By Apoorvaa Joshi, Amnesty International USA Intern
Yesterday a few Amnesty volunteers and I took to the streets of Chicago to collect petition signatures calling for justice for war crimes in Sri Lanka. My fellow intern stopped a woman on the street to ask for her signature:
Intern: “Would you have a moment to sign a petition for war victims in Sri Lanka? I’m from Amnesty International.”
Woman: “What is that?”
Intern: “Amnesty International is an international NGO that focuses on human –“
Woman: “No, the petition. What is it for? Sri what?”
Intern: “Sri Lanka—we are asking Secretary Clinton to pressure the UN to launch an investigation about the abuses that occurred during their 1626-year-long civil war.”
Woman: “I’ve never heard of it. Did you just make that up?”
Intern: “No. It’s a real place. It’s off the coast of—“
“Is it in Africa?”
A few minutes later, the woman walked away having signed the petition, with educational materials in hand about Amnesty International, the situation in Sri Lanka, and where she can reach us for more information or to volunteer.
This exchange is an example of why I stood out in the March wind in the heart of Chicago. Dozens of people walked past us without signing our petition. Amnesty is asking the U.S. government to support an international investigation into war crimes and other abuses committed by both the government security forces and the rebel group fighting for independence during the 16 26 year civil war in Sri Lanka.
Many people passing by said they were too busy to stop. Some of them said they didn’t believe in our mission. Most of them actively looked away or at the ground hoping that it would make them invisible.
But it mattered. It mattered because one person walked away today knowing more about the atrocities that occurred in Sri Lanka; one more person will be able to go back to her community and share what she learned.
We had a group of students from the Amnesty International USA chapter at Lawrence University help us out with the petition signing. They said the experience was valuable to them because it connected what they do on campus to the broader mission of Amnesty International. Even though I’ve been interning here for a few months and am very familiar and dedicated to everything Amnesty does, at times I can feel a little distant from the impact we make on the world. Amnesty has achieved so much, but it’s hard to feel like I’ve played any part in it.
Yesterday I felt better about our impact—a team of ten volunteers got almost 250 people in one hour to take action on this pressing issue, to help initiate justice for the victims of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. We made a difference. And we will continue to do so.
AI….stop bullying Sri Lanka….
Why you dont have the guts to ask the same of USA – UK – EU…re Afganistan & Iraq….
Sri Lanka is a vibrant DEMOCRACY….that defeated 30 years of Terrorism….
are you jealous that ….Terrorism has not been defeated in Afganistan & Iraq…..
Sri Lanka know how to deal with Terrorists….ELIMINATE them !!!!
send them to float face down in a lagoon….
The NATIONALIST Government of Sri Lanka…voted in by the vast majority of her Patriotic citizens….will NEVER bow down to AI – HR – UN & other such parasites…..
yo… we have a problem in Bahrain… your mates from Saudi are sending in troops to slaughter us when we are seeking democratic reform.. Any chance of you guys petitioning for us? Making a difference for us?
Could you ask this Clinton chap to throw us some buns while condemning the undemocratic Royal Family?
Cheers.
Why aren't you asking this question from the US for the war crimes committed in Afghanistan and Iraq? How about those millions of civillians who are being killed! Why ae=ren't you questioning them? Is it because you get your funds from the US?
What war victims? For 30 years the LTTE Terrorist Terrorized this Island Nation WHERE WAS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA THEN? More than 75,000 innocent civilians died because of LTTE Terrorism. Just because Amnesty International is getting paid by LTTE supporters now, does not mean you can come and terrorize Sri Lanka again. Go to LIBYA, USA, UK, EU and also look into the human rights violations in those countries. When the world leaders are talking about cleaning up Terrorism, is this how your organization trying to clean up Terrorism? Go behind Governments who are doing so? You should be ashamed as an organization to go behind Sri Lanka for eradicating Terrorism. "Money Talks'. No money from the innocent people who are dying in Middle East so no Amnesty International for them. Go investigate on all deaths of house maids in Middle East. You are more interested in Sri Lanka because LTTE supporters are paying you big money. You can sign all the petitions you wishes but 86% of Citizens of this Island Nation will stand behind behind our leaders. What about Pakistan? What about Afghanistan? Your LTTE supporters tried to interrupt and sabotage Sri Lanka at the World Cup Cricket few years back and now you are trying to sign petitions. Your LTTE kickbacks are not going to work.
AI is an ill motivated political institution created to carry out agendas of CIA and other western countries. Even though AI pretend like they are innocent, it is very little they can do to serve their masters as people are well awere of their ill motivations.
Sorry guys. We know that some countries dealing with arms business were affected badly because of the stoppage of war in Sri Lanka. They were helping the LTTE terrorists secretly while openly showing to the world that they are against terrorism. They were selling arms to both sides in order to maintain their economy. The sudden defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka put their economy in a very bad situation. It was like a cancellation of an agreement for them without a prior notice. Although those countries are paying you people for fighting for them, we Sri Lankans cannot or have no reason to keep on funding these two-faced countries because we have to look after the affairs of our country.
After winning the war against LTTE terrorists, Sri Lanka is experiencing a growth in the economy and withing a few years time we may be able to loan some money to these countries if they agree to stop earning money by creating wars in other countries. Tell them to be patient till then.
Appuhamy
AI…walk a mile…either South or West…of where you are in Daly Plaza….
Welcome to the slums of Chicago, USA !!!!!
Why dont you worry about the Human Rights of the American poor !!!!….
Sri Lanka a multi-ethnic & multi-religious vibrant DEMOCRACY….
do not / will not…beg / bow down to AI…..now funded by the pro-LTTE
Tamil Diaspora…..
Stop poking your butt…SRI LANKA….can look after her citizens…
I can NEVER understand the hypocracy of the Western based HR agencies like AI, HRW, etc…??? We know that most of these agencies get financial support from the pro-LTTE organizations in the west, and that is the main reason why they want to keep this anti-Sri Lankan crusade to go on and on…
All theses bleeding-heart HR organization turning a blind eye to all the HR violations carried out by the western powers, and its NATO buddies everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. Why arn't they so silent on such inhuman killing of thousands of innocent people in above countries..??
Shame on all these phony HR organizations such as AI, HRW, etc, who have become the mouth-piece for world's deadliest terrorists such as the LTTE, while comletely ignoring the monstrous HR violations by Western war mongers backed by the NATO, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,etc….
If you ask for justice a true Sri Lankan will say why are you asking for it.
There is so much of injustice in the world.
If you tell him to speak the truth He will say there are so many liars in the world.
If ask him not to kidnap He will say there are so many kidnappers in the world.
If you tell him not to steal he will say there are so many thieves in the world.
If you tell him not to murder He will say there are so many murderers in the world.
If you tell him to be human he will say there are so many animals in the world.
If you tell him to speak the truth There are so many liars in the world
Let’s go forward. Justice has to be done everywhere every time. Just because it was not done somewhere sometime does not give us an excuse to become inactive and say there are so many inactive people in the world – we cant afford to do that because we are not Sri Lankans
There are many other issues in the world in which the AI can get involved. Unfortunately AI does not have the resorces to do that. So the AI has to give priority to the critical issues. In sri Lanka more than 100,000 people have been killed within a few months in 2009. Where else such a scale of attrocities have been committed?
For more than sixty five years, successive Sri Lankan governments backed by racist Sinhala extremists have been oppressing the Tamil minorities. They brutally killed thousands of innocent Tamils, burnt their properties and sent the rest in ships as refugees to the North of the country in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties.
When Tamils asked for their rights, Sinhala extremists always responded with violence.
They have now killed thousands of innocent Tamils in one of the most cruel wars in the history of the mankind. They used internationally banned weapons on innocent women and children and murdered them without showing any mercy. They kept on using the buzz words “War on Terror” and “Humanitarian Operation” to justify their atrocities. They made the people to starve for months, denied medicine from the sick the elderly and let the wounded to die in the open fields.
Innocent women and children were killed in hospitals, schools and even inside bunkers. Thousands of wounded civilians were burnt alive in the bunkers.
Young Tamil women are raped and tortured in these notorious camps. Dead bodies of the
innocent Tamils are thrown outside the camps with deep wounds on their heads and necks.
Forced disappearances, random killings, rape, torture and the list goes on. Sri Lanka has become one of the worst countries in the world that telling the truth is considered as a crime and those who tell the truth are punished.
National commissions of inquiry have not worked as justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka; impunity for human rights violations persists despite decades of ad hoc inquiries. More than anything, the Sri Lankan government, which actively suppresses criticism and opposition, has not allowed Commissions to carry out their mandates independently. Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is no exception.
LLRC hearings in Colombo featured government officials and prominent citizens who were asked to comment on what went wrong with the 2002 cease-fire and how best to proceed with reconciliation. In early sessions, the Commission allowed government officials to repeat unchallenged claims that Sri Lanka followed a “zero civilian casualty policy” and that the final military offensive against the LTTE in the north was a “humanitarian mission.” Commissioners did not require officials to explain the government’s many public misrepresentations of the facts during the war. The most disturbing of these are the government’s repeated claims that there were under 100,000 civilians left in the Vanni at the beginning of 2009 when officials later conceded there were some 300,000 and that the security forces were not using heavy weapons in civilian areas when the military eventually admitted they were. http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_03_16_00…
Unfortunately, all most all the Sinhalese responders to this article have spoken against AI forgetting that AI has been very critical of LTTE. The Sinhalese, especially those in the West, are in denial about what they have done and what they are doing to the Tamils of Sri Lanka. It is in this behavior of the Sinhalese one would see the roots of war. To be sure the terrorists are the Sinhalese who support their government and their war mongering leaders. As we speak the North & East region of Sri Lanka is an occupied territory.
Disease in Sri Lanka is State Terrorism that has been going on for more than 65 years.
Unless the root cause is dealt with, Sri Lanka will continue to hear the voice of the oppressed louder and louder.
Tamils in Sri Lanka had their own nation before but it was merged with the Sinhala kingdoms during the British rule
When they left this beautiful island in 1948, it was left to function as one country. Democracy failed in Sri Lanka because the successive governments that came to power were always chosen by the majority Sinhalese.
Sinhala governments backed by the Sinhala Buddhist extremists, always tried to please the majority in order to remain in power. They came up with policies to discriminate Tamils in education, employment and other arenas. Sinhala was made the only official language and Tamils were made as second class citizens.
Tamils can be compared to the Jewish people who lived under the Nazi regimes. Even under persecution, they worked hard to make their lives better.
Sinhala governments had many times ordered their agents to kill Tamils and destroy their properties. More than two thousand Tamils lost their lives in 1983.All of them were murdered by the Sinhalese in the south of Sri Lanka. They were murdered in prisons, schools, hospitals and even in churches.
Successive Sinhala governments had implemented several state sponsored colonisation schemes that Tamil villages and towns were turned into Sinhala settlements. Many homes and farms in the eastern and north eastern provinces were forcefully taken from the Tamils and were given to the Sinhalese. Names of roads and towns in Tamil areas were changed from Tamil to Sinhala.
Tamil Libraries and cultural buildings were burned to dust in order to wipe out the history of Tamils from Sri Lanka.
In 1981, Sinhala politicians ordered a Sinhala mob to burn and destroy the Jaffna public library. At that time it was South Asia's biggest library. The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts.
After years of oppression under murderous Sinhala regimes, frustrated Tamil youth took arms to fight for the survival of Tamils and to reclaim the Tamil Kingdom that they had lost during the British rule.
They brutally killed the rebels who surrendered with white flags and violated all the norms of a conventional war.
Justice has failed in this tear drop terror island. Killing fields of Sri Lanka are flowing with the blood of innocent men, women and children.
US Senate Calls for Justice http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/07/sri-lanka-u…
When Law of the country miserably failed to protect their own vulnerable people the international law should work for justice.
Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing ad hoc commissions to deflect international criticism over its very poor human rights record and widespread culture of impunity, Human Rights Watch said. Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions, none of which have produced any significant results.
Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing," UN should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka's war.
The level of democracy in the island was best illustrated by the opposition presidential candidate called for the intervention of 'outside governments' to prevent dictatorship and to protect democracy in the island. "There is no law and order in this country,there is nothing we can do about it" he said
When law of the country miserabley failed to protect their own vlunerable people for a long time the international law should get justice for them.
Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing ad hoc commissions to deflect international criticism over its very poor human rights record and widespread culture of impunity, Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions, none of which have produced any significant results.
Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing,"
"UN should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka's war.
Govt may well be continuing its human rights abuses with these arbitrary arrests and executions.
The level of democracy in the island was best illustrated by the opposition presidential candidate called for the intervention of 'outside governments' to prevent dictatorship and to protect democracy in the island. "There is no law and order in this country,there is nothing we can do about it" he said
Thank you taking action regarding Sri Lanka's war Crimes. Without the pressure from International community nothing is going to happen to the war victims. At least I am happy to know that AI is educating the people about what happened in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan government will continue to say no war crimes were committed during the war. Please keep the pressure for International investigation. If Sri Lankan government is genuine why they are so afraid of International investigation?
All what AI and the rest of international organizations asking is to conduct an impartial independent investigation on war crimes alligations by srilankan army and the ltte. Is it something so bad to ask? Some of the reactions here reflects the srilankan govt responses. I can only say that those who opposes an investigation has to be involved in the crimes. Or Has to be an extreme racist who hates the other community. May it be Sinhalese or Tamil. Either way these people are criminals and need to be removed from civilized socities.
The success of the Sri Lankan government in winning an undeclared war against the Tamil citizens, branding the Tamils as terrorists does not absolve it from the atrocious crimes committed by the government and her security forces. The international governments, who labelled the freedom struggle as terrorism, the fair demand of the minority population of Tamils, -a people, who had their own defined area of domicile, a language, one of the earliest languages spoken for centuries, a culture that has no parallel,- have an integral share in the crimes that took place and continue to take place since the year 1948.
World opinion today confirms that there is enough evidence to successfully file a case against the government of Sri Lanka, and those responsible for the genocide of the Tamils and violation of human rights with the International Court of Justice. The government sponsored attacks on the Tamil civilians and the destructions of their properties, both personal and trades, went on for number of years, beginning in 1958 and continuing in 1967, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1983.
It became an undeclared war in 1983 with the exodus from the country of thousands and thousands of people belonging to the Tamil, Muslim and Burger communities. The first time the attention of the world was turned to the atrocities in Sri Lanka was in 1983, when the worst attacks on the Tamil civilians took place. The attitude of President, Junius Richard Jayawardane, did not disclose even an iota of sorrow or sympathy towards the many thousands of people, tortured, burnt alive, killed or displaced without food or shelter. http://www.tamilcanadian.com/article/6010
For more than sixty five years, successive Sri Lankan governments backed by racist Sinhala extremists have been oppressing the Tamil minorities. They brutally killed thousands of innocent Tamils, burnt their properties and sent the rest in ships as refugees to the North of the country in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties.
When Tamils asked for their rights, Sinhala extremists always responded with violence.
They have now killed thousands of innocent Tamils in one of the most cruel wars in the history of the mankind. They used internationally banned weapons on innocent women and children and murdered them without showing any mercy. They kept on using the buzz words “War on Terror” and “Humanitarian Operation” to justify their atrocities. They made the people to starve for months, denied medicine from the sick the elderly and let the wounded to die in the open fields.
Innocent women and children were killed in hospitals, schools and even inside bunkers. Thousands of wounded civilians were burnt alive in the bunkers.
Young Tamil women are raped and tortured in these notorious camps. Dead bodies of the
innocent Tamils are thrown outside the camps with deep wounds on their heads and necks.
Forced disappearances, random killings, rape, torture and the list goes on. Sri Lanka has become one of the worst countries in the world that telling the truth is considered as a crime and those who tell the truth are punished.
National commissions of inquiry have not worked as justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka; impunity for human rights violations persists despite decades of ad hoc inquiries. More than anything, the Sri Lankan government, which actively suppresses criticism and opposition, has not allowed Commissions to carry out their mandates independently. Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is no exception.
LLRC hearings in Colombo featured government officials and prominent citizens who were asked to comment on what went wrong with the 2002 cease-fire and how best to proceed with reconciliation. In early sessions, the Commission allowed government officials to repeat unchallenged claims that Sri Lanka followed a “zero civilian casualty policy” and that the final military offensive against the LTTE in the north was a “humanitarian mission.” Commissioners did not require officials to explain the government’s many public misrepresentations of the facts during the war. The most disturbing of these are the government’s repeated claims that there were under 100,000 civilians left in the Vanni at the beginning of 2009 when officials later conceded there were some 300,000 and that the security forces were not using heavy weapons in civilian areas when the military eventually admitted they were. http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_03_16_00…
For more than sixty five years, successive Sri Lankan governments backed by racist Sinhala extremists have been oppressing the Tamil minorities. They brutally killed thousands of innocent Tamils, burnt their properties and sent the rest in ships as refugees to the North of the country in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties.
When Tamils asked for their rights, Sinhala extremists always responded with violence.
They have now killed thousands of innocent Tamils in one of the most cruel wars in the history of the mankind. They used internationally banned weapons on innocent women and children and murdered them without showing any mercy. They kept on using the buzz words “War on Terror” and “Humanitarian Operation” to justify their atrocities. They made the people to starve for months, denied medicine from the sick the elderly and let the wounded to die in the open fields.
Innocent women and children were killed in hospitals, schools and even inside bunkers. Thousands of wounded civilians were burnt alive in the bunkers.
Young Tamil women are raped and tortured in these notorious camps. Dead bodies of the
innocent Tamils are thrown outside the camps with deep wounds on their heads and necks.
Forced disappearances, random killings, rape, torture and the list goes on. Sri Lanka has become one of the worst countries in the world that telling the truth is considered as a crime and those who tell the truth are punished.
National commissions of inquiry have not worked as justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka; impunity for human rights violations persists despite decades of ad hoc inquiries. More than anything, the Sri Lankan government, which actively suppresses criticism and opposition, has not allowed Commissions to carry out their mandates independently. Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is no exception.
LLRC hearings in Colombo featured government officials and prominent citizens who were asked to comment on what went wrong with the 2002 cease-fire and how best to proceed with reconciliation. In early sessions, the Commission allowed government officials to repeat unchallenged claims that Sri Lanka followed a “zero civilian casualty policy” and that the final military offensive against the LTTE in the north was a “humanitarian mission.” Commissioners did not require officials to explain the government’s many public misrepresentations of the facts during the war. The most disturbing of these are the government’s repeated claims that there were under 100,000 civilians left in the Vanni at the beginning of 2009 when officials later conceded there were some 300,000 and that the security forces were not using heavy weapons in civilian areas when the military eventually admitted they were. http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_03_16_00…
Disease in Sri Lanka is State Terrorism that has been going on for more than 65 years.
Unless the root cause is dealt with, Sri Lanka will continue to hear the voice of the oppressed louder and louder.
Tamils in Sri Lanka had their own nation before but it was merged with the Sinhala kingdoms during the British rule
When they left this beautiful island in 1948, it was left to function as one country. Democracy failed in Sri Lanka because the successive governments that came to power were always chosen by the majority Sinhalese.
Sinhala governments backed by the Sinhala Buddhist extremists, always tried to please the majority in order to remain in power. They came up with policies to discriminate Tamils in education, employment and other arenas. Sinhala was made the only official language and Tamils were made as second class citizens.
Tamils can be compared to the Jewish people who lived under the Nazi regimes. Even under persecution, they worked hard to make their lives better.
Sinhala governments had many times ordered their agents to kill Tamils and destroy their properties. More than two thousand Tamils lost their lives in 1983.All of them were murdered by the Sinhalese in the south of Sri Lanka. They were murdered in prisons, schools, hospitals and even in churches.
Successive Sinhala governments had implemented several state sponsored colonisation schemes that Tamil villages and towns were turned into Sinhala settlements. Many homes and farms in the eastern and north eastern provinces were forcefully taken from the Tamils and were given to the Sinhalese. Names of roads and towns in Tamil areas were changed from Tamil to Sinhala.
Tamil Libraries and cultural buildings were burned to dust in order to wipe out the history of Tamils from Sri Lanka.
In 1981, Sinhala politicians ordered a Sinhala mob to burn and destroy the Jaffna public library. At that time it was South Asia's biggest library. The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts.
After years of oppression under murderous Sinhala regimes, frustrated Tamil youth took arms to fight for the survival of Tamils and to reclaim the Tamil Kingdom that they had lost during the British rule.
They brutally killed the rebels who surrendered with white flags and violated all the norms of a conventional war.
Justice has failed in this tear drop terror island. Killing fields of Sri Lanka are flowing with the blood of innocent men, women and children.
US Senate Calls for Justice http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/07/sri-lanka-u…
Disease in Sri Lanka is State Terrorism that has been going on for more than 65 years.
Unless the root cause is dealt with, Sri Lanka will continue to hear the voice of the oppressed louder and louder.
Tamils in Sri Lanka had their own nation before but it was merged with the Sinhala kingdoms during the British rule
When they left this beautiful island in 1948, it was left to function as one country. Democracy failed in Sri Lanka because the successive governments that came to power were always chosen by the majority Sinhalese.
Sinhala governments backed by the Sinhala Buddhist extremists, always tried to please the majority in order to remain in power. They came up with policies to discriminate Tamils in education, employment and other arenas. Sinhala was made the only official language and Tamils were made as second class citizens.
Tamils can be compared to the Jewish people who lived under the Nazi regimes. Even under persecution, they worked hard to make their lives better.
Sinhala governments had many times ordered their agents to kill Tamils and destroy their properties. More than two thousand Tamils lost their lives in 1983.All of them were murdered by the Sinhalese in the south of Sri Lanka. They were murdered in prisons, schools, hospitals and even in churches.
Successive Sinhala governments had implemented several state sponsored colonisation schemes that Tamil villages and towns were turned into Sinhala settlements. Many homes and farms in the eastern and north eastern provinces were forcefully taken from the Tamils and were given to the Sinhalese. Names of roads and towns in Tamil areas were changed from Tamil to Sinhala.
Tamil Libraries and cultural buildings were burned to dust in order to wipe out the history of Tamils from Sri Lanka.
In 1981, Sinhala politicians ordered a Sinhala mob to burn and destroy the Jaffna public library. At that time it was South Asia's biggest library. The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts.
After years of oppression under murderous Sinhala regimes, frustrated Tamil youth took arms to fight for the survival of Tamils and to reclaim the Tamil Kingdom that they had lost during the British rule.
They brutally killed the rebels who surrendered with white flags and violated all the norms of a conventional war.
Justice has failed in this tear drop terror island. Killing fields of Sri Lanka are flowing with the blood of innocent men, women and children.
US Senate Calls for Justice http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/07/sri-lanka-u…
LTTE lanka terrorist tamil org.was effective defeated eliminated by the Sri
Lanka Democratically elected government by the citizens of the Peace
loving country without any HELP or assistance from USA,UK,India, EU
UN because the firearms traders with vested interest in supplying arms
to LTTE to destroy damage the progress of third world asian country. AI
has links with arms traders to make mountain out of mole hill issues to
obtain corrupt funds to support their legitimacy. But remain silent on gross
violations of human rights committed by big influencial countries like China,
USA /UK forces in Iraq/ Afganistan/ Pakistan, Middle East, Iran ..etc.
