt with
accountability issues couldn’t be diluted under any circumstances. In
accordance with the resolution, the GoSL had accepted Commonwealth and
other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors as well
as investigators in the proposed judicial processes. "Sri Lanka will
breach the provisions of a resolution that it co-sponsored if President
Sirisena’s assertions are implemented."
The GTF pointed out that President Maithripala Sirisena’s stand was contrary to that of the GoSL.
The GTF spokesperson said the grouping and its partners in Sri Lanka as
well as outside threw their weight behind the Geneva Resolution as they
believed in a genuine process to address accountability issues. Post-war
national reconciliation wouldn’t be a reality unless the
Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government fully implemented the Geneva
Resolution, Surendiran warned.
The GTF work closely with the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA). They pursue a common agenda.
TNA spokesperson and Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran told the media
in Colombo that President Maithripala Sirisena’s statement was contrary
to the Geneva Resolution.
The GTF has also urged United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Prince Zeid to ensure the full implementation of the Resolution
30/1 without any exceptions. Prince Zeid is scheduled to visit Colombo
early February.
Responding to a query, Surendiran said the Tamil community expected the
GoSL to clarify its position in the wake of President Maithripala
Sirisena’s contradictory statement. "We are really disappointed and
deeply concerned over the situation," Surendiran said. The GTF official
said the President’s statement had been also contrary to a joint
communique issued by the GoSL and European Union on January 21, the same
day as the President’s contradiction, reiterating commitment to the
full and speedy implementation of the Resolution 30/1.
The October 2015 Resolution had called for a hybrid war crimes court
with the participation of Commonwealth and other international judges,
Surendiran said.
The GTF alleged that the unexpected position taken by the President had
been even contrary to the recommendations made by the Paranagama
Commission. Retired High Court judge Maxwell Paranagama has recommended
foreign observers as well as international technical assistance to a
domestic process.
The GTF warned the President that he would certainly lose the trust unless he adhered to the Resolution.
Surendiran said that the Report of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka released on
Sept. 28, 2015, in no uncertain terms explained the pivotal importance
of having international intervention in the proposed investigation. The
GTF official stressed that Sri Lankan judiciary lacked capacity to
inquire into war crimes.
Alleging that President Maithripala Sirisena had obviously distanced
himself from commitments made in Geneva, Surendiran recalled Foreign
Minister Mangala Samaraweera assuring the international community of the
new government’s resolve to address accountability issues. In this
context, the GTF quoted below sections from the speech delivered in the
UNHRC on 14 September 2015, by the Lankan Foreign Minister; "…Therefore,
I say to the skeptics: Don’t judge us by the broken promises,
experiences and u-turns of the past....the Government of President
Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has the
political will and the courage of their convictions to ensure that we
take the country forward, breaking the barriers of ignorance, fear,
prejudice and hate….
….My plea to you Ladies and Gentlemen, is: TRUST US and join us to work
together and create the momentum required to move forward and take
progressive, meaningful and transformative steps to create a new Sri
Lanka…"
Current UNHRC members are Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium,
Bolivia, Botswana, Burundi, China, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, India,
Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia,
Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines,
Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia,
Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Togo, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Vietnam.