British Conservative Party politician Lord Naseby has slammed the the UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s recent report on Sri Lanka, saying, “The tenor of the writing almost has overtones of martyrdom for the Tamil Tigers”. The report, which is to be taken up within days at the UN Human Right Council sessions in Geneva, “glosses [...]

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‘Overtones of martyrdom for LTTE’: Lord Naseby slams Bachelet’s report

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British Conservative Party politician Lord Naseby has slammed the the UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s recent report on Sri Lanka, saying, “The tenor of the writing almost has overtones of martyrdom for the Tamil Tigers”.

The report, which is to be taken up within days at the UN Human Right Council sessions in Geneva, “glosses over the full extent of the war when a group of vindictive terrorists tried to create a Tamil quasi neo-socialist revolutionary state by first murdering all the moderate Tamil leaders, then murdering President Premadasa and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as well as countless ministers, parliamentarians, civil society leaders and finally using extreme violence to wage war against the armed forces of the democratically elected Government of Sri Lanka,” Lord Naseby says, in a note sent this week directly to the office of Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. All this was in the name of Eelam.

Britain is the lead member of the Core Group on UNHRC Resoultion 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1 on Sri Lanka. Lord Naseby is also the Honorary President of the All Party Parliamentary British-Sri Lanka Group.

There is little in Ms Bachelet’s report to help move “reconciliation” forward, he states. Among the key issues it ignores is that there is now a volume of independently verified evidence that civilian casualties in the war (between January and May 18, 2009) were 5,000-7,000 and maybe less and not the 40,000 plus bandied about by the UN, he asserts.

It also disregards the “most heinous war crime” which was the recruitment of male and female child-soldiers by the LTTE. The UNICEF has also estimated that 60 percent of LTTE personnel killed in combat were children. And one of the key Tamil Tigers deeply involved in recruitment, training and, possibly, deployment of child soldiers–Adele Balasingham–is a British citizen living in Britain. There is absolutely no mention of her by the UN.

“One has to ask why the UK has not itself either asked the UN to investigate into this matter or made its own genuine attempt at investigating Mrs Balasingham, given Britain’s interest in seeking the truth and accountability for human rights violations,” Lord Naseby raises, adding it was “high time that the Crown Prosecution Service considered this matter with seriousness and vigour”.

In addition to raising historic allegations regarding the war–all of which are taken on by Lord Naseby–Ms Bachelet’s report also makes reference to current situation which, Lord Naseby says, shows a failure “to understand what has happened in the three Presidential periods from the end of the war up to the present day”.

He describes vast post-war development in former conflict areas–such de-mining, building of power, roads, railways and schools, and housing for the displaced. Referring to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as “a strong leader with a plan to develop the talent and opportunities of all Sri Lankans”, Lord Naseby says, “His actions so far have vindicated my faith”.

Some of the positive steps he highlights are the re-organisation of the Office on Missing Persons and Office for Reparations and the appointment of new commissioners to the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation.

“Criticism is made of the little progress to setting up the Truth and Reconciliation system,” Lord Naseby points out.” How the UNHRC expects much progress on any issue in the middle of a world pandemic is unbelievable.”

“The UN makes criticism of ex-military personnel doing civilian jobs and in certain cases taking over the function,” he continues. “I remind the UN that after the WW2 [World War II], in the UK, the experience and commitment of former military personnel was put to good use by both Prime Minister Attlee and Churchill. Sri Lanka is in exactly the same situation post war.”

“WW2 lasted six years whereas the conflict with the LTTE lasted nearly three decades largely sustained by global Tamil diaspora communities from various countries including the UK where the LTTE was able to establish its international headquarters,” he emphasises. “The LTTE was militarily defeated in Sri Lanka in 2009. Its many external supporters never largely faced any justice. The LTTE could never have challenged a democratic country if it had not been financed, resourced and supported by a highly sophisticated network of terrorism activists that raised huge funds, often using criminal means.”

The UN Human Rights Council needs to take some steps to address this issue with countries that have been known centres of LTTE fundraising, he urges. “To avoid such investigation is to allow the perpetrators of crimes to feel that they are empowered to repeat their previous actions with impunity. Today, there are clear attempts being made to resurrect the LTTE from outside Sri Lanka, yet law enforcement in foreign countries seem reluctant or blind to this threat. Surely no one wants to allow funds to be raised to finance another war in Sri Lanka.”

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