I am born in Sri Lanka have experienced the terrorist bombings in all parts
of the country, living in fear for last 30yrs until the President Mahinda got
all the Tigers eliminated to bring PEACE and PROSPERITY to our beloved
ONE NATION without any decrimination for ethnic/religious background.
We do not want OUTSIDERS to meddle in our PEACEFUL country.
Charles Says: March 16th, 2011 at 5:15 pm , Nihal Perera Says: March 16th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Sri Lankan government has their own pseudo terror experts working in foreign soils and their main role is to defend the Sri Lankan government and to identify anyone that opposes the Sri Lankan government as terrorist. Sri Lanka spends millions on propaganda and to pay for consultants and propaganda firms that are working round the clock to hide or justify the atrocities committed by the rulers of Sri Lanka.
Racists are the most foolish people on this earth because they either perceive that they are superior to others or they imagine that their survival, quality of life and social status are threatened by another race. They wouldn't be able to digest, when someone with another colour, religion or race prosper in front of their eyes.
Ignorance, insecurity, jealousy, pride, selfishness, greed and all the evils come together and make people to hate those who are not like them. Mugabe chasing out White farmers in Zimbabwe, Extremist Serbians killing the Bosnian Muslims, Hitler massacring the Jews and Sinhalese killing the Tamils are all telling us the same story.
Current unrest in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the middle of the last century when Tamils were comparatively doing well in education and business. Sinhala extremists in Sri Lanka couldn’t digest the fact that Tamils still being a minority, dominating education and business. Since 1950, almost every ten years, Tamils were killed in thousands and their properties were burned to ashes. These attacks were always masterminded by the Sinhala rulers who were in power.
In the last thirty years, with the excuse of War on Terror, Sri Lanka has managed to destroy most of the homes, Schools, libraries, hospitals, factories and farms in the Tamil areas. Sri Lankan Tamils who were once, one of the most literate and prosperous people groups in the South East Asia is now fighting for their bare survival.
As usual, the geopolitical interest of other countries in Sri Lanka is one of the main reasons why this conflict has been dragging on for years. Corrupt Sri Lankan leaders easily become puppets of the foreign governments. Sri Lanka is located on strategically important sea route that is vital for the security of many countries.
It has now gone beyond an acceptable level that human rights abuses are sending shock waves across the world. Even the ones that were once supporting this country are now at least pretending to be neutral to save their own skins.
Sri Lanka is ranked as South Asia’s No.1 human rights violator. Sri Lanka scored the highest negative points for the right to life, the rights of the child, attacks on human rights defenders and violations of the rights of the minorities. On press freedom, Sri Lanka was ranked second worse only after Bhutan — which has no independent press. Sri Lanka was ranked number 97 in an index compiled by Transparency International, an anti corruption watchdog, in 2009.
Dublin war-crimes tribunal, conducted by Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) based in Milan, which held hearings on 14th and 15th of January 2010 has found that Sri Lanka Government is "guilty of War-Crimes" and "guilty of Crimes Against Humanity." Eye witnesses included several escapees from the final week of Sri Lanka offensive in the Mullaitivu "No Fire Zone" where more than thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were allegedly slaughtered by Sri Lanka Army with heavy weapons.
Why Sri Lanka is afraid of allowing international investigators if they have got nothing to hide?
Gadafi is now following Rajapaksa's advice and bombading advice! Sri Lanka has invited 54 countries to teach their model of war on innocent people in the name of crushing terrorism. The most terrorism in this world is happening now is the 'state terrorism' under the cover of so called 'democracy' and 'Monarchy'. The leader who supress people to robe the wealth of the country!
UN and many so called democratic countries colluded with Sri Lanka to supress minority people's voice. The result was more than 100,000 innocent civilians were killed in the declared no fire zone within 3-4 months in 2009. Then the people who witnessed or the escapees were put in concentration camps for months. The young men and women were arrested and put in jail for 2 years without any trial or enquiries. There are still thousands of young men and women languishing in the camps and jail. Sri Lanka is a country where 'emeregency law' is used for 27 years to supress the minority people.
The world has to give an answer to the victims families, and conduct an independent international warcrimes enquiries and the perpetrators must be sent to prison.
The success of the Sri Lankan government in winning an undeclared war against the Tamil citizens, branding the Tamils as terrorists does not absolve it from the atrocious crimes committed by the government and her security forces. The international governments, who labelled the freedom struggle as terrorism, the fair demand of the minority population of Tamils, -a people, who had their own defined area of domicile, a language, one of the earliest languages spoken for centuries, a culture that has no parallel,- have an integral share in the crimes that took place and continue to take place since the year 1948.
World opinion today confirms that there is enough evidence to successfully file a case against the government of Sri Lanka, and those responsible for the genocide of the Tamils and violation of human rights with the International Court of Justice. The government sponsored attacks on the Tamil civilians and the destructions of their properties, both personal and trades, went on for number of years, beginning in 1958 and continuing in 1967, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1983.
It became an undeclared war in 1983 with the exodus from the country of thousands and thousands of people belonging to the Tamil, Muslim and Burger communities. The first time the attention of the world was turned to the atrocities in Sri Lanka was in 1983, when the worst attacks on the Tamil civilians took place. The attitude of President, Junius Richard Jayawardane, did not disclose even an iota of sorrow or sympathy towards the many thousands of people, tortured, burnt alive, killed or displaced without food or shelter. http://www.tamilcanadian.com/article/6010
The success of the Sri Lankan government in winning an undeclared war against the Tamil citizens, branding the Tamils as terrorists does not absolve it from the atrocious crimes committed by the government and her security forces. The international governments, who labelled the freedom struggle as terrorism, the fair demand of the minority population of Tamils, -a people, who had their own defined area of domicile, a language, one of the earliest languages spoken for centuries, a culture that has no parallel,- have an integral share in the crimes that took place and continue to take place since the year 1948.
World opinion today confirms that there is enough evidence to successfully file a case against the government of Sri Lanka, and those responsible for the genocide of the Tamils and violation of human rights with the International Court of Justice. The government sponsored attacks on the Tamil civilians and the destructions of their properties, both personal and trades, went on for number of years, beginning in 1958 and continuing in 1967, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1983.
It became an undeclared war in 1983 with the exodus from the country of thousands and thousands of people belonging to the Tamil, Muslim and Burger communities. The first time the attention of the world was turned to the atrocities in Sri Lanka was in 1983, when the worst attacks on the Tamil civilians took place. The attitude of President, Junius Richard Jayawardane, did not disclose even an iota of sorrow or sympathy towards the many thousands of people, tortured, burnt alive, killed or displaced without food or shelter. http://www.tamilcanadian.com/article/6010
Stop your bullshit. Even this site shows that they are favoring the Terrorist supporters. Sri Lanka did not go to war with Tamils. Tamils went to war with the Government. Did any Tamil say stop the stupid acts to their relatives who are fighting a loosing battle? No they all supported LTTE Terrorism. Yet the Government is trying to develop their areas and giving them the comfort to live. I think its Government's fault for giving them comfort. Just ignore the North and East. Ungrateful people. It shows very clearly that even this site conducted by AI supports only the LTTE supporters if not why are you only showing what the LTTE supporters wrote and not the real people wrote?
Brave Apoorvaa & you handful of volunteers out there in Chicago ….
i can see you all on the cold streets…. in the cold crowd….
i know your experience firsthand, from gathering signatures for American Indian prisoners of war in amerika.
i have seen the cold indifference of the white man.
His hardened downturned stare.
Coldshouldering by without the barest courtesy.
i have seen, entering an unfamiliar classroom of university students, a young brown woman among them suddenly turn upon me for speaking against the giant corporations.
i remember her vociferous championing of the companies.
i can still hear her sarcasm, her instant linkage of me with "terrorism" …. a term that never had any meaning in this world, such as it IS .
Yes, i know how bruising it all can be, how it can lodge in heart & memory for always.
Today you gather signatures for an indigenous people & Nation massacred & imprisoned just like amerika's Indian Nations… the Tamil Nation.
i know too, firsthand, of the many in the crowd you have touched & opened to a distant Truth, an immediate Reality.
Sometimes you feel you go unheard.
But things are not as they look.
Your words remain among the people.
***** *****
One evening of failure, i came home with the question : "How do you reach people ?"
i was told in a calm voice,
"Be free of illusion, & all doors will open."
AI….stop bullying Sri Lanka….
Why you dont have the guts to ask the same of USA – UK – EU…re Afganistan & Iraq….
Sri Lanka is a vibrant DEMOCRACY….that defeated 30 years of Terrorism….
are you jealous that ….Terrorism has not been defeated in Afganistan & Iraq…..
Sri Lanka know how to deal with Terrorists….ELIMINATE them !!!!
send them to float face down in a lagoon….
The NATIONALIST Government of Sri Lanka…voted in by the vast majority of her Patriotic citizens….will NEVER bow down to AI – HR – UN & other such parasites…..
Apoorvaa,
Thank you and the other students for your great work but I would point out three things you might consider amending
i) the length of the armed conflict is 26 years (debatably) but its definitely not 16.
ii) the petition states that the LTTE used human shields but it did not (to my knowledge). It did prevent the free movement of civilians and conduct forced recruitment.
iii) the government of Sri Lanka's atrocities go far beyond "indiscriminate attacks on areas densely populated by civilians" and i think the text of the petition should reflect that.
Best Regards,
Raj
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/03/1…
UN told of 'deteriorating' HR situation, 7 March 2011:
Rights watchdogs have complained to the United Nations that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated. Several human rights groups have submitted written statements on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
International Movement Against All Forms of Racism (IMADR) in its statement accuses the Sri Lankan government of failing to fulfil pledges given to the UNHRC at earlier sessions.
The International Catholic Movement Pax Romana in its submission has urged the Council to protect rights defenders and fundamental freedoms in the north and east.
The Amnesty International (AI) in its submission says the government has refused to acknowledge credible allegations of war crimes and other violations of international law despite mounting evidence.
The Council, says the AI, should call on Sri Lanka to end reports of abductions, enforced disappearances and killings and other violations in northern Sri Lanka.
yo… we have a problem in Bahrain… your mates from Saudi are sending in troops to slaughter us when we are seeking democratic reform.. Any chance of you guys petitioning for us? Making a difference for us?
Could you ask this Clinton chap to throw us some buns while condemning the undemocratic Royal Family?
Cheers.
Why aren’t you asking this question from the US for the war crimes committed in Afghanistan and Iraq? How about those millions of civillians who are being killed! Why ae=ren’t you questioning them? Is it because you get your funds from the US?
When their oppressors tell an oppressed indigenous nation they are "terrorists" ….
…… as if the glib, free use of this ahistorical term, "terrorist", were enough to "justify" the butcheries committed against them …
… then i have to ask, which terrorists have done anything REMOTELY like slaughtering FORTY THOUSAND souls in one SINGLE army campaign, in the span of only two / three months, in the space of just one corner of a land, within a narrow, restricted, overcrowded & rapidly shrunk arena of military operations ??
The entire "affair" was one long running massacre of a people which brought to mind a phrase from hell, used only in the worst climates of high – intensity butcheries or ethnic vanishings, to describe what it was like : "LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL."
The name for this is Genocide.
& it isn't over. The now – hidden Hot War has been followed, as always in such cases, by a still hidden Cold War of gulags, terror, disappearings, land seizure, & the militarization, Sinhalization & colonization of Tamil Eelam.
