The annual Geneva circus is again round the corner. It has become one of the most farcical performances by an entity tasked to be custodian of world peace. At the time of the UN’s creation there had been just 2 world wars. Today apart from 11 countries, the countries of the world face some form of conflict and terror. Countries and victims are suffering because of the lack of initiative to stop arming terrorists and to take serious measures against any country or organizations aiding and abetting terror. The Sri Lanka Armed Forces lost 30,000 lives and an equal number remain injured. The LTTE also has lost lives but it was their choice to take up arms & die fighting. The national army are defenders of a nation, its people and the sovereignty of the nation. Just as the national army defend the nation, it is the duty of the government to defend the national army. The national army can defend itself only on its turf, the government has emissaries and diplomatic channels to defend the State of Sri Lanka and the onus is on the Government to defend its national army. This is what we expect of a nationalist government in power. We expect Government delegations to be putting forth arguments to defend the national army not lukewarm answers to the catapults coming our way to corner and coerce Sri Lanka to agreeing to vested plans and geopolitical agendas.
Those that were aiding and abetting LTTE terrorism, those that benefitted by LTTE terrorism and those that relied on LTTE terrorism for their self-sustenance were not too happy when LTTE was militarily defeated in May 2009.
The scale of support for LTTE was seen in the manner they lobbied to bring successive legally questionable resolutions at the UNHRC based on a personally commissioned report that had no authorization from the UNSC, UNGA or UNHRC and was never tabled for Sri Lanka to officially respond to. Taking the witch hunt further an OISL investigation was launched claiming to be a ‘human rights’ investigation and not a criminal investigation but demanding a hybrid special court. Much of the allegations made were hearsay and from third party and 4thparty or directly from LTTE sources. The manner of the conduct of these resolutions certainly questions the credibility of the UN system, due process followed, the bias of applicability of the clauses in the UN Charter against a member state. These precedents would eventually apply to other countries too.
The National Armed Forces of Sri Lanka cannot directly defend itself of all the brush stroke allegations made against them accentuated by a well-funded international tarnishing campaign.
The present government was given a massive mandate by the people.
The President was given a massive mandate by the people.
Now the People demand that the President and the Government defend the national army with the full strength of diplomatic corps at their disposal.
We do not expect this government to be watering down any resolutions that are out to trap Sri Lanka.
We do not expect the govenrments advisors to be flowering the response on the excuse that we will anger this or that nation
We do not wish to have lukewarm responses simply meekly answer to the wild allegations and unsubstantiated evidence being presented.
We do not wish to have officials and advisors of this government who have no wish to defend the armed forces coming up with silly arguments of presenting counter-resolutions or anything that will land us in a bigger soup.
We simply want the Government to summarize the wrongs that had been done to Sri Lanka since 2012 and declare that the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka deserve NATURAL JUSTICE and an appropriate time must be made available within the UN SYSTEM for the GOSL to respond on behalf of the national army because the national army cannot defend itself outside of Sri Lanka and it is the duty of the GoSL to defend its army internationally.
Thus the GoSL and its diplomatic channels must demand a hearing within the UN system for the GoSL to represent the National Army’s defense and the GoSL must insist on this.
For 12 years the charade and circus has gone on for far too long. There are no 40,000 names of dead, there are no 40,000 people who have come forward to say they are even relaties of the dead, there are no bodies of 40,000 dead, there aren’t even skeletons for 40,000 dead.
There are accusations of genocide of Tamils when Tamil population by census statistics is increasing. How can genocide happen if Tamil population is increasing?
Yet, the national army is accused of war crimes and genocide
Therefore, the GoSL SHOULD NOT BE RESPONDING TO ANY OF THE QUESTIONS the UNHRC HEAD has sent.Instead the GoSL must now say, we have watched this charade for 12 years and now it is time the world hears the story of our national army and the GoSL must now step in and raise a new voice and demand that the world, the UN, the UNHRC and all of its entities hear the version of our national army and the GoSL must be their voice.
At the same time, the voice by the GoSL on behalf of the armed forces is not to be presented by any weak diplomats or anyone carrying an appeasing line/policy but ones who believes that Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces carried out a military cum humanitarian rescue operation in a just war where over 300,000 people were saved including 12,000 LTTE combatants in civilian clothing and at the sacrifice of over 6000 soldiers.
The GoSL must stop responding to the annual silly reports sent that are only trying to trap Sri Lanka via its responses. Sri Lanka has been patient for 12 years now. Sri Lanka’s government must now take the leadership and not wait to be dictated and defend its armed forces in the international arena. This is what the People of Sri Lanka expect from this Government and this is what the Government must now do at the forthcoming Geneva Sessions.
Demand a hearing within the UN system for the GoSL to defend its Armed Forces. This is what the People of Sri Lanka want from this Government. We do not want to see any more lukewarm responses that end up in Sri Lanka being trapped or Sri Lanka foolishly putting a noose round its neck and in particular that of our armed forces.
The Govt must defend the army not responding to silly pieces of paper sent to us annually from Geneva trying to trap us.
We expect GoSL to defend our troops in Geneva and to be their voice in Geneva.
Shenali D Waduge