Lack of Moral Courage is the hall-mark of Indian Diplomacy.
Or is it the indifference to Tamil Nadu and Tamils?
CHOGM Summit Sri Lanka
One would imagine that India would condemn the venue of the CHOGM Summit, in Sri Lanka, and call for the boycott of Sri Lanka from the Comity of nations.
No.
India will be participating in the Summit with the attendance of Man Mohan Singh, The Prime Minister of India.
This despite the genocide of the Tamils!
Has this decision something to do with Rajiv‘s assassination by a Tamil?
The reason given is that if India does not attend China would get a foothold in Sri Lanka.
As if China does not have now!
If you watch your people being killed and are afraid of a Nation?
Well..
Appeasing Sri Lanka or China is like the appeasement of Hitler by Chamberlain,look at the result..World War II.
Story:
UK Tamil News | London | 04 May 2013:: The indication that the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, is more likely to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo comes as a relief to Sri Lanka, which is busy putting in the last minute touches to its roads and buildings in preparation for the high-level meeting to be held from 15-17 November. It will be the first such high-level meeting since the Non Aligned Summit of 1976.
The indication of the Indian Prime Minister’s participation comes despite the heavy pressure brought on the Central Government by Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, is against India’s participation at the CHOGM in Colombo as a protest against Sri Lanka’s many alleged human rights violations against its own people, and the snail’s pace at which the rehabilitation of the North and its efforts at reconciliation following the end of the war more than four years ago, are taking place. These bickerings come at a time when Sri Lanka is leaning heavily on Beijing for funds, and Islamabad for military equipment, and also moral support from the two countries, ostensibly in a tit-for-tat move to spite India.
Of course India does have a grievance in that Sri Lanka, instigated by the hard line constituent parties of the government, has, in the run up to the Northern Provincial Council election and thereafter, seriously considered diluting the powers of Provincial Councils. These powers were devolved on them through the Indo-Lanka Accord-backed 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which also specified the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The North and East were subsequently de-merged through a Court order.
However that may be, India’s strong ties with Sri Lanka going beyond 2,500 years, and the country maintaining a strong influence in the region, are good enough reasons for that country to attend the important Commonwealth Meeting in Colombo, especially because Sri Lanka will be the chair for the next two years.
Now that the NE Provincial Elections are over, there seems to be a new -found optimism in Rajapakshe circles that the International Community would go soft on him for Genocide accusations,
Genocide in Sri LankaRows of Tamil Corpses. Image.Independent.Tamil children Killed Source,Tamil.net.
The winning Tamil party combination is more interested in running the local Government than bringing Rakapakshe to book.
I am posting some more gruesome images of the Tamils killed by Sri Lankan Army lest people forget the Genocide.
More than 135, 000 Tamil men, women and children has been killed or went missing.
More than 35, 000 Tamil were killed in 2009 alone.
1.1 Million Tamils flee Sri Lanka
Estimated 600, 000 Tamil internal refugees
More than 20, 000 orphaned children
More than 35, 000 Tamil widows
Thousands of Tamil families (including children) are kept behind barb wire fenced internment camps by the Sri Lankan govenment, for several months in aftermath of war.
Half a million Tamils kept under military rule in Jaffna peninsula (Northern Sri Lanka) that had been described as an “open prison”.
Economic embargo imposed on traditional Tamil areas for more than 2 decades
Supply of food, medicine, fuel, electricity and other essential items controlled by the Military
Forced Starvation
Usage of banned weapons – Cluster bombs, White phosporous. Usage of heavy weapons, artillery on densely populated civilian areas. Reported usage of chemical weapons.
Arguing that the Northern Provincial Council elections was not conducted for the interests of the Eezham Tamil nation but rather was coordinated by the US-Indian establishments for diverting the attention of the world from the genocide taking place, Umar, activist with the May 17 Movement, stated that the vote of the Eezham Tamils for the TNA was cast against the genocidal Sri Lankan state. Without considering this, some are interpreting the vote as being against the demand of Tamil Elam and a legitimization of unitary Sri Lanka”
It also appears that the party that has won the elections seems to be maintaining a studied silence on the Genocide issue.
The Tamil Groups, as usual, are speaking in multiple voices.
While one group , the one that has won the elections, seems to go soft on Rajapakshe Government, post-election,another Group maintains that the victory is due to the Displaced Tamils in US and elsewhere and are voicing a hard-line approach to the Genocide issue.
One group insists on a unitary Government, another in the Federal set up with more powers short of a separate Nation, Elam,yet another wants nothing than separate Elam.
