ஐ.நா.மனித உரிமை சபையின் 22 ஆவது கூட்டத்தொடரில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படவுள்ள சிங்களம் குறித்த அறிக்கையின் ஆரம்ப வரைபு

ஐ.நா.மனித உரிமை சபையின் 22 ஆவது கூட்டத்தொடரில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படவுள்ள சிங்களம் குறித்த அறிக்கையின் ஆரம்ப வரைபு

Here is the latest UNHCR draft:

1. Welcomes the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka [and urges / calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to implement its recommendations];

2. Reiterates its call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to expeditiously implement the constructive recommendations made in the LLRC report and to take all necessary additional steps to fulfil its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability, [including investigations of violations of international law,] and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans;

3. Urges the Government of Sri Lanka to formally respond to outstanding requests, including by providing unfettered access, by special procedures mandate holders, in particular the Special Rapporteurs on independence of judges and lawyers; human rights defenders; freedom of expression; freedom of association and assembly; extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; minority issues; and the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances; and discrimination against women;

 4. Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights andrelevant special procedures mandate holders to provide, in consultation with, and with the concurrence of, the Government of Sri Lanka, advice and technical assistance on implementing the above-mentioned steps;

5. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, with input from relevant special procedures mandate holders, as appropriate, to present [to the Human Rights Council an interim report at its twenty-fourth session and] a report on the provision of such assistance and progress on reconciliation and accountability, including investigations of violations of international law, and the provision of technical assistance in Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council [in an interactive dialogue] at its twenty-fifth session.”

 

Here is the latest UNHCR draft: ஐ.நா.மனித உரிமை சபையின் 22 ஆவது கூட்டத்தொடரில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படவுள்ள சிங்களம் குறித்த அறிக்கையின் ஆரம்ப வரைபு

Here is the latest UNHCR draft:

ஐ.நா.மனித உரிமை சபையின் 22 ஆவது கூட்டத்தொடரில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படவுள்ள சிங்களம் குறித்த அறிக்கையின் ஆரம்ப வரைபு

Here is the latest draft circulating in Colombo’s diplomatic community as well as in Geneva. Diplomatic sources in Colombo said further changes to the draft were likely.

“Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka
 “The Human Rights Council,
 “Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other
relevant instruments,
 “Recalling Human Rights Council Resolution 19/2 on Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka,
 “Reaffirming that it is the responsibility of the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms
of its entire population,
 “Taking note of the Government of Sri Lanka’s National Plan of Action to Implement the Recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
Commission (LLRC) and its commitments as set forth in response to the findings and recommendations of the LLRC,

“Noting with concern that the National Plan of Action does not adequately address all of the findings and constructive recommendations of the LLRC,
 “Recalling the constructive recommendations contained in the LLRC’s report, including the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of
extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances, demilitarize the north of Sri Lanka, implement impartial land dispute resolution mechanisms, re-
evaluate detention policies, strengthen formerly independent civil institutions, reach a political settlement on the devolution of power to the provinces,
promote and protect the right of freedom of expression for all and enact rule of law reforms,

“Also noting with concern that the National Plan of Action and the LLRC’s report do not adequately address serious allegations of violations of
international law,
 “Expressing concern at the continuing reports of violations of human rights in Sri Lanka [--, including] threats to judicial independence and the rule
of law, [such as the dismissal of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake; enforced disappearances; extra-judicial killings; torture; repression of the
freedoms of expression and assembly; and intimidation of and reprisals against human rights defenders--] and failure by the Government of Sri Lanka
to fulfil its public commitments, including on devolution of political authority to provinces as called for in Sri Lanka’s constitution,

1. Welcomes the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka [and urges / calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to implement its recommendations];

2. Reiterates its call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to expeditiously implement the constructive recommendations made in the LLRC report and to take all necessary additional steps to fulfil its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability, [including investigations of violations of international law,] and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans;

3. Urges the Government of Sri Lanka to formally respond to outstanding requests, including by providing unfettered access, by special procedures mandate holders, in particular the Special Rapporteurs on independence of judges and lawyers; human rights defenders; freedom of expression;
freedom of association and assembly; extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; minority issues; and the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances; and discrimination against women;

 4. Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights andrelevant special procedures mandate holders to provide, in consultation with, and with the concurrence of, the Government of Sri Lanka, advice and technical assistance on implementing the above-mentioned steps;

5. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, with input from relevant special procedures mandate holders, as appropriate, to present [to the Human Rights Council an interim report at its twenty-fourth session and] a report on the provision of such assistance and progress on
reconciliation and accountability, including investigations of violations of international law, and the provision of technical assistance in Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council [in an interactive dialogue] at its twenty-fifth session.”