What war victims? For 30 years the LTTE Terrorist Terrorized this Island Nation WHERE WAS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA THEN? More than 75,000 innocent civilians died because of LTTE Terrorism. Just because Amnesty International is getting paid by LTTE supporters now, does not mean you can come and terrorize Sri Lanka again. Go to LIBYA, USA, UK, EU and also look into the human rights violations in those countries. When the world leaders are talking about cleaning up Terrorism, is this how your organization trying to clean up Terrorism? Go behind Governments who are doing so? You should be ashamed as an organization to go behind Sri Lanka for eradicating Terrorism. “Money Talks’. No money from the innocent people who are dying in Middle East so no Amnesty International for them. Go investigate on all deaths of house maids in Middle East. You are more interested in Sri Lanka because LTTE supporters are paying you big money. You can sign all the petitions you wishes but 86% of Citizens of this Island Nation will stand behind behind our leaders. What about Pakistan? What about Afghanistan? Your LTTE supporters tried to interrupt and sabotage Sri Lanka at the World Cup Cricket few years back and now you are trying to sign petitions. Your LTTE kickbacks are not going to work.
Hi AI Guys…!
Can't you see the latest attempt at invading Libya by your paymasters – the US, in the guyise of support to the Revolutionists, while Libyan Revolutionists have already denounced it. So, tell the US – "Hands Off Libya" rather than searching impossible signatures against bogus claims against Sri Lanka.
Can't you guys, at least now, start signing petitions against US's most recent brutalities against humanity in Iraq, Afghanistan and various other free-world countries….?
Shame on you guys…!
AI is an ill motivated political institution created to carry out agendas of CIA and other western countries. Even though AI pretend like they are innocent, it is very little they can do to serve their masters as people are well awere of their ill motivations.
Sorry guys. We know that some countries dealing with arms business were affected badly because of the stoppage of war in Sri Lanka. They were helping the LTTE terrorists secretly while openly showing to the world that they are against terrorism. They were selling arms to both sides in order to maintain their economy. The sudden defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka put their economy in a very bad situation. It was like a cancellation of an agreement for them without a prior notice. Although those countries are paying you people for fighting for them, we Sri Lankans cannot or have no reason to keep on funding these two-faced countries because we have to look after the affairs of our country.
After winning the war against LTTE terrorists, Sri Lanka is experiencing a growth in the economy and withing a few years time we may be able to loan some money to these countries if they agree to stop earning money by creating wars in other countries. Tell them to be patient till then.
Appuhamy
No war, no peace: the denial of minority rights and justice in Sri Lanka, Report by Minority Rights Group International, 19 January 2011:
With the end of the conflict between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam (LTTE or ‘Tamil Tigers’) in 2009, normality has returned for much of the population of Sri Lanka. But for members of the country’s two main minority groups – Tamils and Muslims – living in the north and east of the country, harsh material conditions, economic marginalisation, and militarism remain prevalent. Drawing on interviews with activists, religious and political leaders, and ordinary people living in these areas of the country, MRG found a picture very much at odds with the official image of peace and prosperity following the end of armed conflict.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/03/1…
UN told of 'deteriorating' HR situation, 7 March 2011:
Rights watchdogs have complained to the United Nations that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated. Several human rights groups have submitted written statements on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
International Movement Against All Forms of Racism (IMADR) in its statement accuses the Sri Lankan government of failing to fulfil pledges given to the UNHRC at earlier sessions.
The International Catholic Movement Pax Romana in its submission has urged the Council to protect rights defenders and fundamental freedoms in the north and east.
The Amnesty International (AI) in its submission says the government has refused to acknowledge credible allegations of war crimes and other violations of international law despite mounting evidence.
The Council, says the AI, should call on Sri Lanka to end reports of abductions, enforced disappearances and killings and other violations in northern Sri Lanka.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/03/1…
UN told of 'deteriorating' HR situation, 7 March 2011:
Rights watchdogs have complained to the United Nations that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated. Several human rights groups have submitted written statements on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
International Movement Against All Forms of Racism (IMADR) in its statement accuses the Sri Lankan government of failing to fulfil pledges given to the UNHRC at earlier sessions.
The International Catholic Movement Pax Romana in its submission has urged the Council to protect rights defenders and fundamental freedoms in the north and east.
The Amnesty International (AI) in its submission says the government has refused to acknowledge credible allegations of war crimes and other violations of international law despite mounting evidence.
The Council, says the AI, should call on Sri Lanka to end reports of abductions, enforced disappearances and killings and other violations in northern Sri Lanka.
Independence Day Message from the Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera, Metropolitan’s Commissary and Vicar General of the Diocese of Colombo, 2 February 2011:
‘’…. The end of the war provided an excellent opportunity for healing the wounds of the past.
…. We have failed to address the pressing crises of displacement and poverty, corruption and waste, good governance and national integration.
…. The old order is either incapable of, or reluctant to replace unjust systems and discriminatory trends with a more just order for the good of all our people.
What our country consequently needs is a new political will that will restore the sovereignty of the people and bring about true national integration. .…’’
AI…walk a mile…either South or West…of where you are in Daly Plaza….
Welcome to the slums of Chicago, USA !!!!!
Why dont you worry about the Human Rights of the American poor !!!!….
Sri Lanka a multi-ethnic & multi-religious vibrant DEMOCRACY….
do not / will not…beg / bow down to AI…..now funded by the pro-LTTE
Tamil Diaspora…..
Stop poking your butt…SRI LANKA….can look after her citizens…
I can NEVER understand the hypocracy of the Western based HR agencies like AI, HRW, etc…??? We know that most of these agencies get financial support from the pro-LTTE organizations in the west, and that is the main reason why they want to keep this anti-Sri Lankan crusade to go on and on…
All theses bleeding-heart HR organization turning a blind eye to all the HR violations carried out by the western powers, and its NATO buddies everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. Why arn’t they so silent on such inhuman killing of thousands of innocent people in above countries..??
Shame on all these phony HR organizations such as AI, HRW, etc, who have become the mouth-piece for world’s deadliest terrorists such as the LTTE, while comletely ignoring the monstrous HR violations by Western war mongers backed by the NATO, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,etc….
If you ask for justice a true Sri Lankan will say why are you asking for it.
There is so much of injustice in the world.
If you tell him to speak the truth He will say there are so many liars in the world.
If ask him not to kidnap He will say there are so many kidnappers in the world.
If you tell him not to steal he will say there are so many thieves in the world.
If you tell him not to murder He will say there are so many murderers in the world.
If you tell him to be human he will say there are so many animals in the world.
If you tell him to speak the truth There are so many liars in the world
Let’s go forward. Justice has to be done everywhere every time. Just because it was not done somewhere sometime does not give us an excuse to become inactive and say there are so many inactive people in the world – we cant afford to do that because we are not Sri Lankans
There are many other issues in the world in which the AI can get involved. Unfortunately AI does not have the resorces to do that. So the AI has to give priority to the critical issues. In sri Lanka more than 100,000 people have been killed within a few months in 2009. Where else such a scale of attrocities have been committed?
Unfortunately, all most all the Sinhalese responders to this article have spoken against AI forgetting that AI has been very critical of LTTE. The Sinhalese, especially those in the West, are in denial about what they have done and what they are doing to the Tamils of Sri Lanka. It is in this behavior of the Sinhalese one would see the roots of war. To be sure the terrorists are the Sinhalese who support their government and their war mongering leaders. As we speak the North & East region of Sri Lanka is an occupied territory.
When Law of the country miserably failed to protect their own vulnerable people the international law should work for justice.
Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing ad hoc commissions to deflect international criticism over its very poor human rights record and widespread culture of impunity, Human Rights Watch said. Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions, none of which have produced any significant results.
Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing,” UN should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka’s war.
The level of democracy in the island was best illustrated by the opposition presidential candidate called for the intervention of ‘outside governments’ to prevent dictatorship and to protect democracy in the island. “There is no law and order in this country,there is nothing we can do about it” he said
When law of the country miserabley failed to protect their own vlunerable people for a long time the international law should get justice for them.
Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing ad hoc commissions to deflect international criticism over its very poor human rights record and widespread culture of impunity, Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions, none of which have produced any significant results.
Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing,”
“UN should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka’s war.
Govt may well be continuing its human rights abuses with these arbitrary arrests and executions.
The level of democracy in the island was best illustrated by the opposition presidential candidate called for the intervention of ‘outside governments’ to prevent dictatorship and to protect democracy in the island. “There is no law and order in this country,there is nothing we can do about it” he said
Thank you taking action regarding Sri Lanka’s war Crimes. Without the pressure from International community nothing is going to happen to the war victims. At least I am happy to know that AI is educating the people about what happened in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan government will continue to say no war crimes were committed during the war. Please keep the pressure for International investigation. If Sri Lankan government is genuine why they are so afraid of International investigation?
what the Sri-lankan state is doing in the north -east of island after nearly 2 years since the end of war are establishing more military fortresses, confiscating lands, placing the Tamil people under constant fear through armed groups sponsored by it and building Buddha statutes but not any rehabilitation works satisfying international community, not moving a inch towards any political solution. Other than these, what can be expected from a racist state which must be held responsible for all its crimes committed for the past 60 years against Tamil people under international law. Only by hard wok such as one by A.I can make it possible.
All what AI and the rest of international organizations asking is to conduct an impartial independent investigation on war crimes alligations by srilankan army and the ltte. Is it something so bad to ask? Some of the reactions here reflects the srilankan govt responses. I can only say that those who opposes an investigation has to be involved in the crimes. Or Has to be an extreme racist who hates the other community. May it be Sinhalese or Tamil. Either way these people are criminals and need to be removed from civilized socities.
For more than sixty five years, successive Sri Lankan governments backed by racist Sinhala extremists have been oppressing the Tamil minorities. They brutally killed thousands of innocent Tamils, burnt their properties and sent the rest in ships as refugees to the North of the country in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties.
When Tamils asked for their rights, Sinhala extremists always responded with violence.
They have now killed thousands of innocent Tamils in one of the most cruel wars in the history of the mankind. They used internationally banned weapons on innocent women and children and murdered them without showing any mercy. They kept on using the buzz words “War on Terror” and “Humanitarian Operation” to justify their atrocities. They made the people to starve for months, denied medicine from the sick the elderly and let the wounded to die in the open fields.
Innocent women and children were killed in hospitals, schools and even inside bunkers. Thousands of wounded civilians were burnt alive in the bunkers.
Young Tamil women are raped and tortured in these notorious camps. Dead bodies of the
innocent Tamils are thrown outside the camps with deep wounds on their heads and necks.
Forced disappearances, random killings, rape, torture and the list goes on. Sri Lanka has become one of the worst countries in the world that telling the truth is considered as a crime and those who tell the truth are punished.
National commissions of inquiry have not worked as justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka; impunity for human rights violations persists despite decades of ad hoc inquiries. More than anything, the Sri Lankan government, which actively suppresses criticism and opposition, has not allowed Commissions to carry out their mandates independently. Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is no exception.
LLRC hearings in Colombo featured government officials and prominent citizens who were asked to comment on what went wrong with the 2002 cease-fire and how best to proceed with reconciliation. In early sessions, the Commission allowed government officials to repeat unchallenged claims that Sri Lanka followed a “zero civilian casualty policy” and that the final military offensive against the LTTE in the north was a “humanitarian mission.” Commissioners did not require officials to explain the government’s many public misrepresentations of the facts during the war. The most disturbing of these are the government’s repeated claims that there were under 100,000 civilians left in the Vanni at the beginning of 2009 when officials later conceded there were some 300,000 and that the security forces were not using heavy weapons in civilian areas when the military eventually admitted they were.
http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_03_16_003.html
Disease in Sri Lanka is State Terrorism that has been going on for more than 65 years.
Unless the root cause is dealt with, Sri Lanka will continue to hear the voice of the oppressed louder and louder.
Tamils in Sri Lanka had their own nation before but it was merged with the Sinhala kingdoms during the British rule
When they left this beautiful island in 1948, it was left to function as one country. Democracy failed in Sri Lanka because the successive governments that came to power were always chosen by the majority Sinhalese.
Sinhala governments backed by the Sinhala Buddhist extremists, always tried to please the majority in order to remain in power. They came up with policies to discriminate Tamils in education, employment and other arenas. Sinhala was made the only official language and Tamils were made as second class citizens.
