GTF proposes two-pronged strategy for reconciliation

GTF proposes two-pronged strategy for reconciliationThe Island March 3, 2012, 6:23 pm

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) yesterday proposed a two-pronged strategy to facilitate national reconciliation process.

GTF spokesman Suren Surendiran said that implementation of positive recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) should be prioritized, while accountability issues addressed through an international investigative mechanism.

A true international effort, with the backing of key regional Governments, will bring real accountability for war crimes and reconciliation between communities in the island of Sri Lanka,
Surendiran said. The Diaspora official told The Sunday Island on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva that there wouldn’t be peace as long
as the government ignored the genuine grievances of the Tamil speaking people.

The following is Surendiran’s statement:

"The United Nations Human Rights Council which is in session in Geneva right now presents a great opportunity for the international community to address the issues of accountability, for the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed by both sides during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka.

Global Tamil Forum (GTF) welcomes the positive recommendations proposed by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) as practical first steps to creating the environment
conducive to reconciliation and asserts that these need to be expeditiously implemented. However, it is almost three years since the end of the war and the Sri Lankan government has demonstrated no commitment to credibly investigate allegations of war crimes, breaches of international humanitarian law and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The failure of domestic efforts to adequately address accountability has given rise to the continuing culture of impunity and grave human rights abuses.

Even the LLRC observed that its own interim recommendations which were issued in September 2010, such as publishing a list of detainees and disarming paramilitary groups, have not been
implemented. This consistent record of non-implementation by the government, and its refusal to take steps towards creating a social and political environment of positive peace and justice remains the most serious problem for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

GTF firmly believes that only an international, independent investigation can secure truth and accountability for what happened during the war and calls upon the international community to take a principled stand, to ensure that the positive LLRC recommendations are implemented in a timely
manner and accountability is addressed through a credible international mechanism, as recommended by the UN Panel of Experts (PoE) in their report, in order to lay the foundations for meaningful reconciliation.

We will continue our work with international governments and non-governmental actors to bring just peace for all Tamil speaking people, all other communities in the island and justice for the victims of war. In this regard and various other matters affecting the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, senior
members of GTF met with senior Foreign Ministry officials of Switzerland in Berne and UN Ambassadors for various African countries in Geneva this week, to discuss how a credible
reconciliation process can be advanced between all communities in the island. GTF members will also be meeting other voting member country Ambassadors and senior Foreign Ministry officials in the coming days.

GTF has, and always will, support the efforts of the international community, with the backing of key regional governments, to pursue a binding commitment from Sri Lanka to seek international expertise and wider international participation to resolve the genuine grievances of the Tamil people, that underpinned decades of conflict, through a durable political solution."

சிறீ லங்காவுக்கு எதிரல்லாத கூட்டமைப்பு, ஜெனீவா செல்வதில்லையென ஒரு மனதாக முடிவு!

ஜெனீவா விவகாரம்; கூட்டமைப்பு எம்.பி.க்களின் சந்தேகத்தை தீர்த்து வைத்தார் சம்பந்தன் .
Saturday, 03 March 2012 03:09 Hits: 425 .

ஜெனீவாவில் நடைபெறும் ஐ.நா. மனித உரிமைகள் பேரவை கூட்டத்தொடரில்
பிரசன்னமாவதில்லையென்ற தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பின் முடிவுக்கு அக்கட்சியின் பாராளுமன்றக் குழு ஏகமனதாக ஆதரவு தெரிவித்துள்ளதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது.

கொழும்பு பம்பலப்பிட்டியில் தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு காரியாலயத்தில் முற்பகல் 11.30 மணி முதல் மாலை 6.30 மணிவரை நடைபெற்ற கட்சியின் பாராளுமன்றக் குழுக் கூட்டத்திலேயே இந்த முடிவு எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ஐ.நா. கூட்டத்தொடரின் போது தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு பிரதிநிதிகள் ஜெனீவாவில் பிரசன்னமாகியிருப்பரென முதலில் முடிவெடுக்கப்பட்டதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்ட நிலையில் கூட்டத் தொடர் தொடங்குவதற்கு இரு நாட்களுக்கு முன் இந்தக் கூட்டத் தொடரில் பிரசன்னமாவதில்லையென பாராளுமன்றக் குழுத் தலைவர் ஆர்.சம்பந்தன் விடுத்த அறிக்கையை
அடுத்து கட்சிக்குள் சிலர் எதிர்ப்புத் தெரிவிக்கவே தமிழ் மக்கள் மத்தியில் இது தொடர்பாக கருத்து மோதல்கள் ஏற்பட்டன.

இந்த நிலையில் இந்த விடயம் கட்சிக்குள் வேறுபட்ட கருத்துருவாக்கம் ஏற்படுவதைத் தவிர்ப்பதற்காக நேற்று பாராளுமன்றக் குழுக் கூட்டம் சம்பந்தன் தலைமையில் கூடி இது தொடர்பாக சுமார் ஏழு மணிநேரம் விரிவாக ஆராயப்பட்டது.

தமிழ்க் கூட்டமைப்பு ஜெனீவா தொடரில் பிரசன்னமாவதில்லையென்ற முடிவுக்கான காரணங்களை சம்பந்தன் இங்கு மிக விரிவாக விளக்கிக் கூறியதுடன், இது தொடர்பாக எம்.பி.க்களின் சந்தேகங்களையும் தீர்த்து வைத்தார்.