Human Rights Council will hold its twenty-second regular at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 25 February to 22 March

Human Rights Council to hold twenty-second regular session from 25 February to 22 March

Human Rights Council
BACKGROUND RELEASE

19 February 2013

The Human Rights Council will hold its twenty-second regular at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 25 February to 22 March, starting with a four-day high-level segment in which over 80 ministers and other senior dignitaries will address the Council on human rights matters of national
interest and concern.

During the session, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay as well as with its Special Procedures on the right to food, adequate housing, torture, human rights defenders, arbitrary detention, human rights and counter-terrorism, enforced
disappearances, freedom of religion or belief, human rights and the environment, human rights and foreign debt, the sale of children, private military and security companies and minorities.  The Council will also hear the presentation of reports from the Special Representative of the Secretary-
General on violence against children and the Fact Finding Mission on Israeli settlements.

Interactive dialogues will also be held under the agenda item on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention with experts on Syria, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar and Iran, and under the agenda item on technical assistance and cooperation with experts on Côte
d’Ivoire and Haiti.

A high-level panel on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action will be held on the first day, as well as a panel on human rights mainstreaming on 1 March, which will include an address by Secretary-General Ban ki-moon.  The annual discussion with human rights and persons with disability will be held on 6 March, the annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on 7 March, another panel on the impact of corruption on human rights on 13 March, and the annual thematic discussion on technical cooperation on 19 March.

The Council will consider from 13 to 15 March the final outcomes of Universal Periodic Reviews undertaken on the human rights situations in Czech Republic, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Ukraine, Guatemala, Benin, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan, Peru and Sri Lanka.
 
Following its consideration of the reports, the Council is expected to officially adopt those documents, which include observations and recommendations to concretely improve the human rights situations in those countries.  This will conclude with the general debate on the Universal
Periodic Review.

On the first day, the President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, and the President of the Council, Ambassador Remigiusz Achilles Henczel of Poland, will make opening remarks. The high-level segment will take place from 25 February to 28 February and it will be followed by the High Commissioner presenting her annual report and an interactive dialogue with Ms. Pillay on 28 February and 1 March.  The High Commissioner and Secretary-General’s thematic reports will also be presented on 1 March.

During the week of 4 to 8 March, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with a number of its Special Procedures.  On 4 March, it will meet with the Special Rapporteurs on the right to food, the right to adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, on torture and
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and on human rights defenders.  On 5 March, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Working Group on arbitrary detention, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while
countering terrorism, the Working Group on enforced disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.  Interactive dialogues will be held with the Independent Experts on human rights and the environment and on the effects of foreign debt and other related
international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.  A general debate will be held on 7 and 8 March on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.

On 11 March, the Council will hold interactive discussions with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar and the Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.  In the evening, the High Commissioner and Secretary-General’s country reports will be presented, followed by a general debate.  On 12 March, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with its Independent Expert on minorities, to be followed by the presentation of the reports of its subsidiary bodies: the Forum on Minority Issues, the Social Forum and the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.

The Council will on 18 March hold an interactive dialogue with the independent interactive fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.  In the afternoon, the reports of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General under the agenda item on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories will be presented, followed by a general debate.  On 19 March, general debates on the agenda items on follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action will be held.

On 19 March in the afternoon, an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire will be held.  And on 20 March, an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti will be held.  Also on the same day, general debates will be held on the agenda items on the annual report of the United nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary, and on technical assistance and capacity building.

The Council will hold closed meetings on its Complaint Procedure on Friday, 8 March in the afternoon and Wednesday, 20 March in the afternoon.

Before concluding its session, on 21 and 22 March, the Council will take action on the draft resolutions and decisions tabled during the session.