Tamils can be compared to the Jewish people who lived under the Nazi regimes. Even under persecution, they worked hard to make their lives better.
Sinhala governments had many times ordered their agents to kill Tamils and destroy their properties. More than two thousand Tamils lost their lives in 1983.All of them were murdered by the Sinhalese in the south of Sri Lanka. They were murdered in prisons, schools, hospitals and even in churches.
Successive Sinhala governments had implemented several state sponsored colonisation schemes that Tamil villages and towns were turned into Sinhala settlements. Many homes and farms in the eastern and north eastern provinces were forcefully taken from the Tamils and were given to the Sinhalese. Names of roads and towns in Tamil areas were changed from Tamil to Sinhala.
Tamil Libraries and cultural buildings were burned to dust in order to wipe out the history of Tamils from Sri Lanka.
In 1981, Sinhala politicians ordered a Sinhala mob to burn and destroy the Jaffna public library. At that time it was South Asia’s biggest library. The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts.
After years of oppression under murderous Sinhala regimes, frustrated Tamil youth took arms to fight for the survival of Tamils and to reclaim the Tamil Kingdom that they had lost during the British rule.
They brutally killed the rebels who surrendered with white flags and violated all the norms of a conventional war.
Justice has failed in this tear drop terror island. Killing fields of Sri Lanka are flowing with the blood of innocent men, women and children.
US Senate Calls for Justice
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/07/sri-lanka-us-senate-calls-justice
LTTE lanka terrorist tamil org.was effective defeated eliminated by the Sri
Lanka Democratically elected government by the citizens of the Peace
loving country without any HELP or assistance from USA,UK,India, EU
UN because the firearms traders with vested interest in supplying arms
to LTTE to destroy damage the progress of third world asian country. AI
has links with arms traders to make mountain out of mole hill issues to
obtain corrupt funds to support their legitimacy. But remain silent on gross
violations of human rights committed by big influencial countries like China,
USA /UK forces in Iraq/ Afganistan/ Pakistan, Middle East, Iran ..etc.
I am born in Sri Lanka have experienced the terrorist bombings in all parts
of the country, living in fear for last 30yrs until the President Mahinda got
all the Tigers eliminated to bring PEACE and PROSPERITY to our beloved
ONE NATION without any decrimination for ethnic/religious background.
We do not want OUTSIDERS to meddle in our PEACEFUL country.
http://groundviews.org/2011/03/17/jaffna-and-the-…
Jaffna and the Vanni today: The reality beneath the rhetoric, 17 mmarch 2011:
''……Acts of commission and omission by the government convey to the people of the North that there is little possibility they will be treated as equal citizens and included as full members of a multi-ethnic polity. Instead they feel they live in an occupied territory. As the victor of the war, the government is attempting to impose its will on the Tamil people and force them to adopt a Sri Lankan identity that is overwhelmingly Sinhala Buddhist, and in the process quashing what the people view as their distinct language, culture, heritage, and history. This distinct and proudly held identity is not a threat to a pluralistic Sri Lankan state, but its insensitive and dismissive treatment penetrates the heart of the sense of dignity of Sri Lankan Tamils. The government’s strategy is generating anger, resentment and a sense of disenfranchisement amongst the Tamil people, which in the short-term will make reconciliation impossible, and in the long-term form the catalyst for another conflict. Instead of effecting social reconciliation and re-integration, it will, in the words of Judith Butler, only produce ‘outraged and humiliated and furious people’."
Charles Says: March 16th, 2011 at 5:15 pm , Nihal Perera Says: March 16th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Sri Lankan government has their own pseudo terror experts working in foreign soils and their main role is to defend the Sri Lankan government and to identify anyone that opposes the Sri Lankan government as terrorist. Sri Lanka spends millions on propaganda and to pay for consultants and propaganda firms that are working round the clock to hide or justify the atrocities committed by the rulers of Sri Lanka.
Racists are the most foolish people on this earth because they either perceive that they are superior to others or they imagine that their survival, quality of life and social status are threatened by another race. They wouldn’t be able to digest, when someone with another colour, religion or race prosper in front of their eyes.
Ignorance, insecurity, jealousy, pride, selfishness, greed and all the evils come together and make people to hate those who are not like them. Mugabe chasing out White farmers in Zimbabwe, Extremist Serbians killing the Bosnian Muslims, Hitler massacring the Jews and Sinhalese killing the Tamils are all telling us the same story.
Current unrest in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the middle of the last century when Tamils were comparatively doing well in education and business. Sinhala extremists in Sri Lanka couldn’t digest the fact that Tamils still being a minority, dominating education and business. Since 1950, almost every ten years, Tamils were killed in thousands and their properties were burned to ashes. These attacks were always masterminded by the Sinhala rulers who were in power.
In the last thirty years, with the excuse of War on Terror, Sri Lanka has managed to destroy most of the homes, Schools, libraries, hospitals, factories and farms in the Tamil areas. Sri Lankan Tamils who were once, one of the most literate and prosperous people groups in the South East Asia is now fighting for their bare survival.
As usual, the geopolitical interest of other countries in Sri Lanka is one of the main reasons why this conflict has been dragging on for years. Corrupt Sri Lankan leaders easily become puppets of the foreign governments. Sri Lanka is located on strategically important sea route that is vital for the security of many countries.
It has now gone beyond an acceptable level that human rights abuses are sending shock waves across the world. Even the ones that were once supporting this country are now at least pretending to be neutral to save their own skins.
Sri Lanka is ranked as South Asia’s No.1 human rights violator. Sri Lanka scored the highest negative points for the right to life, the rights of the child, attacks on human rights defenders and violations of the rights of the minorities. On press freedom, Sri Lanka was ranked second worse only after Bhutan — which has no independent press. Sri Lanka was ranked number 97 in an index compiled by Transparency International, an anti corruption watchdog, in 2009.
Dublin war-crimes tribunal, conducted by Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) based in Milan, which held hearings on 14th and 15th of January 2010 has found that Sri Lanka Government is “guilty of War-Crimes” and “guilty of Crimes Against Humanity.” Eye witnesses included several escapees from the final week of Sri Lanka offensive in the Mullaitivu “No Fire Zone” where more than thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were allegedly slaughtered by Sri Lanka Army with heavy weapons.
Why Sri Lanka is afraid of allowing international investigators if they have got nothing to hide?
Gadafi is now following Rajapaksa’s advice and bombading advice! Sri Lanka has invited 54 countries to teach their model of war on innocent people in the name of crushing terrorism. The most terrorism in this world is happening now is the ‘state terrorism’ under the cover of so called ‘democracy’ and ‘Monarchy’. The leader who supress people to robe the wealth of the country!
UN and many so called democratic countries colluded with Sri Lanka to supress minority people’s voice. The result was more than 100,000 innocent civilians were killed in the declared no fire zone within 3-4 months in 2009. Then the people who witnessed or the escapees were put in concentration camps for months. The young men and women were arrested and put in jail for 2 years without any trial or enquiries. There are still thousands of young men and women languishing in the camps and jail. Sri Lanka is a country where ’emeregency law’ is used for 27 years to supress the minority people.
The world has to give an answer to the victims families, and conduct an independent international warcrimes enquiries and the perpetrators must be sent to prison.
The success of the Sri Lankan government in winning an undeclared war against the Tamil citizens, branding the Tamils as terrorists does not absolve it from the atrocious crimes committed by the government and her security forces. The international governments, who labelled the freedom struggle as terrorism, the fair demand of the minority population of Tamils, -a people, who had their own defined area of domicile, a language, one of the earliest languages spoken for centuries, a culture that has no parallel,- have an integral share in the crimes that took place and continue to take place since the year 1948.
World opinion today confirms that there is enough evidence to successfully file a case against the government of Sri Lanka, and those responsible for the genocide of the Tamils and violation of human rights with the International Court of Justice. The government sponsored attacks on the Tamil civilians and the destructions of their properties, both personal and trades, went on for number of years, beginning in 1958 and continuing in 1967, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1983.
It became an undeclared war in 1983 with the exodus from the country of thousands and thousands of people belonging to the Tamil, Muslim and Burger communities. The first time the attention of the world was turned to the atrocities in Sri Lanka was in 1983, when the worst attacks on the Tamil civilians took place. The attitude of President, Junius Richard Jayawardane, did not disclose even an iota of sorrow or sympathy towards the many thousands of people, tortured, burnt alive, killed or displaced without food or shelter.
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/article/6010
Stop your bullshit. Even this site shows that they are favoring the Terrorist supporters. Sri Lanka did not go to war with Tamils. Tamils went to war with the Government. Did any Tamil say stop the stupid acts to their relatives who are fighting a loosing battle? No they all supported LTTE Terrorism. Yet the Government is trying to develop their areas and giving them the comfort to live. I think its Government’s fault for giving them comfort. Just ignore the North and East. Ungrateful people. It shows very clearly that even this site conducted by AI supports only the LTTE supporters if not why are you only showing what the LTTE supporters wrote and not the real people wrote?
http://groundviews.org/2011/03/17/jaffna-and-the-…
Jaffna and the Vanni today: The reality beneath the rhetoric, 17 mmarch 2011:
''……Acts of commission and omission by the government convey to the people of the North that there is little possibility they will be treated as equal citizens and included as full members of a multi-ethnic polity. Instead they feel they live in an occupied territory. As the victor of the war, the government is attempting to impose its will on the Tamil people and force them to adopt a Sri Lankan identity that is overwhelmingly Sinhala Buddhist, and in the process quashing what the people view as their distinct language, culture, heritage, and history. This distinct and proudly held identity is not a threat to a pluralistic Sri Lankan state, but its insensitive and dismissive treatment penetrates the heart of the sense of dignity of Sri Lankan Tamils. The government’s strategy is generating anger, resentment and a sense of disenfranchisement amongst the Tamil people, which in the short-term will make reconciliation impossible, and in the long-term form the catalyst for another conflict. Instead of effecting social reconciliation and re-integration, it will, in the words of Judith Butler, only produce ‘outraged and humiliated and furious people’."
http://groundviews.org/2011/03/17/jaffna-and-the-…
Jaffna and the Vanni today: The reality beneath the rhetoric, 17 mmarch 2011:
''……Acts of commission and omission by the government convey to the people of the North that there is little possibility they will be treated as equal citizens and included as full members of a multi-ethnic polity. Instead they feel they live in an occupied territory. As the victor of the war, the government is attempting to impose its will on the Tamil people and force them to adopt a Sri Lankan identity that is overwhelmingly Sinhala Buddhist, and in the process quashing what the people view as their distinct language, culture, heritage, and history. This distinct and proudly held identity is not a threat to a pluralistic Sri Lankan state, but its insensitive and dismissive treatment penetrates the heart of the sense of dignity of Sri Lankan Tamils. The government’s strategy is generating anger, resentment and a sense of disenfranchisement amongst the Tamil people, which in the short-term will make reconciliation impossible, and in the long-term form the catalyst for another conflict. Instead of effecting social reconciliation and re-integration, it will, in the words of Judith Butler, only produce ‘outraged and humiliated and furious people’."
Brave Apoorvaa & you handful of volunteers out there in Chicago ….
i can see you all on the cold streets…. in the cold crowd….
i know your experience firsthand, from gathering signatures for American Indian prisoners of war in amerika.
i have seen the cold indifference of the white man.
His hardened downturned stare.
Coldshouldering by without the barest courtesy.
i have seen, entering an unfamiliar classroom of university students, a young brown woman among them suddenly turn upon me for speaking against the giant corporations.
i remember her vociferous championing of the companies.
i can still hear her sarcasm, her instant linkage of me with “terrorism” …. a term that never had any meaning in this world, such as it IS .
Yes, i know how bruising it all can be, how it can lodge in heart & memory for always.
