Sri Lanka: A Paradise turned into Kingdom of Vultures!

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INDICTMENT AGAINST SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka's Genocidal War '08 -'09
...after Abrogation of Ceasefire: War Crimes & State Terrorism

UN Security Council Press Statement, 13 May 2009 - "A Wake up Call"

Text of Statement Report by Huffington Post

Comment by tamilnation.org It appears that what we wrote nearly 4 months ago on 29 January 2009 in Sinhala Sri Lanka's Genocide of Eelam Tamils - a Crime Against Humanity, has now come to pass -

"...the international community will wait till Tamil resistance is sufficiently weakened or annihilated before it attempts to intervene 'on humanitarian grounds' and in seeming response to 'world wide Tamil appeals'. Meanwhile the IC will even welcome such world wide appeals by Tamils as that will pave the way (and establish useful contact points amongst the Tamil diaspora) for IC's eventual intervention with 'development aid' with the mantra of not conflict resolution but 'conflict transformation'.Give them cake when they ask for freedom from alien Sinhala rule. A conquered people should be grateful for whatever they can get - though there may not be not enough cake to go round. The Tamil people are being taught the truth of something which Subhas Chandra Bose said many years ago - Freedom is not given, it is taken... "

We said it again three months ago in The Politics of Humanitarian Intervention, 24 February 2009 -

'Humanitarian intervention' to prevent the humanitarian tragedy that is taking place in the Tamil homeland, had it been early, would have been kind. But the belated attempts that are being made today expose not the humanitarian concerns of the international actors but the strategic interests that impel the international actors to act the way they do. After all the simplest thing that the international actors could have done to protect the Tamil people would have been to remove the ban on the LTTE so that the capacity of the people of Tamil Eelam to resist the genocidal onslaught launched on them by Sinhala Sri Lanka may have been strengthened. The simple and humane thing that the international actors could have done was not to taunt the struggles against terrorism with the label terrorism but to adopt a principle centered approach which liberated political language and also helped to liberate a people who have taken up arms as a last resort in their struggle for freedom from oppressive alien Sinhala rule. .."

Predictably, the UN Security Council has called upon the LTTE to "allow the tens of thousands of civilians still in the conflict zone to leave". If not for the humanitarian tragedy faced by the people of Tamil Eelam caused by the genocidal onslaught by Sinhala Sri Lanka, the UN Security Council suggestion that but for the LTTE, Tamil civilians would some how want to voluntarily leave the conflict zone to go into barbed wire concentration camps would be laughable.

Sri Lanka: A Paradise turned into Kingdom of Vultures!

Wije Das was right to point out in Army�s war crimes continue in northern Sri Lanka on 13 May 2009

"..The army�s attacks on hospitals and other civilian targets are not accidents but part of a strategy of terrorising the population inside the remaining LTTE territory. The aim is to stampede civilians into leaving the area so that it can be turned into a free fire zone.."

And we said in our Open Letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 6 April 2009 -

"Genocides do not just happen.. Mao Tse-tung's famous dictum that the guerrilla moves amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea has brought with it the counter guerrilla strategy of draining the sea.... You will recall that it was a strategy which was spelt out with candour by US supported Guatemala Gen. Efrain Rios Montt in the 1980s - "The guerrilla is the fish. The people are the sea. If you cannot catch the fish, you have to drain the sea." .... It is unfortunate that the US policy that you have adumbrated in your letter labels the 'sea' in which the guerrilla swims as a 'human shield' and appears directed to help draining the sea by evacuating the Tamil civilian population from their homeland in the Vanni to camps - albeit supervised/overseen by the international community so that the US and the 'international community' (presumably not including China and/or Iran and/or even India) may secure their own physical presence in the island, through international NGOs and/or the United States Pacific Command... I have tried to understand the reasons for your denial of the justice of the struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam for an independent state - an independent state which may associate on equal terms and in freedom with an independent Sinhala Sri Lankan state. I am driven to the conclusion that it is the dynamics of the balance of power in the Indian Ocean region that leads you to give your support to the continued existence of an undivided Sri Lanka. It appears that you are concerned that support for an independent Tamil Eelam may lead to an increased Chinese/Iranian presence in Sinhala Sri Lanka and in the Indian Ocean region. At the sametime, you will recognise that a 'post genocide' Sri Lanka will prove to be no different to Saddam Hussien's Iraq which the US supported in Iraq's war against Iran..."