Scandals and Intrigue Heat Up at Vatican Ahead of Papal Conclave

* Gay sex scandals

* Child sexual abuse by priests

* International criticism of the Vatican Bank’s opaque record-keeping.

* Carefully orchestrated leaks meant to weaken some papal contenders.

* “Divisions, dissent, careerism, jealousies” that  plagued the Vatican hierarchy.



Osservatore Romano, via Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI praying Saturday. The Vatican issued a
sharp rebuke of reports in the Italian news media.

Scandals and Intrigue Heat Up at Vatican Ahead of Papal Conclave
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: February 23, 2013

VATICAN CITY — As cardinals from around the world begin arriving in Rome for a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, new shadows have fallen over the delicate transition, which the Vatican fears might influence the vote and with it the direction of the Roman Catholic Church.

In recent days, often speculative reports in the Italian news media — some even alleging gay sex scandals in the Vatican, others focusing on particular cardinals stung by the child sexual abuse crisis — have dominated headlines, suggesting fierce internal struggles as prelates scramble to consolidate power and attack their rivals in the dying days of a troubled papacy.

The reports, which the Vatican has vehemently refuted, touch on some of the most vexing issues of Benedict’s nearly eight-year reign, including a new round of accusations of child sexual abuse by priests and international criticism of the Vatican Bank’s opaque record-keeping. The recent explosion of bad press, which some Vatican experts say is fed by carefully orchestrated leaks meant to weaken some papal contenders, also speak to Benedict’s own difficulties governing, which analysts say he is trying to address, albeit belatedly, with several high-profile personnel changes.

The drumbeat of scandal has reached such a fever pitch that on Saturday, the Vatican Secretariat of State issued a rare pointed rebuke, calling it “deplorable” that ahead of the conclave there was “a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories, that cause serious damage to persons and institutions.”

The Vatican compared the news reports to past attempts by foreign states to exert pressure on papal elections, saying any efforts to skew the choice of the next pope by trying to shape public opinion were “based on judgments that do not typically capture the spiritual aspect of the moment that the church is living.”

Benedict had addressed at least one past scandal with the Feb. 15 appointment of a new head of the Vatican Bank. It is less clear why he reassigned a powerful Vatican diplomatic official to a posting outside Rome, though experts say it diminishes the official’s role in helping to steer Vatican policy.
On Feb. 11, Benedict made history by announcing that he would step down by month’s end. He said he was worn down by age and was resigning “in full liberty and for the good of the church.” But the volley of news reports that appeared since then appeared to underscore the backbiting in the Vatican that Benedict was unable to control, and provided a hint of why he might have decided that someone younger and stronger should lead the church.

At the conclusion of the Vatican’s Lenten spiritual retreat, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, a papal contender, spoke darkly of the “divisions, dissent, careerism, jealousies” that he said plagued the Vatican hierarchy.

The recent spate of news reports were linked to an earlier scandal in which the pope’s butler stole confidential documents, an episode considered one of the gravest security breaches in the modern history of the church.

Last week, articles in the center-left daily newspaper La Repubblica and the center-right weekly Panorama, which largely did not reveal their sources, reported that three cardinals whom Benedict had asked to investigate the documents scandal had found evidence of Vatican officials who had been put in compromising positions.

The publications reported that, after interviewing dozens of people inside and outside the Vatican, the cardinals produced a hefty dossier. “The report is explicit. Some high prelates are subject to ‘external influence’ — we would call it blackmail — by nonchurch men to whom they are bound by ‘worldly’ ties,” La Repubblica wrote.

Vatican experts speculated that prelates and their associates eager to undermine opponents during the conclave were behind the latest leaks to the news media.

“The conclave is a mechanism that serves to create a dynasty in a monarchy without children, so it’s a complicated operation,” said Alberto Melloni, the director of the John XXIII Center in Bologna and the author of a book on conclaves.

Any effort to tarnish rivals is “part of the great game of the conclave, whose tools include political attacks and efforts to condition consensus,” Mr. Melloni added.

Separately, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the reports were trying to “discredit the church and its government” ahead of the conclave.

