NAVI PILLAY WARNS AGAINST HARASSING SRI LANKAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

The UN rights chief warned Friday against reprisals on Sri Lankan activists, noting “threats and intimidation” carried out by Colombo in the run-up to a contested resolution vote.

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday adopted to the consternation of Colombo a US-led resolution demanding a probe to violations carried out in Sri Lanka’s battle against Tamil Tigers separatists during their war in 2009.

The run-up to the vote was marked by “an unprecedented and totally unacceptable level of threats, harassment and intimidation directed at Sri Lankan activists who had travelled to Geneva to engage in the debate, including by members of the 71-member official Sri Lankan government delegation,” said Navi Pillay.

“There must be no reprisals against Sri Lankan human rights defenders in the aftermath of yesterday’s adoption by the Human Rights Council of a resolution on Sri Lanka,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In Sri Lanka, media outlets have also been running a “continuous campaign of vilification, including naming and in many cases picturing activists, describing them as an ‘NGO gang’ and repeatedly accusing them of treason, mercenary activities and association with terrorism,” said Pillay.

“Some of these reports have contained barely veiled incitement and threats of retaliation,” she added.

Some were carried by state media outlets or filed by journalists accredited to the Human Rights Council session through the Sri Lankan mission, noted the UN rights chief.

In one example, a video clip carried on website www.adaderana.lk showed a member of parliament Mervyn Silva accusing three activists of giving evidence against Sri Lanka at the council.

“If you get caught by me in Sri Lanka, I will break your limbs in public,” he warned the three in the clip.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan envoy to Geneva himself also received an anonymous letter which UN security and the police are investigating, she said. - AFP

Financial sanctions by US on SL likely-report

Sri Lanka is among eleven countries which may be subjected to American financial sanctions for failing to cut on oil imports from Iran, Russia Today newspaper revealed.

The US State Department has revealed the list of 12 countries including Sri Lanka. The number of countries was mentioned earlier on Tuesday, as Washington announced a penalty waiver for Japan and 10 EU counties which complied with American demands and reduced their purchases. However, the names of the countries were not given.

Four of the countries on America’s anger list are among top 100 buyers of Iranian crude. They are China, India, South Korea and South Africa, with the first two being the two largest buyers.

Also targeted by possible financial sanctions are Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Turkey.

US President Barack Obama may order banks based in those countries and involved in oil trade with Iran to be cut off America’s financial system. On the other hand, he may exempt some of them from sanctions, if US national security demands it. So America’s allies like South Korea or Pakistan may dodge repercussions.

Meanwhile China on Thursday slammed America’s pressure on Iran’s trading partners following the exemption of Japan and European countries from penalties. The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, called the US policy misguided and selfish.

"One stand-out feature of unilateralism is this: that one's own rules become the world's rules. Everyone must respect them, and if you don't, then you will be punished," the paper said in a commentary.

The US is campaigning to cripple Iranian oil export as part of pressuring it into stopping uranium enrichment. In January the EU joined the sanctions with a six-month grace period, while Japan adopted a policy to reduce imports from Iran. Western countries say the Islamic Republic may be trying to build a nuclear weapon under the guise of its civilian nuclear program.

Tehran rejects the allegations. Some counties including UN Security Council members Russia and China say no evidence of such intension is available and oppose economic sanctions against Iran, saying they fail to resolve the problem.

The uncertainty of the situation over Iran has resulted in world oil price gradually climbing over the months. The IMF warned this week that if the flow of crude from the country is abruptly cut, the resulting price shock would deal a serious blow to the global economy.

Why India voted for the resolution on Sri Lanka at UNHRC

By S Venkat Narayan

India's External Affairs Ministry issued the following statement explaining the vote at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva earlier in the day on promotion, reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka:

"India believes that the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights lies with the states. Consequently resolutions of this nature should fully respect the sovereign rights of states and contribute to Sri Lanka's own efforts in this regard.

"India had welcomed the recommendations of Sri Lanka's LLRC report. We believe that there is indeed a window of opportunity to forge a consensual way forward towards reconciliation through a political settlement respecting all the ethnic and religious groups inhabiting the nation. This is, in effect, what the Sri Lankan Government had committed to in this Council in 2009. We have noted the commencement of such a dialogue with several parties, including the Tamil National Alliance.