Contrary to what one has expected, that of trying to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamils in Sri Lanka every one seems to be engaged in one up-manship, which has the root cause for the failure to prevent the Tamil Genocide and realization of Tamil Elam.
Rajapakshe, quietly used this opportunity to get a Bill passed empowering the Government to grab any land, a move which was scuttled by a Supreme Court Judge, who was impeached,, a Supreme Court Judge was installed and the The passage of the Bill was felicitated.
The Government is emboldened by the bickering to such an extent that it has announced it was not bothered about Navaneetham Pillai’s Report of Genocide.
“The Sri Lankan government on Sunday said it would not accept UN Rights Chief Navy Pillai’s deadline to make progress on its rights accountability record.
The country’s Foreign Secretary Karunatillake Amunugama said the government would according to its own plan. “We will submit our progress to the next March session of the UNHRC. We have already completed most of the points raised by her while some of it cannot be implemented,” he said.
UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Pillay told the UNHRC that Sri Lanka has failed to show progress on its rights accountability record. If it fails to improve the record by March next year it could lead to an international inquiry.”
Sri Lanka has already figured in two UNHRC resolutions.
In a curious twist Navi Pillai watered down her earlier report on Genocide that,In this Update, she commends the excellent cooperation extended by the government. She gives credits to the impressive human rights achievement by the government with the help of the international community. She says that vast majority of the internally displaced persons had been settled another instance of achievement by the government. She is pleased that the government has taken the initiative to invite the Special Rapporteur from UN.
She thinks that the recent elections to the Northern Provincial Council will bring about better devolution of power. On the large military presence in Tamil areas, compulsory acquisition of private land and the role of military in civilian areas, she contends that all these are not simple and straightforward issues that could be resolved overnight. She thinks that these are complex issues that would have to be tackled through the initiatives of the various responsible ministries. Of all the internal mechanisms, she praises the LLRC. She is pleased that the government has accepted a number of its recommendations; for instance, the separation of the police from the Ministry of Defense. Touching on LTTE, she said that the outfit should be held responsible for war crimes.
Navi Pillay does not talk about the mass killings of Tamils during the last stages of the war. More than 100,000 Tamils were mercilessly killed by the Sri Lankan troops. Is she blind to this episode? While she talks about the intimidation of minorities, she avoids even mentioning the mass murder of Tamils. If she can gloss over such an incontrovertible fact, then she must definitely have a particular agenda in talking about human rights in Sri Lanka.
She mentions about the LTTE in relation to war crimes. What about the murderous Sinhala regime that decimated hundreds and thousands of Tamils with the support of the international community. Who raped hundreds of Tamil women? What about the thousands of Tamil prisoners languishing in prisons without any form of support? She praises the recent elections for the Northern Provincial Council, but what about the systematic attacks against candidate Ananthi?”
A new Mass grave has been unearthed in Vadamarachchi.
“The occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vadamaraadchi in Jaffna has warned the original house-owners of a recently released former SLA camp-site at Pallappai at the heart of Vadamaraadchi, not to dig the wells at the site where 52 houses had been seized by the SL military for more than 14 years since 1999. The main camp of the SLA 524 was situated at Pallappai. A few days ago, SL military personnel who blocked the owners of a house from renovating their well, recovered human skeletons of 16 to 18 victims and instructed the owners not to reveal the details to media or human rights groups. More than 100 victims have been buried inside another public well that has been filled up by the SL military, the villagers say.
In the meantime, an SLA commanding officer has also confirmed to a media source in Colombo on condition of anonymity that a Tamil journalist, Subramaniyam Ramachandran, reported missing in 2007, was slain and dumped inside an abandoned well in the vicinity of the Pallappai 524 base. 87 and 90 years old parents of the missing journalist have been struggling for years to learn the whereabouts of their only son.
Around 2,000 youth were reported missing in Jaffna alone between 1996 and 2009.
When the SLA seized Jaffna in 1996, it had put up several camps in Vadamaraadchi. The main base controlling Vadamaraadchi was the 524 camp, which was situated inside the Point Pedro harbour.
Her Press briefing on 31 August , 2012 was candid to such an extent that the Sri Lanka Government was forced to protest that she exceeded her brief.
She was earlier abused by the Government and the Sri Lanka Media , calling her ‘Tamil Tigress‘, accusing her of bias, raking her Tamil origins.
Story:
Sri Lanka refutes:
”
Issuing a statement, the Govt information department says that she is only an agent of a Civil organization, hence she cannot make such statements regarding Sri Lanka.
Govt has issued this statement with regards to the statements made by Ms. Navi Pillay at the media meeting held on the 31st in Colombo, in conclusion of her week’s tour in Sri Lanka.