The UN Security Council Press Statement (not Resolution) reflects the horsedealing that went on before unanimity was found and the real politick nature of its deliberations behind the pretensions of humanitarian concern -

"Russia, China, Libya and Vietnam had opposed putting the issue on the agenda of the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, considering the war an internal matter rather than a threat to international peace and security. But they relented in issuing a statement after the Western council members agreed to discuss a U.N. report on Israel's war in January in Gaza that the United States and its allies did not want raised, diplomats said. The council issued a brief press statement, shorter than the one on Sri Lanka, expressing concern about the report's findings, which were critical of Israel." Report by Huffington Post, 14 May 2009

And as for the actions of the so called Western Council members, Wije Das was again right to point out in Army�s war crimes continue in northern Sri Lanka on 13 May 2009 -

"...The US, France and Britain have been issuing hypocritical expressions of concern about the humanitarian crisis, but all these powers quietly backed Rajapakse�s decision to plunge the country back to war in mid-2006. Their calls for a ceasefire are not issued out of concern for the trapped civilians, but to shape the outcome of the war in their own economic and strategic interests. All these powers bear their share of political responsibility for the Sri Lankan government�s communal war and the war crimes being carried out."

The UN Security Council Press Statement will provide a wake up call to those in the Tamil diaspora who sought to rely on the 'humanitarian concerns' of the international community to secure freedom and justice for the people of Tamil Eelam. We have said it before and we say it again. There are two ongoing conflicts in the island of Sri Lanka. One is the conflict between a Sinhala nation masquerading as a Sri Lanka 'civic' nation and a Tamil Eelam nation seeking freedom from alien Sinhala rule. The other is the conflict between the trilaterals (US, EU, and Japan), India and China in the Indian Ocean region. The harsh political reality is that each of the three international actors seek to resolve the Sinhala/Tamil conflict in such a way that embeds their own presence in the island of Sri Lanka.
The Tamil people are being taught the truth of something which Subhas Chandra Bose said many years ago - Freedom is not given, it is taken. Stephen Covey was right when he declared: 'Borrowing strength builds weakness. It builds weakness in the borrower because it reinforces dependence on external factors to get things done. It builds weakness in the person forced to acquiesce, stunting the development of independent reasoning, growth and internal discipline. And finally it builds weakness in the relationship. Fear replaces cooperation, and both people involved become more arbitrary and defensive... ' 'Thongura' power is no power. It builds weakness, stunts independent growth and replaces cooperation with fear. And those who may be seduced by 'thongura power' will find the words of Sri Aurobindo helpful -

"Our appeal, the appeal of every high souled and self respecting nation, ought not to be to the British sense of justice, but to our own reviving sense of manhood, to our own sincere fellow feeling - so far as it can be called sincere - with the silent suffering people of India. I am sure that eventually the nobler part of us will prevail, - that when we no longer obey the dictates of a veiled self interest, but return to the profession of a large and genuine patriotism, when we cease to hanker after the soiled crumbs which England may cast to us from her table, then it will be to that sense of manhood, to that sincere fellow feeling that we shall finally and forcibly appeal."

In Tamil Eelam today, though the charge is genocide, the struggle is for freedom.

Text of Statement

The following Security Council press statement on Sri Lanka was read out today by Council President Vitaly Churkin ( Russian Federation):

The members of the Security Council express grave concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in north-east Sri Lanka, in particular the reports of hundreds of civilian casualties in recent days, and call for urgent action by all parties to ensure the safety of civilians.

The members of the Security Council strongly condemn the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for its acts of terrorism over many years, and for its continued use of civilians as human shields, and acknowledge the legitimate right of the Government of Sri Lanka to combat terrorism.

The members of the Security Council demand that the LTTE lay down its arms and allow the tens of thousands of civilians still in the conflict zone to leave.

The members of the Security Council express deep concern at the reports of continued use of heavy calibre weapons in areas with high concentrations of civilians, and expect the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitment in this regard.

The members of the Security Council demand that all parties respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.