The scandals have flourished in the fertile ground of power vacuums, not only at the Vatican but also in Italy, which will hold national elections on Sunday and Monday. The end of Benedict’s papacy also dovetails with what appear to be the waning days of an era dominated by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose media culture was marked by mudslinging.

Some Vatican experts said that recent news reports, which depict the Vatican as an unruly den of scheming Italian prelates, might convince the cardinals to choose a non-Italian pope, or someone farther removed from the Vatican hierarchy.

At the same time, other Italian news reports have seized on a petition by critics who say that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles should not be allowed to attend the conclave, after the release of church files that show how he protected priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

Some Vatican experts read the media reports about Cardinal Mahony as an attempt to undermine any potential American papal candidates.

While the battle lines inside the Vatican hierarchy and the College of Cardinals are difficult to discern, in Mr. Melloni’s view the news reports calling attention to Vatican scandals could shore up the more conservative cardinals who would lean toward electing “a sheriff, not a pope,” a figure who would focus on discipline more than the pastoral aspects of the role.

Analysts said Benedict’s personnel decisions, meanwhile, appeared to reflect his own attempts to shift the power in the Vatican. The recent appointment of Ernst von Freyberg, a German industrialist and aristocrat, as the new director of the Vatican Bank, was aimed, according to the Vatican, at bringing the institution more in line with international banking standards.

And on Friday, the pope named Ettore Balestrero, 46, the Vatican’s undersecretary of state, as papal nuncio in Colombia, also making him a bishop. Technically a promotion, the move was also seen by many Vatican watchers as a way to move the prelate, who played a key role in overseeing the Vatican Bank, away from the power center in Rome.

On Monday, just days before his papacy ends, Benedict is expected to issue a law that would change the rules for electing a new pope, making it possible for the cardinals to start the conclave sooner than the traditional waiting period after the papacy is vacant.

Some non-Italian cardinals worry that might favor those who are based at the Vatican and already know each other rather than cardinals coming from around the world, Vatican experts said.

The same day, the pope is also expected to meet with the three cardinals who compiled the dossier on the stolen document scandal.
================
Source: New York Times

`சுடுகலப் பிரயோகம் தடைசெய்யப்பட்ட வலயம்` - No Fire Zone

Exclusive Interview with Channel 4 director Callum Macrae

புதிய தலைமுறைத் தொலைக்காட்சி

 

`சுடுகலப் பிரயோகம் தடைசெய்யப்பட்ட வலயம்` ஆவணத்திரைப்பட இயக்குநருடன் புதிய தலைமுறைத் தொலைக்காட்சியின் நேர்காணல்.

 

 

 

No Fire Zone Trailer - www.NoFireZone.org

 

Revealed: UK sells arms to Sri Lanka's brutal regime

Revealed: UK sells arms to Sri Lanka's brutal regime

Exclusive: Government database shows that sales continue despite litany of rights abuses

Jerome Taylor  Monday 18 February 2013 The Independent (UK)

Britain is selling millions of pounds worth of small arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka despite the country’s dire human rights record, The Independent can disclose today.

Figures taken from the Government’s own database show how the authorities in Colombo have gone on a buying spree of British small arms and weaponry worth at least £3m.

Some of the items sold to Sri Lanka include pistols, rifles, assault rifles, body armour and combat shotguns – despite the Foreign Office still classifying the South Asian nation as a “country of concern” for rights abuses.

The sales indicate how far President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government has been welcomed back into the international fold by Britain, despite the behaviour of his armed forces during the brutal last few months of the 2009 civil war.The conflict was the culmination of a 30-year conflict with violent Tamil Tiger separatists and resulted in the deaths of between 60,000 and 100,000 people over a four-month period, most of whom were civilians.

Both sides were accused of human rights abuses and although the Sri Lankan government won a comprehensive victory against the Tigers, it has since resisted international calls for an independent investigation into well-documented allegations that Sri Lankan Army soldiers were involved in rape,
torture, extra-judicial killings and the deliberate targeting of civilians.

The figures on Britain’s most recent arms sales come from the Government’s own Export Controls Organisation, which releases quarterly figures.

They reveal that in the three months between July and September last year, the UK approved export licences worth £3.741m, of which just over £3m were military items.