Today you gather signatures for an indigenous people & Nation massacred & imprisoned just like amerika’s Indian Nations… the Tamil Nation.
i know too, firsthand, of the many in the crowd you have touched & opened to a distant Truth, an immediate Reality.
Sometimes you feel you go unheard.
But things are not as they look.
Your words remain among the people.
***** *****
One evening of failure, i came home with the question : “How do you reach people ?”
i was told in a calm voice,
“Be free of illusion, & all doors will open.”
Apoorvaa,
Thank you and the other students for your great work but I would point out three things you might consider amending
i) the length of the armed conflict is 26 years (debatably) but its definitely not 16.
ii) the petition states that the LTTE used human shields but it did not (to my knowledge). It did prevent the free movement of civilians and conduct forced recruitment.
iii) the government of Sri Lanka’s atrocities go far beyond “indiscriminate attacks on areas densely populated by civilians” and i think the text of the petition should reflect that.
Best Regards,
Raj
It is the bounden duty of entire mankind to see that Justice is meted out to the perpetrators of some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity in the Island of Sri Lanka whatever the length of time it may take. The main perpetrators of the crimes are in power now and they will do their utmost to prevent Justice from prevailing. But this challenge has to be met by all fair minded people.Let there be an impartial inquiry held by a recognised team of international personnel and that is the only way to see that Justice is meted out.
When their oppressors tell an oppressed indigenous nation they are “terrorists” ….
…… as if the glib, free use of this ahistorical term, “terrorist”, were enough to “justify” the butcheries committed against them …
… then i have to ask, which terrorists have done anything REMOTELY like slaughtering FORTY THOUSAND souls in one SINGLE army campaign, in the span of only two / three months, in the space of just one corner of a land, within a narrow, restricted, overcrowded & rapidly shrunk arena of military operations ??
The entire “affair” was one long running massacre of a people which brought to mind a phrase from hell, used only in the worst climates of high – intensity butcheries or ethnic vanishings, to describe what it was like : “LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL.”
The name for this is Genocide.
& it isn’t over. The now – hidden Hot War has been followed, as always in such cases, by a still hidden Cold War of gulags, terror, disappearings, land seizure, & the militarization, Sinhalization & colonization of Tamil Eelam.
Hi AI Guys…!
Can’t you see the latest attempt at invading Libya by your paymasters – the US, in the guyise of support to the Revolutionists, while Libyan Revolutionists have already denounced it. So, tell the US – “Hands Off Libya” rather than searching impossible signatures against bogus claims against Sri Lanka.
Can’t you guys, at least now, start signing petitions against US’s most recent brutalities against humanity in Iraq, Afghanistan and various other free-world countries….?
Shame on you guys…!
Well replied Noor on 16/3 above.
Mahinda President has also adviced Libya during his phone discns with Gadafi?
So Gadafi has also started ruthlessly killing all civilians.
Why did the SL govt. prevented media, AI, or human rights organisations to visit the war zone for nearly three months – until all areas were cleared up so no war crimes can be established!
No war, no peace: the denial of minority rights and justice in Sri Lanka, Report by Minority Rights Group International, 19 January 2011:
With the end of the conflict between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam (LTTE or ‘Tamil Tigers’) in 2009, normality has returned for much of the population of Sri Lanka. But for members of the country’s two main minority groups – Tamils and Muslims – living in the north and east of the country, harsh material conditions, economic marginalisation, and militarism remain prevalent. Drawing on interviews with activists, religious and political leaders, and ordinary people living in these areas of the country, MRG found a picture very much at odds with the official image of peace and prosperity following the end of armed conflict.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/03/110307_geneva_rights_groups.shtml
UN told of ‘deteriorating’ HR situation, 7 March 2011:
Rights watchdogs have complained to the United Nations that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated. Several human rights groups have submitted written statements on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
International Movement Against All Forms of Racism (IMADR) in its statement accuses the Sri Lankan government of failing to fulfil pledges given to the UNHRC at earlier sessions.
The International Catholic Movement Pax Romana in its submission has urged the Council to protect rights defenders and fundamental freedoms in the north and east.
The Amnesty International (AI) in its submission says the government has refused to acknowledge credible allegations of war crimes and other violations of international law despite mounting evidence.
The Council, says the AI, should call on Sri Lanka to end reports of abductions, enforced disappearances and killings and other violations in northern Sri Lanka.
Independence Day Message from the Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera, Metropolitan’s Commissary and Vicar General of the Diocese of Colombo, 2 February 2011:
‘’…. The end of the war provided an excellent opportunity for healing the wounds of the past.
…. We have failed to address the pressing crises of displacement and poverty, corruption and waste, good governance and national integration.
…. The old order is either incapable of, or reluctant to replace unjust systems and discriminatory trends with a more just order for the good of all our people.
What our country consequently needs is a new political will that will restore the sovereignty of the people and bring about true national integration. .…’’
Sri Lanka Dictator is helping Libyan Dictator Gaddafi 🙁
Today, I’ve heard the Colonel Gaddafi interview !!
I’m shocked to discover he is well trained by Sri Lanka propagandists
Colonel Gaddafi is saying and word for word – like the Sri Lanka Defense. LK website.
He said that Libyan revolutionaries are terrorists and other staff……. Blah, blah, blah…
Colonel Gaddafi sounds like Rajapaksa
Recently I have read in several newspapers that Colonel Gaddafi called Sri Lanka President and ask him for help.
Now, Sri Lanka Dictator is helping to crush the Libyan oppressed people.
Could be the severe human rights abuses – like establishing the secret torture camps in Libya are not far behind ?
Sri Lanka Spin Maestros are working overtime now to save Ruthless Dictator Gaddafi in Libya.
With a timely help from Sri Rajapaksa, Gaddafi is is devastating the subjugated people in Libya
The West gets its “ just rewards” for supporting Sri Lanka Tyrant and ingnoring the anguish of the Tamils
Karma works in a mysterious ways 🙂
what the Sri-lankan state is doing in the north -east of island after nearly 2 years since the end of war are establishing more military fortresses, confiscating lands, placing the Tamil people under constant fear through armed groups sponsored by it and building Buddha statutes but not any rehabilitation works satisfying international community, not moving a inch towards any political solution. Other than these, what can be expected from a racist state which must be held responsible for all its crimes committed for the past 60 years against Tamil people under international law. Only by hard wok such as one by A.I can make it possible.
Bruuups !!
When is AI going to pressure Ms. Cling Ton to take action against the war crimes committed by USA????????????????
OK – AI says that they are unbiased and are critical of Both the GOSL and the Retards of LTTE – let's say you have a zillion actions in line for the GOSL regarding war crimes, What action have you got in line for the Retards of LTTE whom you say equally are responsible for the War crimes ??
I have not seen Any – please elucidate me on same… !!
Also, since the Retarded boss of LTTE is already Walapalle (Underground), whom are you planning to take actions against ?????
I can give you some hints !!
1. Transsexual Government of Peelam (Where Pon. Sock in Lingam is a member)
2. Easy one – Adela Balasingham – Australian, living in the UK. There is video evidence of her hanging cyanide capsules around under aged females (In other words girls (aka – Children)
Let us please see a post or two ASAP.
iii.
Justice in retreat: A report on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka(International Bar Association HRI, May 2009):
”’ ….Many of the problems identified in the 2001 IBAHRI Report continue to affect the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka and in some respects the situation has deteriorated significantly.
http://www.reliefweb.int /library/documents/2006/ecosoc -lka-27mar.pdf
27 March 2006 Report of the Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston:
‘’The human rights capacity of the United Nations Country Team should be
expanded immediately, pending the creation of a broader monitoring mechanism.’’
Ethnic Violence, Development and Human Rights, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights Consultation – Utrecht, 1-3 February 1985: ‘’There is an immediate need for the creation of an independent group which would have the function of making clear and making widely known the present serious condition of the Tamil people and their genuine demands.''
Review, International Commission of Jurists, December 1983:
‘’The impact of the communal violence on the Tamils was shattering. The evidence points clearly to the conclusion that the violence of the Sinhala rioters on the Tamils amounted to Acts of Genocide".
Ethnic Conflict and Violence in Sri Lanka – Report of International Commission of Jurists 1981: ‘’The fate of the Tamils in Sri Lanka remains a matter of international concern''.
Also those who went in to the streets to sign the petition !!!
I am glad that you have mentioned that a random woman in the streets of New York signed the petition after listening to your story !!
1. What is the story you told her?
2. How could we know that it is not biased?
3. You told your side of the story, where was representation on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka ???
4. If there is no representation to oppose, how on earth can you call your self an unbiased organization?
5. You basically brainwashed an innocent woman in the streets who did not even know about Sri Lanka to sign a petition against Sri Lanka – Is that what you call Human Rights?? You have taken away her right to know both sides of the story !
6. Isn't above point 5 alone enough to prove that your organization is a Joke and the people who are involved are better off as clowns ???
7. Considering all above facts, is there any validity in the signature that innocent woman placed as she basically does not know the full story???
You indeed are proving over and over again that you are an ABNORMAL ORGANIZATION !!
P.S. – As a human, I wish to get immediate answers from you for all above questions I have posted !!!!
http://groundviews.org/2011/03/17/jaffna-and-the-vanni-today-the-reality-beneath-the-rhetoric/
Jaffna and the Vanni today: The reality beneath the rhetoric, 17 mmarch 2011:
”……Acts of commission and omission by the government convey to the people of the North that there is little possibility they will be treated as equal citizens and included as full members of a multi-ethnic polity. Instead they feel they live in an occupied territory. As the victor of the war, the government is attempting to impose its will on the Tamil people and force them to adopt a Sri Lankan identity that is overwhelmingly Sinhala Buddhist, and in the process quashing what the people view as their distinct language, culture, heritage, and history. This distinct and proudly held identity is not a threat to a pluralistic Sri Lankan state, but its insensitive and dismissive treatment penetrates the heart of the sense of dignity of Sri Lankan Tamils. The government’s strategy is generating anger, resentment and a sense of disenfranchisement amongst the Tamil people, which in the short-term will make reconciliation impossible, and in the long-term form the catalyst for another conflict. Instead of effecting social reconciliation and re-integration, it will, in the words of Judith Butler, only produce ‘outraged and humiliated and furious people’.”
Dear Abnormal International
You have only to look at what i. respectable(retired diplomats, judge, professors have told LLRC, ii. ALL international human rights organisations and iii. researchers from many universities in many countries have been saying over the last five decades:
i.
Constitutional changes vital to long-lasting unity and reconciliation , 1 December 2010, Submissions by Judge C.G. Weeramantry(Emeritus Professor at Monash University, Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka from 1967-1972, a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991-2000 and currently the President of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms)
Jayantha Dhanapala’s written submission to Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, written submission, 30 August 2010: ‘’ Each and every Government which held office from 1948 till the present bear culpability for the failure to achieve good governance, national unity and a framework of peace, stability and economic development in which all ethnic, religious and other groups could live in security and equality.
Jayantha Dhanapala’s oral presentation to LLRC, 2 September 2010:
Our inability to manage our own internal affairs has led to foreign intervention but more seriously has led to the taking of arms by a desperate group of our citizens.’’
(Dhanapala was formerly an Under-Secretary in the UN)
Submission before Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission(LLRC) by Chandra Jayaratne, 23 September 2010:
‘’Inequitable allocation of national resources and consequential disparities in regional economic development, infrastructure development and public service delivery have sown the seeds of discontent and disillusionment leading to conflict, insurrections of the South and the North and even the armed struggle towards a separate administration.’’(Jayaratne is a Sinhalese and was a former President of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce).
K.Godage(former diplomat Brussels, Japan and Washington) addresses LLRC, 15 September 2010:
‘’….The Tamils have undergone, and are undergoing immense hardship. We need to reach out to them…. We have persistently discriminated against the Tamil people from 1956…. '' (Godage was a former diplomat)
Prof Priyan Dias addresses LLRC, 07 October 2011:
‘’ I think as a society we need to have that sense of guilt, have that sense of blame that we are responsible for this happening and it is only out of that sense of guilt that we can move forward.’’
