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Is Sri Lanka Preparing For UNHRC’s Head Navi Pillay?

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10 September 2012 06:30 pm - 3     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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To most of us the announcement of UNHRC’s Technical Team visit comes as a surprise but nothing that should cause frenzy other than the fact that most UN visits are generally not without bias and not without agenda. There is every possibility that the conclusive report is already drafted. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s Government is in for a rude shock if it is under the illusion the team to arrive on the 14th of September is to make amends, share a good cup of Ceylon tea and to congratulate Sri Lanka on eliminating terrorism! Every nook and corner that they will be digging for dirt and every area that they would manipulate must be thought out as their cohorts would have been given prior notice what to do. It is nothing UN can take offense against – UN lies on Iraq’s WMD is just one example.

Promotion and protection of human rights has been a major “preoccupation” for the UN since its inception. There are upteen entities all working towards protecting something or the other but with little results except wonderfully compiled dossiers full of information.

Within all of these magnanimous peace and human rights promotion and protection efforts is a carefully clouded plan that artfully aims at usurping the sovereignty of sovereign nations to govern their countries on their own according to the laws that they design. Such has been the task of the Technical Assistant teams who are tasked with

A) Reforming National Laws (incorporating international laws into national laws and constitutions on the guise of protecting human rights – Bulgaria, Malawi and Mongolia are good examples).

B) Assisting and Drafting national laws and preparing national reports – another area to watch out for.

C) Strengthening national and regional institutions

D) Training criminal justice personnel – judges, lawyers, prosecutors and police.

The UNHRC team or those vociferous opponents of Sri Lanka’s achievement are aware that within 3 years Sri Lanka has successfully implemented an indigenous rehabilitaton, resettlement, reintegration, reconstruction and reconciliation program. Much of the truth that is responsible for the conflict has to remain unsaid to keep diplomatic relationships! Sri Lanka can today proudly say areas are now free of mines. It has almost rounded up the resettlement of close to 300,000 Tamil refugees, it has helped these people find livelihoods, Sri Lanka has provided training, education and vocational facilities for the children who had never seen a school except taught to hold a gun, close to 12,000 of the LTTE combatants who were either caught or had given themselves up during the final war have gone through rehabilitation and have been reintegrated into societies and reunited with their families. Some of them have even married in ceremonies facilitated by the military, some of them are now in civil defense services while the talented ones have moved on to continue education while others have taken to cultural activities. The involvement of military in civil affairs is nothing new and nothing to be alarmed over as they had been running farms as early as the 1950s. Besides if the people of the North and in particular areas of Mullaitivu feel happy about the military presence what reason do others have to say otherwise especially the TNA parliamentarians who visit the North only during election times.

With the elimination of the LTTE and dawning of peace people are still picking up the pieces. It is wrong to expect miracles because we are dealing with people who have been brainwashed for 30 years even those who have not been part of the LTTE. Reconciliation does not come to timelines or timetables and it does not happen simply because someone sitting from room in a Western country dictates the local head to do or step down. The people of the North are slowly starting livelihoods, the infrastructure is getting built, the Govt has even utilized money meant for development in the south to be diverted to make the railways, roads etc..which the military is also contributing towards. They have built more houses than any US troops have with their own hands when some of them do not have proper homes of their own.
Compare that to Iraq , unemployment is 60%, consumer price inflation is 50%, 28% of Iraqi children suffer chronic malnutrition, 40% of professionals have left Iraq, electricity to Iraq is given for only 1 to 2 hours, only 37% of Iraqi homes are connected to sewer systems, 70% of Iraqi’s do not have access to water – much of these were targeted during NATO strikes, only 22% of these water treatment plants have been reconstructed.

Therefore when UN agencies come as custodians of peace they are bringing with them a backlog of incomplete targets that they have not set up for themselves. Iraq and Afghanistan are two nations that the UN are directly responsible for its people and whether they have allowed intervention on the guise of “humanitarian” to take place they have completely ignore the accountability and responsibility factors. Responsibility to Reconstruct must be what the UNHRC head must first concentrate on and once they complete these backlogs for which they are directly responsible they can start pointing fingers at Sri Lanka.

Therefore, if Sri Lanka’s officials are to grin and smile and accept accusations that come from these foreign officials who have paid scant attention to helping the people of Iraq and Afghanistan then our officials will be degrading the valiant efforts of our armed forces pre and post conflict.

Therefore we urge Sri Lanka’s Government to plan every angle that accusations will be hurled against us and meet every accusation with proper facts and demand answers to questions which should not be kept swollen.

(Courtesy Eurasia Review; written by Shenali Waduge)

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  Comments - 3

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  • Malin Tuesday, 11 September 2012 11:57 AM

    I am sure GLPeiris and MSamarasinghe must be practising in front of a mirror to grin, smile & accept without any dissent of what Navi Pillai would come out with..

    Kaslana Wednesday, 12 September 2012 03:07 PM

    In preparation for her visit, I suggest she be given the "ride of her "life " in a chauffeur driven white van filled with Dengue mosquitoes.

    ssss Sunday, 16 September 2012 09:15 AM

    THis is virtual abuse right. How this paper allows this,,,,!


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