More than £2m of the sales came under the “ML1” label – a category used by the Government to denote small arms and weapons. Export licences were granted on four separate occasions – once in July and three times in August. In total the Government approved the sale of 600 assault rifles, 650 rifles, 100 pistols and 50 combat shotguns. The sales also included £330,000-worth of ammunition and £655,000 in body armour.

It is not clear whether the sales are a one-off or represent a significant increase in British weaponry heading to Sri Lanka. From the beginning of 2008 to June 2012, the value of export licences to Sri Lanka amounted to just £12m.

Nonetheless there were no licence refusals in the third quarter of last year, despite concerns being raised about human rights in Sri Lanka. At the time, judges in the High Court were granting a slew of last-minute injunctions to stop the Government forcibly deporting failed Tamil asylum seekers due
to clear evidence that some of them risked being tortured on their return.

Human Rights Watch, Freedom from Torture and Tamils Against Genocide have documented at least 40 cases where Tamils who were returned to Sri Lanka from European nations in the past two years have been tortured during interrogation by the Sri Lankan authorities.

The rush of sales came just a month after President Rajapaksa was welcomed to Britain alongside fellow Commonwealth leaders to attend the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in June. Although the trip involved no declared business deals, Mr Rajapaksa was photographed shaking hands with the
Queen at a lunch for Commonwealth leaders.

His presence there sparked mass protests by British Tamils who were incensed that Mr Rajapaksa – whose brother Gotabhaya was in charge of the Sri Lankan army during the 2009 war – was being so publicly rehabilitated.



Balachandran Prabhakaran after he was captured

A series of photographs taken a few hours apart and on the same camera, show Balachandran Parabhakaran, son of Villupillai Prabhakaran, head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). One of them shows the boy sitting in a bunker, alive and unharmed, apparently in the custody of Sri Lankan troops. Another, a few hours later, shows the boy’s body lying on the ground, his chest pierced by bullets. ===================

A spokesperson for UK Trade and Investment insisted that Britain has some of the most stringent export regulation in the world when it comes to arms.

But Kaye Stearman, from the Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “Given Sri Lanka’s shameful military record and its continuing abuse of human rights, it seems extraordinary that the Government has approved these export licences for small arms and ammunition. In 2011-12, not a single licence
application for these items was refused, even though the Foreign Office lists Sri Lanka as a ‘country of concern’ for its human rights record.”

Suren Surend-iran, from the Global Tamil Forum, a group based outside Sri Lanka that lobbies for Tamil independence, added: “The Coalition has a lot to answer [for], when especially the recent Foreign Affairs Select Committee report highlights the appalling status of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.”

The final destination of the small arms is not known – but a footnote in the Government’s data suggests some of it may have been intended for “maritime anti-piracy” measures. Sri Lanka is fast turning itself into an anti-piracy hub, centred around the south-western port of Galle where many
ex-navy and army servicemen who fought against the Tamil Tigers are making themselves available for security details on international shipping routes heading towards the pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa.



Balachandran Prabhakaran's body with bullet holes

 The authorities always said Parabhakaran’s son was killed in cross-fire, as troops moved in to take the LTTE’s last stronghold, located on a scrap of coastline near Mullaitivu in the north-east of the country.But the images, contained in a new documentary, No Fire Zone, which will be screened at the Geneva Human Rights Film Festival during the UN Human Rights Council meeting in March, suggest the boy was captured alive and killed at a later stage.
A forensic pathologist who examined the later images for the film-makers, said the boy was shot five times in the chest. Furthermore, propellant burns around the wound suggest he was shot at very close range.
=============================

Anti-piracy measures could also include the Sri Lankan Navy, which has a controversial track record especially when it comes to firing on Indian fishermen from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Over the past few decades hundreds of Indian Tamil fishermen have been shot and killed by Sri
Lankans after they have inadvertently or deliberately strayed into their waters.

Earlier this month, 12 Indian fishermen claimed they were thrashed with sticks by Sri Lankan Navy personnel while fishing near Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India to its neighbour. The Sri Lankan High Commission did not respond to calls to comment on the sales.

Ms Stearman said researchers have increasingly seen anti-piracy measures being used by the Government to justify arms sales but that the final destination for such weapons is often ambiguous. “Since the licence end-user is not listed, and the notes are often worded ambiguously, we don’t
know which weapons are intended for this use,” she said.