Mr. Mangala Moonasinghe, 17 August 2010:
‘’… so, who started terrorism – it was we – and then gradually naturally the youth, Tamil youth, went into terrorism in the north. … So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them sir, we created them. ….’’
(Moonasinghe is a former diplomat and MP)
Submission by Dr John Goonaratne, 15 September 2010:
‘’ Our constitution goes on the basis that all citizens are equal, but in the real world we know some individuals and ethnic groups are more equal than others, and implementation of the provisions of the constitution is influenced by and reflects power realities – the top dogs and the under dogs.''
(Goonaratne was a former diplomat)
ii
Paradise Poisoned: Learning about Conflict, Terrorism and Development from Sri Lanka 's Civil Wars(2005), John Richardson, Professor of International development in American University's School of International Service and Director of the University's Centre for Teaching Experience:
Paradise Poisoned is the principal product of a seventeen year project, devoted to understanding linkages between deadly conflict, terrorism and development, by viewing them through the lens of Sri Lanka's post-independence history ….
What I have learned, of fundamental importance, from Sri Lanka's civil wars, is this: We know more than enough to choose policies that will help prevent protracted deadly conflict and terrorism. We also know more than enough to avoid policies that will cause protracted deadly conflict and terrorism ….
My vision is of a day when no citizens in today's developing nations will have to ask 'how did we come to this?' Paradise Poisoned will have achieved its purpose when that day comes.''
Ethnic Conflict and Economic Development – A POLICY ORIENTED ANALYSIS, John Richardson(1996) “Democracy alone cannot ensure ethnic harmony. Instead, it may allow freer expression of ethnic antagonisms and legalised persecution of minorities. In Sri Lanka, both S.W.R.D. and Sirimavo Bandaranaike won democratic elections by appealing to Buddhist-Sinhalese nationalist sentiments and denigrating the ethnic Tamils. Slobodan Milosevic, the former Communist Party Chief of Serbia and General Franjo Tudjman of Croatia won their presidencies by appealing to the most divisive aspects of Serbian and Croatian nationalism”.
CEYLON : A DIVIDED NATION, B H Farmer(1963):
''The truth, though unpalatable may be to some, is simply that nobody unacceptable to the present Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism has any chance of constitutional power in contemporary Ceylon.''
Power Sharing as Peace Structure: The Case of Sri Lanka, IICP Working Paper, No. 2, 2005, Johan Galtung, Professor of Peace Studies: ‘’External Colonialism: Democracy :: Internal Colonialism: Human Rights’’
iii.
Justice in retreat: A report on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka(International Bar Association HRI, May 2009):
”’ ….Many of the problems identified in the 2001 IBAHRI Report continue to affect the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka and in some respects the situation has deteriorated significantly.
http://www.reliefweb.int /library/documents/2006/ecosoc -lka-27mar.pdf
27 March 2006 Report of the Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston:
‘’The human rights capacity of the United Nations Country Team should be
expanded immediately, pending the creation of a broader monitoring mechanism.’’
Ethnic Violence, Development and Human Rights, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights Consultation – Utrecht, 1-3 February 1985: ‘’There is an immediate need for the creation of an independent group which would have the function of making clear and making widely known the present serious condition of the Tamil people and their genuine demands.''
Review, International Commission of Jurists, December 1983:
‘’The impact of the communal violence on the Tamils was shattering. The evidence points clearly to the conclusion that the violence of the Sinhala rioters on the Tamils amounted to Acts of Genocide".
Ethnic Conflict and Violence in Sri Lanka – Report of International Commission of Jurists 1981: ‘’The fate of the Tamils in Sri Lanka remains a matter of international concern''.
iii.
Justice in retreat: A report on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka(International Bar Association HRI, May 2009):
”’ ….Many of the problems identified in the 2001 IBAHRI Report continue to affect the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka and in some respects the situation has deteriorated significantly.
http://www.reliefweb.int /library/documents/2006/ecosoc -lka-27mar.pdf
27 March 2006 Report of the Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston:
‘’The human rights capacity of the United Nations Country Team should be
expanded immediately, pending the creation of a broader monitoring mechanism.’’
Ethnic Violence, Development and Human Rights, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights Consultation – Utrecht, 1-3 February 1985: ‘’There is an immediate need for the creation of an independent group which would have the function of making clear and making widely known the present serious condition of the Tamil people and their genuine demands.''
Review, International Commission of Jurists, December 1983:
‘’The impact of the communal violence on the Tamils was shattering. The evidence points clearly to the conclusion that the violence of the Sinhala rioters on the Tamils amounted to Acts of Genocide".
Ethnic Conflict and Violence in Sri Lanka – Report of International Commission of Jurists 1981: ‘’The fate of the Tamils in Sri Lanka remains a matter of international concern''.
It is the bounden duty of entire mankind to see that Justice is meted out to the perpetrators of some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity in the Island of Sri Lanka whatever the length of time it may take. The main perpetrators of the crimes are in power now and they will do their utmost to prevent Justice from prevailing. But this challenge has to be met by all fair minded people.Let there be an impartial inquiry held by a recognised team of international personnel and that is the only way to see that Justice is meted out.
Misleading LLRC????
Prof A.P.R.Aluwihare to LLRC, 3 November 2010:
It is politicization and a lack of rule of law which have contributed to many problems we have had.
…. I think even politics has become politicized in this country and that I think is a root disease now.
…. Why do suicide bombers whether they be Arabs, Sinhala or Tamil or whatever, why do they want to kill themselves? Do they feel that there is some injustice which cannot be coped with in any other way?
….. I think the challenge in the short term is for the Commission to try and generate the political will to get the political establishment, to try to clean itself up, get rid of the dross, not allow people to hide behind political patronage and commit various illegal things.
http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010…
Mr. Mangala Moonasinghe, 17 August 2010:
… so, who started terrorism – it was we – and then gradually naturally the youth, Tamil youth, went into terrorism in the north. … So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them sir, we created them. …….. Another matter of serious concern is that the number of NGOs and INGOs working and helping in rehabilitation are being reduced. …. ''
Well replied Noor on 16/3 above.
Mahinda President has also adviced Libya during his phone discns with Gadafi?
So Gadafi has also started ruthlessly killing all civilians.
Why did the SL govt. prevented media, AI, or human rights organisations to visit the war zone for nearly three months – until all areas were cleared up so no war crimes can be established!
To the young college students – AI Volunteers…your good intentions re Human Rights…
have been hi-jacked by the Senior Officials of AI, a group of pro-Terrorist crooks living in luxury.
The former Secretary of AI – Ms Irene Khan & her aide – were fired….
then given a huge sum of money to keep quiet / not "spill the beans"….
Monetary "bribe" was over British Pounds…550,000 (US$ 887,000)
& 300,000 (US$ 483,000) respectively…
Question – What "crimes & bribes & illegal activities" were the AI, Officials trying to cover up…???
AI can get…1 or 1,000,000 signatures…
will be absolutely of NO USE….
The NATIONALIST Government of Sri Lanka,
will rightfully consign them to the garbage heap of history….
SRI LANKA….a multi-ethnic – multi-religious – Vibrant Democracy..!!!
Chula, Abnormal International, Nihal Perera, pol sambola, Narada, Appuhamy, etc.
Please hurry and go and tell the Sinhalese who are misleading LLRC:
Submission by Harim Peiris to LLRC, 7 October 2010:
We may have united the nation geographically, but remain polarized ethno-socially. …. Strengthen individual human rights and fundamental and democratic political freedoms, by acceding to Sri Lanka’s international and treaty obligations and in keeping with Supreme Court Judgments in this regard, through the passing of enabling domestic legislation, that will fundamentally strengthen the rights of the individual citizens. Its fundamental Human rights.''
(Pieris is a Political analyst and adviser to former President)
K.Godage(former diplomat Brussels, Japan and Washington) addresses LLRC, 15 September 2010:
‘’The Tamils have undergone, and are undergoing immense hardship. We need to reach out to them. ….Then we come to 1956. …. Then we come along to 1958….. Then the 1972 Constitution removed Section 29 from the Soulbery Constitution. That was a huge tragedy. …….. It is because we have not reached out to them, that we had Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976, 20 years after 1956. …..''
Constitutional changes vital to long-lasting unity and reconciliation, 1 December 2010:
Submissions by Judge C.G. Weeramantry(Emeritus Professor at Monash University, Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka from 1967-1972, a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991-2000 and currently the President of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms) to LLRC, 29 November 2010.
‘’There are many factors to which we should give our attention in this connection, for without confidence and trust that their rights will be upheld and guaranteed without fear or favour, there cannot be contentment and harmony, especially among minorities whose confidence in law and order needs to be built on firm foundations. ….''
Misleading LLRC????
Prof A.P.R.Aluwihare to LLRC, 3 November 2010:
It is politicization and a lack of rule of law which have contributed to many problems we have had.
…. I think even politics has become politicized in this country and that I think is a root disease now.
…. Why do suicide bombers whether they be Arabs, Sinhala or Tamil or whatever, why do they want to kill themselves? Do they feel that there is some injustice which cannot be coped with in any other way?
….. I think the challenge in the short term is for the Commission to try and generate the political will to get the political establishment, to try to clean itself up, get rid of the dross, not allow people to hide behind political patronage and commit various illegal things.
http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010…
Mr. Mangala Moonasinghe, 17 August 2010:
… so, who started terrorism – it was we – and then gradually naturally the youth, Tamil youth, went into terrorism in the north. … So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them sir, we created them. …….. Another matter of serious concern is that the number of NGOs and INGOs working and helping in rehabilitation are being reduced. …. ''
Misleading LLRC????
Prof A.P.R.Aluwihare to LLRC, 3 November 2010:
It is politicization and a lack of rule of law which have contributed to many problems we have had.
…. I think even politics has become politicized in this country and that I think is a root disease now.
…. Why do suicide bombers whether they be Arabs, Sinhala or Tamil or whatever, why do they want to kill themselves? Do they feel that there is some injustice which cannot be coped with in any other way?
….. I think the challenge in the short term is for the Commission to try and generate the political will to get the political establishment, to try to clean itself up, get rid of the dross, not allow people to hide behind political patronage and commit various illegal things.
http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010…
Mr. Mangala Moonasinghe, 17 August 2010:
… so, who started terrorism – it was we – and then gradually naturally the youth, Tamil youth, went into terrorism in the north. … So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them sir, we created them. …….. Another matter of serious concern is that the number of NGOs and INGOs working and helping in rehabilitation are being reduced. …. ''
Charles, Margret, Saj,
Pl stop these Sinhalese diplomats from LLRC:
Manel Abeysekera to LLRC, 23 August 2010:
''I also feel that it is our neglect of Tamil sensitivity that we lost Tamil support later and also the youth particularly and led the Tamil youth to take up arms to try to achieve a separate state. the main underlying cause was our neglect of the Tamil language – a national language like Sinhala – and our use of the latter, that is Sinhala as an official language without any documents, court procedure, communications and even road signs in Tamil was to my mind tantamount to an undermining of human rights of the Tamil people which caused the aggravation of the conflict and the widening of the chasm between officialdom and the main minority, the Tamils….… ''
Sri Lanka Dictator is helping Libyan Dictator Gaddafi 🙁
Today, I’ve heard the Colonel Gaddafi interview !!
I’m shocked to discover he is well trained by Sri Lanka propagandists
Colonel Gaddafi is saying and word for word – like the Sri Lanka Defense. LK website.
He said that Libyan revolutionaries are terrorists and other staff……. Blah, blah, blah…
Colonel Gaddafi sounds like Rajapaksa
Recently I have read in several newspapers that Colonel Gaddafi called Sri Lanka President and ask him for help.
