http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2012/02/12/main_Editorial.asp

Reposing faith in PSC vital
Over the past five years LTTE
sympathisers have invariably timed their anti-Sri Lanka campaigns prior to the
United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) sessions. This time around, there
is no exception as the next UNHRC session comes up in Geneva next month.
A section of the Tamils outside Sri Lanka, LTTE sympathisers and several
INGOs are making a concerted effort to sully Sri Lanka's image and bring the
country's Security Forces into disrepute. They have already set their hidden
agendas in motion in a well orchestrated manner, in the hope that they could
impress the UNHRC by projecting a gloomy picture of Sri Lanka.
Only last week, it was reported that Amnesty International (AI) had received
50,000 Canadian dollars from the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), widely
considered a front organisation of the LTTE, which was crushed militarily in May
2009.
The controversial donation to AI was made known officially by CTC Chief
Suntharamoorthy Umasuthan at a recent Thai Pongal dinner at the Grand Baccus
Banquet and Conference Center, 2155 McNicoll Ave., Scarborough.
It was disclosed that there were over 500 guests, each forking out a neat 100
Canadian dollars. Politicians representing major political parties, including
the ruling party were among those present. Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty was
a special guest at the fund-raiser, along with Tamil National Alliance (TNA)
Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran. At a time AI has descended to its lowest ebb
by guzzling monies collected through LTTE shadow organisations, could anyone
expect impartial conduct from the international human rights watchdog?AI is one
of the few vociferous organisations campaigning for an international inquiry
into alleged human rights violations and accountability issues in the final
phase of Sri Lanka's relentless battle against terrorism. Surprisingly, some
INGOs such as the AI and certain countries seem to be unduly perturbed over the
human rights of LTTE terrorists who were killed, rather than the thousands of
innocent civilians who had been harassed and brutally massacred by the same
ruthless terrorists.
CTC has been spearheading a campaign in Canada to move a resolution against
Sri Lanka at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva over
accountability issues. Nevertheless, CTC's intentions became abundantly clear
after its lavish contributions to AI.
Rather than making a sincere effort in Sri Lanka's reconciliation process, AI
continues to level baseless charges against the Government with loads of false
allegations and concocted stories merely to satisfy the CTC and other shadow
LTTE organisations. AI, which is hand in glove with the US-based Human Rights
Watch (HRW) and International Crisis Group (ICG) turned down an invitation to
testify before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).
The CTC Chief, in his address, thanked Canadian Premier Stephen Harper and
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for supporting their 'cause'. One could well
and truly understand the conduct of Harper and Baird who targeted Sri Lanka at
the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in Perth last year. At the time
Canada raised Sri Lanka's 'accountability issue' at the UNGA and opposed Sri
Lanka being the host of CHOGM 2013. Thanks to the majority support of
Commonwealth member countries which firmly stood by Sri Lanka, crafty moves to
take the 2013 CHOGM out of Sri Lanka were stifled.
Nevertheless, LTTE ghosts, backed by their international sympathisers, spared
no pains in exerting pressure on Sri Lanka. A few countries, which project
themselves as the godfathers of human rights and champions of the global battle
against terrorism, seem diffident to come to terms that Sri Lanka was the only
country to eradicate terrorism. They infer that the country's strong political
leadership, which received clear mandates from the masses at every given
opportunity, is the key to the country's success in all spheres.
Certain international organisations are flexing their muscle to create a
political leadership that would dance to their whims and fancies. Knowing only
too well that the masses have pledged unflinching support to the President and
his Government, these 'elements' are doing their utmost to destabilise the
country. By this, they are attempting to rob Sri Lanka's hard-earned peace,
achieved amidst immense sacrifices by the valiant Security Forces.
All ethnicities in Sri Lanka should face this hidden challenge courageously
and expose it to the international community. Sri Lanka's steadfast unity would
send a strong signal to the international community. As President Mahinda
Rajapaksa highlighted in Sri Lanka's 64th Independence Day address, the
conspiracies and terrorists' overseas propaganda have still not abated. When
such things happen abroad, some people resort to various tactics to destabilise
the motherland. They look forward to achieve in Sri Lanka certain results
similar to those countries. These groups are one and the same. The fuel and
nutrition for this struggle in Sri Lanka are received from separatists active in
foreign lands.
Sri Lanka would certainly not benefit by trying to appease the separatist
groups which receive foreign funds. In the same vein, solutions cannot be
secured by implementing the proposals of extremist groups of whatever
persuasion, as emphasised by the President. The need of the hour is the
formulation of policies based on a vision that is commonly applicable to the
entire country.
The international community should let Sri Lanka solve its internal problems
through a home-grown solution. They should not attempt to force any solution
down our throat. When terrorism was at its peak, threatening to destroy the
island, none of these countries, which shed crocodile tears over human rights
issues here, uttered a word in support of Sri Lanka. But thanks to the
indefatigable efforts of a few friendly countries which sincerely stood by Sri
Lanka in its battle against terror, Sri Lankans today enjoy the dividends of
peace.
As a democratic state in Asia, Sri Lanka has practised universal suffrage
irrespective of gender discrimination for the longest period. It is committed to
defend the rights of people to make and break governments through universal
suffrage. Parliament, with its elected representatives from various political
parties, ethnic communities and religions, is the supreme democratic
institution.
Hence, the mechanism to meet the aspirations of all communities lies entirely
with the Parliament. Sri Lankans, irrespective of caste and creed should repose
faith in the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee in a true spirit of
democracy, rather than relying on imported solutions and foreign influences.