The members of the Security Council call on the Government of Sri Lanka to take the further necessary steps to facilitate the evacuation of the trapped civilians and the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to them.

The members of the Security Council take note of the steps taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the humanitarian situation of displaced persons and call on the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the security of those displaced by the conflict and to cooperate with the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other international humanitarian organizations in providing humanitarian relief and access to them as soon as they leave the conflict zone.

The members of the Security Council reiterate support for the personal involvement of the UN Secretary General and urge the Government of Sri Lanka to extend full cooperation to the United Nations in order to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

The members of the Security Council, mindful of the necessity to find a long-term solution without the threat of violence, underline that the needs of all communities in Sri Lanka have to be addressed.

Report by Huffington Post, 14 May 2009

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council finally spoke out on the tragedy in Sri Lanka, telling the government to stop firing heavy artillery at civilians in a war zone and the Tamil Tiger rebels to "lay down their arms" and allow non-combatants to leave the conflict area.

But the statement, endorsed by all 15 member nations on Wednesday, was issued to the press rather than at a formal meeting or in a legal document. Still the action, the body's first response to the bloody conflict, was considered by its main sponsors - Britain, France and Austria, backed by the United States - as putting public pressure on Sri Lanka.

Said Britain's U.N. Ambassador John Sawers: "This is an important step forward by the Security Council....We have for the first time produced an official written statement by the council addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka."

The move came in response to the largest report attack on civilians over the weekend, called a "bloodbath" by a U.N. spokesman. Hundreds were reported killed after government troops attacked a narrow strip of northeast beach territory in an effort to surround the rebels. Some 50,000 civilians are believed trapped in what was once a "no-fire zone." U.N. figures last month estimated that more than 6,400 civilians had been killed in three months of fighting this year, many used as human shields by the Tamil Tigers who have not let them leave the zone.

President Obama in Washington also spoke out forcefully , telling reporters: "Tens of thousands of innocent civilians are trapped between the warring government forces and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka with no means of escape, little access to food, water, shelter and medicine," he said. "Without urgent action, this humanitarian crisis could turn into a catastrophe."

He urged the Tamil Tigers to halt warfare and release civilians and said the government should stop using heavy weapons, stop "indiscriminate shelling" and allow international aid groups access to refugees in camps, some reported in deplorable condition.

Russia, China, Libya and Vietnam had opposed putting the issue on the agenda of the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, considering the war an internal matter rather than a threat to international peace and security. But they relented in issuing a statement after the Western council members agreed to discuss a U.N. report on Israel's war in January in Gaza that the United States and its allies did not want raised, diplomats said. The council issued a brief press statement, shorter than the one on Sri Lanka, expressing concern about the report's findings, which were critical of Israel.

The Council's Sri Lanka statement "strongly" condemned the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) "for its acts of terrorism over many years and for its continued use of civilians as human shields." It acknowledged the "legitimate right of the Government of Sri Lanka to combat terrorism" and demanded the LTTE lay down its arms and allow "tens of thousands" of civilians in the conflict zone to leave.

It said the Sri Lankan government should "fulfill its commitment" in regard to reports "of continued use of heavy caliber weapons in areas with high concentrations of civilians." The Council also called on the government to allow "urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance" and to cooperate with aid groups, such as the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Colombo government has said it stopped using heavy artillery in that area almost three weeks ago. But there have been steady reports from the region of indiscriminate artillery raids by government forces, including attacks on makeshift hospitals.

The description of a "bloodbath" came on Monday from the U.N. spokesman in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss: "The U.N. has consistently warned against the bloodbath scenario as we've watched the steady increase in civilian deaths over the last few months. The large-scale killing of civilians over the weekend including the deaths of more than 100 children, shows that that bloodbath as become a reality."

Sri Lanka, a former British colony, has been wracked by violent conflict for most of the past 25 years, suffering more than 100,000 deaths in fighting between the separatist Tamil Tigers, who traditionally lived in the northern and eastern regions, and Sinhalese, who inhabit the central and southern regions. A peace process began in 2002 but talks broke down and a ceasefire agreement crumbled in 2006 when full-scale military action resumed. The fighting escalated in 2008, with the government having won nearly all the territory in the Northern Province.