“Given that Sri Lanka is now establishing itself as an anti-piracy centre, with operations staffed by ex-military personnel, there must be questions about who the weapons go to, how they are used, and where they end up. This is an area where greater transparency is badly needed.”
=========================================================

Watch Barack Obama's full 2013 State of the Union Address.

 

பிரபாகரனின் கொள்கைகளை முன்னெடுப்பவர்கள் பயங்கரவாதிகள்: யாழ்.கட்டளைத் தளபதி

புலிகளின் தலைவர் பிரபாகரனின் கொள்கைகளை முன்னெடுப்பவர்கள் பயங்கரவாதிகள்: யாழ்.கட்டளைத் தளபதி

[ புதன்கிழமை, 13 பெப்ரவரி 2013, 12:53.20 PM GMT ]

தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் தலைவர் வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரனின் கொள்கைகளை முன்னெடுக்க அனுமதிக்க முடியாதுபோது அக்கொள்கையை முன்னெடுக்க விரும்புகிறவர்கள் பயங்கரவாதிகள் என்றே கருதப்படுவார்கள் என யாழ். மாவட்ட இராணுவக் கட்டளைத் தளபதி மேஜர் ஜெனரல் மகிந்த ஹத்துருசிங்க தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

இது தொடர்பில் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற செய்தியாளர் மாநாட்டில் அவர் மேலும் தெரிவிக்கையில்,

புலிகளின் தலைவர் இறந்து விட்டார். நாட்டில் இனிமேல் அவர் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட எந்த விடங்களையும் மேற்கொள்ள முடியாது. அவரது கொள்கைகளை யாரும் முன்னெடுக்க முடியாது.

கடந்த காலத்தில் மிகவும் பயங்கரமான ஒரு பயங்கரவாதத்தோடு இராணுவத்தினராகிய நாம் சண்டையிட்டோம். இதற்காக பாரிய ஆயுதங்களையும் நாம் பாவித்தோம்.

தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் இலங்கைக்குள் ஒரு தனி நாட்டிற்காக போராடினார்கள். அவர்கள் இன்று அழிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

ஆனாலும் அவர்களின் சில எச்சங்களும், அவர்களுக்கு ஆதரவான சிலரும் இன்றும் தனிநாட்டிற்காகவே போராடுகின்றனர்.

இலங்கையில் இன்னொரு தனிநாட்டு உருவாவதற்கு அரசாங்கம் ஒருபோதும் அனுமதிக்காது. நாமும் அனுமதிக்க மாட்டோம் என்றார்.

WikiLeaks: LTTE’s Motives For Playing A ‘Surprise Card’ In Oslo Were Two Fold – GoSL To US

WikiLeaks: LTTE’s Motives For Playing A ‘Surprise Card’ In Oslo Were Two Fold – GoSL To US
February 11, 2013 | Filed under: Colombo Telegraph,News,STORIES,WikiLeaks | Posted by: COLOMBO_TELEGRAPH

By Colombo Telegraph -

“Taking an evenhanded tone, Palihakkara stated that he surmised the LTTE’s motives for playing a ‘surprise card’ in Oslo were two fold. First, they wanted to demonstrate to the Tamil diaspora, which in large part funds the terrorist organization either willingly or unwillingly, that the E.U. ban had
neither affected their fundraising and recruitment abilities nor their resolve. Second, Palihakkara contended, the LTTE wanted a well-publicized platform from which to release their clearly premeditated ‘Oslo Communiqu’ of June 9: the document may have presaged LTTE military or other violent action against the GSL.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

A Leaked ‘Confidential’ US diplomatic cable, dated June 13, 2006, updated the Secretary of State regarding and a meeting Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead had with Foreign Secretary H. M. G. S. Palihakkara. The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database.
The cable is signed by the US Ambassador to Colombo Jeffrey J. Lunstead.

The ambassador wrote; “Ambassador met with Foreign Secretary Palihakkara on June 13 to discuss the situation after the LTTE scuttling of talks with the GSL in Oslo. Palihakkara said he had opted out of accompanying Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to Oslo to meet with the Norwegians
June 12 in order to wait for Oslo delegation head and Peace Secretariat chief Palitha Kohona’s debrief upon the latter’s return to Sri Lanka.”