The complete statement is as follows..
President Rajapakshe apologised for his minister’s out burst against her earlier.
Her report, as stated by her in the Press Meet , in short, is as under.
1.Developmental activities. post the civil war , is sluggish and definitely not as it had been portrayed by the Government of Sri Lanka.
2.The Missing Persons of Tamil area are not being investigated.
3.Tamil women are being molested and no visible action.
3.The Military, even after four years of the conflict coming to a close, still has an iron grip, on the Tamil areas, hampering return of Normalcy.
The presence of Military in the North East is worrying.
4.The Military is controlling areas where it has no business, like Education, Agriculture.
5.The Military is grabbing private Tamil lands for converting them into barracks, with no compensation.
6.Systematic racist attacks are being carried out against Tamils and Muslims.
As a parting shot, she said,
““I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction,” Pillai said, a remark that was to be broadcast around the world in minutes.”
Well, that’s pretty candid and accuses Sri Lanka, in real softer terms, its Genocidal and Ethnic cleansing Policies!
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Navanetham Pillay was on a week-long visit to Sri Lanka on an invitation extended by the Government of Sri Lanka in April 2011. This invitation is a part of Sri Lanka’s consistent engagement with the UN System.
As is well known, the High Commissioner’s visit to Sri Lanka was extensive, which she herself has described, as the longest ever country visit undertaken in her current position. The GOSL provided unfettered access for the High Commissioner to meet all those whom she sought to engage with, besides providing briefings on the part of the GOSL, on the continuing post conflict developments, a fact that she has acknowledged.
It is significant to note the High Commissioner’s acknowledgement of the true nature of the LTTE, and her call to those in the diaspora, who continue to revere the memory of the LTTE, to recognize that there should be no place for the glorification of such a ruthless Organization.
While noting that the High Commissioner has paid respects “to all Sri Lankans across the country who were killed during those three decades of conflict”, a disturbing fact that emerged during the visit, which had also come up during her media conference, was the surreptitious effort made by the visiting delegation to pay a floral tribute during the visit to Mullivaikkal. It was pointed out by the Sri Lankan side to the OHCHR delegation that if such a gesture needed to be made it should be done at a venue common to all victims of the 30 year terrorist conflict and not on the grounds where the LTTE leader met his death. It is significant that at no point of time during the discussions in formulating the High Commissioner’s programme, that the holding of such an event was indicated. This was brought to the attention of the Government side, only a few hours before the unilaterally scheduled event. On inquiry it became evident that the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, who represents the UN Secretary General, was unaware of this planned event.
With reference to the High Commissioner’s assertion that the new Ministry of Law and Order “is at best a partial separation as both Ministries will remain under the President, rather than under a separate civilian Ministry”
The fact that the remarks were addressed to Pillay while she was on a high level diplomatic mission on the explicit invitation of the Government was extraordinary. But more extraordinary, for the visiting UN Rights Chief was the fact that persons who had made representations during her tours of the former conflict zones had been visited by police and military officials. “This to me is just completely over the top – this kind of thing simply does not happen on my missions,” Pillay charged during the question and answer session. “The UN takes reprisals against those who speak with UN officials very seriously. I will be reporting on any reprisals against those who spoke with me back to the Human Rights Council,” she warned.
On every critical issue falling within her mandate the UN Envoy pulled no punches. She had her own assessment on virtually every current challenge to democracy and freedom in post-war Sri Lanka. “The war may have ended, but in the meantime democracy has been undermined and the rule of law eroded,” she said, reading from one of the more electrifying sections of her statement.
On the hot button issue of religious intolerance, with attacks against the Muslim community intensifying in the last few months, the UN Envoy said the Government had downplayed the issue. “They said it was an isolated incident, but the information pouring into my office indicates otherwise,” she said.
Disappearances being the overarching theme of her visit, Pillay told journalists after her briefing that she had never witnessed such uncontrollable grief as when people begged her to help bring their loved ones home.
“The fighting may be over, the suffering is not,” the UN Human Rights Chief said, as she prepared to leave Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner took great pains to address repeated questions on alleged UN bias put to her by the state media during the briefing. She urged journalists to “read the published material” to learn how vocal her office was being about human rights issues around the world, including those violations committed by powerful countries. “Sri Lanka is one of 193 states reviewed by the UNHRC. The US in its review had almost 300 recommendations made to them by other states,” Pillay explained.
She added that UN independent experts were currently examining Extraordinary Rendition procedures, the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and drone strikes against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan – all violations Washington has been accused of by human rights activists.
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