இதையடுத்து ஜெனீவாவுக்கு பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் எவரும் செல்வதில்லையென்ற முடிவை அனைத்து எம்.பி.க்களும் ஏற்றுக்கொண்டனர்.
அத்துடன் ஐ.நா. மனித உரிமைகள் பேரவையில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படவுள்ளதாக எதிர்பார்க்கப்படும் இலங்கைக்கு எதிரான பிரேரணை வெற்றிபெறுவதற்காக தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு இதுவரை எவ்வாறான நடவடிக்கைகளை மேற்கொண்டதோ அவற்றைத் தொடர்ந்தும் முன்னெடுக்குமெனவும்
உறுதியாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.

மேலும் இந்த விடயத்தால் தமிழ் மக்கள் குழப்பமோ ஏமாற்றமோ
அடையத் தேவையில்லையெனவும் தமிழ் மக்கள் ஒற்றுமையாகவும் ஒருமித்தும் செயற்பட்டு தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்புக்கு ஆதரவு வழங்க வேண்டுமெனவும் கோரப்பட்டுள்ளது.

நன்றி: தினக்குரல்
http://www.thinakkural.com/news/all-news/local/10684-2012-03-02-21-42-01.html

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TNA not against Sri Lanka - Suresh Written by  Arthur Wamanan

Sunday, 04 March 2012 00:00

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Suresh
Premachandran says they will continue to monitor the progress
at the UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva and accepts
some TNA members are unhappy over R. Sambanthan’s statement to the media made on last Saturday. The MP told The Nation that they had a meeting last Friday and sorted out the
miscommunications and issues among TNA affiliated parties.

Q. TNA members met last Friday. What did you discuss and what were the outcomes?

TNA Parliamentarians met to discuss on several issues including current political issues and the issues relating to the Geneva human Rights Council. We discussed at length what should be done and the stance we should take for these  issues.

Q. What have you decided with regard to the UNHRC sessions in Geneva?

We decided not to go to Geneva and stick to our position while monitoring the progress from Sri Lanka. We will act in a way beneficial to the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.

Q. TNA had released a statement that it would not attend the Geneva sessions. Was there any issue within TNA due to this decision?

I wouldn’t say there was a problem with the decision. But, yes, there were certain issues raised because of the way it was handled. But that has been settled now.

Q. You said a disagreement was within the party over the way it was handled. What do you mean by it?

The TNA had decided not to attend the Geneva sessions. A statement was issued mentioning the TNA’s decision and the reasons behind it. But, it was not done in consultation with other TNA parliamentarians. We thought that we should have been consulted before making such a statement. We took that issue at the meeting and the matter is solved now.

Q. Sampanthan had also written to the UNHRC member countries urging them to support the resolution against Sri Lanka. Don’t you think that this would create problems within Sri Lanka even
though TNA is not present in Geneva?

No. I don’t think that it would create problems. That is not the intention. We have been talking to the international community for a long period of time and we have raised several issues with them. We have not told anything new. We don’t know what is going to happen as the resolution has not been passed yet.

Q. But, the TNA initially said that it wouldn’t attend the Geneva sessions as it does not want to disrupt the process in Sri Lanka. Don’t you think that this letter to the member countries would contradict that stance?

No. I don’t think that it would be contradictory because we have written to the countries to push the government to address some concerns we have raised. We have concerns with regard to
accountability. This is just to push the government to take steps and to address our concerns. We are not against Sri Lanka.

India bails out Lanka on rights resolution

India has said it is against “country specific” resolutions because they may weaken the constructive dialogue and cooperative approach of the UNHRC.

India bails out Lanka on rights resolution
P K Balachandran
Express News Service
Last Updated : 03 Mar 2012 08:15:15 AM IST

COLOMBO: In a move that should help Sri Lanka out at the 19th sessi­on of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Gene­va, India has said it is against “country specific” resolutions because they may weaken the constructive dialogue and cooperative approach of the UNHRC.

The United States was expected to move a resolution   at the UNHRC session, censuring Sri Lanka over alleged war crimes against Tamils during the civil war.

An Indian statement, read out by a delegate at Thursday’s session and published on UNHRC’s website, said the strength of UNHRC lay in its adherence to principles of “objectivity, transparency, non-selectivity, non-politicisation and non-confrontation.” And to sustai­n these attributes, UNHRC would need to ensure “inclusi­veness and emphasise dialogue and cooperation,” it and must be guided by “prudence rather than strategic expediency.”

“India is concerned that the recent trend and spate of country-specific resolutions may well end up weakening the constructive dialogue and cooperative approach which has prevailed so far in the Human Rights Council,” the statement said.

In India’s view, the most appropriate forum for discussing the rights situation in any specific country will be when the UNHRC takes up that country’s case under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) regime.

“We believe the Universal Periodic Review enjoys a broad support, since it avoids selectivity, and provides for the human rights record of all UN member states to be subject to peer review. The enthusiastic participation by member states in the UPR process in the first cycle, underscores the success of this important mechanism,” the Indian statement said.

Sri Lanka’s rights record is to come up for UPR in October. Colombo has asked for time till then to implement recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, which the US and the Western bloc has been demanding.

காங்கிரசும் பி.ஜே.பி யும் இந்தியப் பாசிசத்தின் இரு முகங்களே!