Now, Sri Lanka Dictator is helping to crush the Libyan oppressed people.
Could be the severe human rights abuses – like establishing the secret torture camps in Libya are not far behind ?
Sri Lanka Spin Maestros are working overtime now to save Ruthless Dictator Gaddafi in Libya.
With a timely help from Sri Rajapaksa, Gaddafi is is devastating the subjugated people in Libya
The West gets its “ just rewards” for supporting Sri Lanka Tyrant and ingnoring the anguish of the Tamils
Karma works in a mysterious ways 🙂
Bruuups !!
When is AI going to pressure Ms. Cling Ton to take action against the war crimes committed by USA????????????????
OK – AI says that they are unbiased and are critical of Both the GOSL and the Retards of LTTE – let’s say you have a zillion actions in line for the GOSL regarding war crimes, What action have you got in line for the Retards of LTTE whom you say equally are responsible for the War crimes ??
I have not seen Any – please elucidate me on same… !!
Also, since the Retarded boss of LTTE is already Walapalle (Underground), whom are you planning to take actions against ?????
I can give you some hints !!
1. Transsexual Government of Peelam (Where Pon. Sock in Lingam is a member)
2. Easy one – Adela Balasingham – Australian, living in the UK. There is video evidence of her hanging cyanide capsules around under aged females (In other words girls (aka – Children)
Let us please see a post or two ASAP.
Also those who went in to the streets to sign the petition !!!
I am glad that you have mentioned that a random woman in the streets of New York signed the petition after listening to your story !!
1. What is the story you told her?
2. How could we know that it is not biased?
3. You told your side of the story, where was representation on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka ???
4. If there is no representation to oppose, how on earth can you call your self an unbiased organization?
5. You basically brainwashed an innocent woman in the streets who did not even know about Sri Lanka to sign a petition against Sri Lanka – Is that what you call Human Rights?? You have taken away her right to know both sides of the story !
6. Isn’t above point 5 alone enough to prove that your organization is a Joke and the people who are involved are better off as clowns ???
7. Considering all above facts, is there any validity in the signature that innocent woman placed as she basically does not know the full story???
You indeed are proving over and over again that you are an ABNORMAL ORGANIZATION !!
P.S. – As a human, I wish to get immediate answers from you for all above questions I have posted !!!!
Dear Abnormal International
You have only to look at what i. respectable(retired diplomats, judge, professors have told LLRC, ii. ALL international human rights organisations and iii. researchers from many universities in many countries have been saying over the last five decades:
i.
Constitutional changes vital to long-lasting unity and reconciliation , 1 December 2010, Submissions by Judge C.G. Weeramantry(Emeritus Professor at Monash University, Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka from 1967-1972, a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991-2000 and currently the President of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms)
Jayantha Dhanapala’s written submission to Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, written submission, 30 August 2010: ‘’ Each and every Government which held office from 1948 till the present bear culpability for the failure to achieve good governance, national unity and a framework of peace, stability and economic development in which all ethnic, religious and other groups could live in security and equality.
Jayantha Dhanapala’s oral presentation to LLRC, 2 September 2010:
Our inability to manage our own internal affairs has led to foreign intervention but more seriously has led to the taking of arms by a desperate group of our citizens.’’
(Dhanapala was formerly an Under-Secretary in the UN)
Submission before Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission(LLRC) by Chandra Jayaratne, 23 September 2010:
‘’Inequitable allocation of national resources and consequential disparities in regional economic development, infrastructure development and public service delivery have sown the seeds of discontent and disillusionment leading to conflict, insurrections of the South and the North and even the armed struggle towards a separate administration.’’(Jayaratne is a Sinhalese and was a former President of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce).
K.Godage(former diplomat Brussels, Japan and Washington) addresses LLRC, 15 September 2010:
‘’….The Tamils have undergone, and are undergoing immense hardship. We need to reach out to them…. We have persistently discriminated against the Tamil people from 1956…. ” (Godage was a former diplomat)
Prof Priyan Dias addresses LLRC, 07 October 2011:
‘’ I think as a society we need to have that sense of guilt, have that sense of blame that we are responsible for this happening and it is only out of that sense of guilt that we can move forward.’’
Mr. Mangala Moonasinghe, 17 August 2010:
‘’… so, who started terrorism – it was we – and then gradually naturally the youth, Tamil youth, went into terrorism in the north. … So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them sir, we created them. ….’’
(Moonasinghe is a former diplomat and MP)
Submission by Dr John Goonaratne, 15 September 2010:
‘’ Our constitution goes on the basis that all citizens are equal, but in the real world we know some individuals and ethnic groups are more equal than others, and implementation of the provisions of the constitution is influenced by and reflects power realities – the top dogs and the under dogs.”
(Goonaratne was a former diplomat)
ii
Paradise Poisoned: Learning about Conflict, Terrorism and Development from Sri Lanka ‘s Civil Wars(2005), John Richardson, Professor of International development in American University’s School of International Service and Director of the University’s Centre for Teaching Experience:
Paradise Poisoned is the principal product of a seventeen year project, devoted to understanding linkages between deadly conflict, terrorism and development, by viewing them through the lens of Sri Lanka’s post-independence history ….
What I have learned, of fundamental importance, from Sri Lanka’s civil wars, is this: We know more than enough to choose policies that will help prevent protracted deadly conflict and terrorism. We also know more than enough to avoid policies that will cause protracted deadly conflict and terrorism ….
My vision is of a day when no citizens in today’s developing nations will have to ask ‘how did we come to this?’ Paradise Poisoned will have achieved its purpose when that day comes.”
Ethnic Conflict and Economic Development – A POLICY ORIENTED ANALYSIS, John Richardson(1996) “Democracy alone cannot ensure ethnic harmony. Instead, it may allow freer expression of ethnic antagonisms and legalised persecution of minorities. In Sri Lanka, both S.W.R.D. and Sirimavo Bandaranaike won democratic elections by appealing to Buddhist-Sinhalese nationalist sentiments and denigrating the ethnic Tamils. Slobodan Milosevic, the former Communist Party Chief of Serbia and General Franjo Tudjman of Croatia won their presidencies by appealing to the most divisive aspects of Serbian and Croatian nationalism”.
CEYLON : A DIVIDED NATION, B H Farmer(1963):
”The truth, though unpalatable may be to some, is simply that nobody unacceptable to the present Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism has any chance of constitutional power in contemporary Ceylon.”
Power Sharing as Peace Structure: The Case of Sri Lanka, IICP Working Paper, No. 2, 2005, Johan Galtung, Professor of Peace Studies: ‘’External Colonialism: Democracy :: Internal Colonialism: Human Rights’’
iii.
Justice in retreat: A report on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka(International Bar Association HRI, May 2009):
”’ ….Many of the problems identified in the 2001 IBAHRI Report continue to affect the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka and in some respects the situation has deteriorated significantly.
http://www.reliefweb.int /library/documents/2006/ecosoc -lka-27mar.pdf
27 March 2006 Report of the Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston:
‘’The human rights capacity of the United Nations Country Team should be
expanded immediately, pending the creation of a broader monitoring mechanism.’’
Ethnic Violence, Development and Human Rights, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights Consultation – Utrecht, 1-3 February 1985: ‘’There is an immediate need for the creation of an independent group which would have the function of making clear and making widely known the present serious condition of the Tamil people and their genuine demands.”
Review, International Commission of Jurists, December 1983:
‘’The impact of the communal violence on the Tamils was shattering. The evidence points clearly to the conclusion that the violence of the Sinhala rioters on the Tamils amounted to Acts of Genocide”.
Ethnic Conflict and Violence in Sri Lanka – Report of International Commission of Jurists 1981: ‘’The fate of the Tamils in Sri Lanka remains a matter of international concern”.
To the young college students – AI Volunteers…your good intentions re Human Rights…
have been hi-jacked by the Senior Officials of AI, a group of pro-Terrorist crooks living in luxury.
The former Secretary of AI – Ms Irene Khan & her aide – were fired….
then given a huge sum of money to keep quiet / not “spill the beans”….
Monetary “bribe” was over British Pounds…550,000 (US$ 887,000)
& 300,000 (US$ 483,000) respectively…
Question – What “crimes & bribes & illegal activities” were the AI, Officials trying to cover up…???
AI can get…1 or 1,000,000 signatures…
will be absolutely of NO USE….
The NATIONALIST Government of Sri Lanka,
will rightfully consign them to the garbage heap of history….
SRI LANKA….a multi-ethnic – multi-religious – Vibrant Democracy..!!!
Chula, Abnormal International, Nihal Perera, pol sambola, Narada, Appuhamy, etc.
Please hurry and go and tell the Sinhalese who are misleading LLRC:
Submission by Harim Peiris to LLRC, 7 October 2010:
We may have united the nation geographically, but remain polarized ethno-socially. …. Strengthen individual human rights and fundamental and democratic political freedoms, by acceding to Sri Lanka’s international and treaty obligations and in keeping with Supreme Court Judgments in this regard, through the passing of enabling domestic legislation, that will fundamentally strengthen the rights of the individual citizens. Its fundamental Human rights.”
(Pieris is a Political analyst and adviser to former President)
K.Godage(former diplomat Brussels, Japan and Washington) addresses LLRC, 15 September 2010:
‘’The Tamils have undergone, and are undergoing immense hardship. We need to reach out to them. ….Then we come to 1956. …. Then we come along to 1958….. Then the 1972 Constitution removed Section 29 from the Soulbery Constitution. That was a huge tragedy. …….. It is because we have not reached out to them, that we had Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976, 20 years after 1956. …..”
Constitutional changes vital to long-lasting unity and reconciliation, 1 December 2010:
Submissions by Judge C.G. Weeramantry(Emeritus Professor at Monash University, Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka from 1967-1972, a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991-2000 and currently the President of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms) to LLRC, 29 November 2010.
‘’There are many factors to which we should give our attention in this connection, for without confidence and trust that their rights will be upheld and guaranteed without fear or favour, there cannot be contentment and harmony, especially among minorities whose confidence in law and order needs to be built on firm foundations. ….”
Misleading LLRC????
Prof A.P.R.Aluwihare to LLRC, 3 November 2010:
It is politicization and a lack of rule of law which have contributed to many problems we have had.
…. I think even politics has become politicized in this country and that I think is a root disease now.
…. Why do suicide bombers whether they be Arabs, Sinhala or Tamil or whatever, why do they want to kill themselves? Do they feel that there is some injustice which cannot be coped with in any other way?
….. I think the challenge in the short term is for the Commission to try and generate the political will to get the political establishment, to try to clean itself up, get rid of the dross, not allow people to hide behind political patronage and commit various illegal things.
http://www.llrc.lk/images/stories/docs/August2010/Mangala%20Moonasinghe.pdf
Mr. Mangala Moonasinghe, 17 August 2010:
… so, who started terrorism – it was we – and then gradually naturally the youth, Tamil youth, went into terrorism in the north. … So terrorism did not come on its own. We created them sir, we created them. …….. Another matter of serious concern is that the number of NGOs and INGOs working and helping in rehabilitation are being reduced. …. ”
Charles, Margret, Saj,
Pl stop these Sinhalese diplomats from LLRC:
Manel Abeysekera to LLRC, 23 August 2010:
”I also feel that it is our neglect of Tamil sensitivity that we lost Tamil support later and also the youth particularly and led the Tamil youth to take up arms to try to achieve a separate state. the main underlying cause was our neglect of the Tamil language – a national language like Sinhala – and our use of the latter, that is Sinhala as an official language without any documents, court procedure, communications and even road signs in Tamil was to my mind tantamount to an undermining of human rights of the Tamil people which caused the aggravation of the conflict and the widening of the chasm between officialdom and the main minority, the Tamils….… ”