“While Palihakkara admitted the possibility of “nasty” Tiger violence, he said, “My gut feeling is that the LTTE is more posturing than substance. I don’t think there will be a major security problem.” On the issue of LTTE refusal to accept EU nationals as members of the SLMM, Palihakkara
recommended patience. “The LTTE needs the SLMM as much as anyone else.” Similarly, Norway is “correctly facing a lot of criticism by trying to accommodate the LTTE” but “Norway must be given some space” to facilitate.” Lunstead further wrote.

Under the subheading “Devolution Think Tank” he wrote;  ”Palihakkara noted that President Rajapaksa is taking a proactive approach to the peace process following the failure of the Oslo talks. Three initiatives include: the appointment of a bipartisan committee or ‘think tank’ of Sri Lankan
academics to draft a proposal for maximum devolution of power to the North and East; ‘humanitarian focal points’ to deal with displaced persons in the East; and increased political dialog with the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and other Tamil groups. ‘The TNA,’ Palihakkara added, ‘is
also in an impossible situation. They are afraid.”‘(Presumably Palihakkara meant that the TNA has little choice but to toe the LTTE line.)”

Read the relevant part of the cable below;
 VZCZCXRO6947
OO RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #0998/01 1641136
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 131136Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3660
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9715
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 6144
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 4179
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 9250
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 3133
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2210
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3044
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0254
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 6695
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 4578
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1209 C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000998
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: FOREIGN SECRETARY DISCUSSES OSLO,
POSITIVELY RECEIVES AMBASSADOR'S DEMARCHE ON TERRORISM
WORKING GROUPS
REF: A. COLOMBO 990 AND PREVIOUS
     ¶B. STATE 94541
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead.  1.4(b,d) ---------------
The Tiger Card
---------------
¶2. (C) Ambassador met with Foreign Secretary Palihakkara on
June 13 to discuss the situation after the LTTE scuttling of
talks with the GSL in Oslo.  Palihakkara said he had opted
out of accompanying Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to
Oslo to meet with the Norwegians June 12 in order to wait for
Oslo delegation head and Peace Secretariat chief Palitha
Kohona's debrief upon the latter's return to Sri Lanka.
¶3. (C) Taking an evenhanded tone, Palihakkara stated that he
surmised the LTTE's motives for playing a "surprise card" in
Oslo were two fold.  First, they wanted to demonstrate to the
Tamil diaspora, which in large part funds the terrorist
organization either willingly or unwillingly, that the E.U.
ban had neither affected their fundraising and recruitment
abilities nor their resolve.  Second, Palihakkara contended,
the LTTE wanted a well-publicized platform from which to
release their clearly premeditated "Oslo Communiqu" of June
9: the document may have presaged LTTE military or other
violent action against the GSL.
------------
Gut Feeling
------------
¶4. (C) While Palihakkara admitted the possibility of "nasty"
Tiger violence, he said, "My gut feeling is that the LTTE is
more posturing than substance.  I don't think there will be a
major security problem."  On the issue of LTTE refusal to
accept EU nationals as members of the SLMM, Palihakkara
recommended patience.  "The LTTE needs the SLMM as much as
anyone else."  Similarly, Norway is "correctly facing a lot
of criticism by trying to accommodate the LTTE" but "Norway
must be given some space" to facilitate.
----------------------
Devolution Think Tank
----------------------
¶5. (C) Palihakkara noted that President Rajapaksa is taking a
proactive approach to the peace process following the failure
of the Oslo talks.  Three initiatives include: the
appointment of a bipartisan committee or "think tank" of Sri
Lankan academics to draft a proposal for maximum devolution
of power to the North and East; "humanitarian focal points"
to deal with displaced persons in the East; and increased
political dialog with the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance
(TNA) and other Tamil groups.  "The TNA," Palihakkara added,
"is also in an impossible situation.  They are afraid."
(Presumably Palihakkara meant that the TNA has little choice COLOMBO 00000998  002 OF 003
but to toe the LTTE line.) LUNSTEAD