"The LLRC report recognizes that a political solution is imperative and that the Government of Sri Lanka should provide the leadership to this political process. It further sets out several constructive recommendations including those pertaining to missing persons, detainees, disappearances and abductions, promotion of trilingual policy, reduction of high security zones, curbing activities of illegal armed groups, return of private lands and demilitarization and restoration of civilian administration. This Council has also been briefed by the Government of Sri Lanka in this session on the series of steps taken to implement the report and other measures. We welcome these steps. We are confident that implementation of the report will foster genuine reconciliation.

"India has been involved in a substantial way in the rehabilitation and resettlement efforts, and the reconstruction process in Northern Sri Lanka. We are happy that our engagement in Sri Lanka in the areas of housing, de-mining, education, public health and connectivity have helped restore a degree of normalcy in the area.

"In this context, we urge the Sri Lankan Government to take forward the process of broader dialogue and show concrete movement towards a meaningful devolution of powers, including the implementation of the 13th Amendment and beyond. We would also urge that Sri Lanka takes forward the measures for accountability and to promote human rights that it has committed to. It is these steps, more than anything we declare in this Council, which would bring about genuine reconciliation between all the communities of Sri Lanka, including the minority Tamil community.

"While we subscribe to the broader message of this resolution and the objectives it promotes, we also underline that any assistance from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights or visits of UN Special Procedures should be in consultation with and with the concurrence of the Sri Lankan Government. These are norms which all of us in the Council subscribe to. A democratic country like Sri Lanka has to be provided time and space to achieve the objectives of reconciliation and peace. In this Council we have the responsibility to ensure that our conclusions do contribute to this objective rather than hinder it.

"In conclusion, as a neighbour with thousands of years of cordial relations with Lanka, with deep rooted spiritual and cultural ties, we cannot remain untouched by developments in that country. We have been bound also by a shared quest for freedom and dignity. We will continue to remain engaged with the Government of Sri Lanka to take forward the process of reconciliation to secure for all its citizens a future marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect." OVER

Resolution a harpoon in the skin of country’s politics: Dayan

India’s stance regarding the UN resolution on Sri Lanka was “the most important single factor” at the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, and India voicing its intention of supporting the resolution may have affected the voting of other nations, says Dayan Jayatilleka, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in France.

The former Sri Lankan Permanent Representative to the United Nations said it may have possibly affected the final outcome as countries, which were prepared to vote against the US resolution with Sri Lanka, abstained from voting while countries hoping to abstain from voting had voted in favor of the resolution.

Amidst pressure from Tamil Nadu and DMK, a key ally of the UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in Parliament that India “is inclined to vote in favour of the resolution.”

Subsequently India voted against Sri Lanka by voting in favour of the US sponsored resolution, which was adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council yesterday.

Speaking to Ada Derana today (23) Dr. Jayatilleka stated that the resolution contains several points beyond the LLRC report, especially certain allegation regarding violations of international law as well as seeking assistance and working with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, which according to the him are quite dangerous.

Comparing the resolution on Sri Lanka to a harpoon lodged into the skin of the country’s politics, the Ambassador said, “Whale hunters fire a harpoon with a rope attached to it at the whale. Even as the whale swims away the harpoon is still lodged in it.”

Now Sri Lanka has been hit by a somewhat small harpoon. The harpoon may have been fire to the leg but you cannot say it will have no effect, he added.  

Why India is now inclined to vote in support of US sponsored Resolution on Sri Lanka at UNHRC

By Sumanasiri Liyanage


As The Hindu Newspaper has reported, the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has informed the Lok Sabha that India is “inclined to” vote in favour of a resolution on Sri Lanka [submitted by the United States of America] if it meets ‘our objectives’ with regard to the future of ethnic Tamils.


This is definitely a victory for the US and the political parties in Tamil Nadu, but a severe blow for Sri Lanka’s hope to defeat the US Resolution in Geneva. As things develop, now it seems the resolution would be passed by the UNHRC.


India’s decision to vote for the US resolution gives room for a suspicion that the US consulted India prior to its decision to submit a resolution on Sri Lanka to the UNHRC. Both the domestic politics as well India’s recent inclination towards the US appears to have led Indian government to come to such an unexpected decision. Although the proximate cause of this decision was the protest by the politicians of Tamil Nadu, the decision cannot be explained only by the protest campaign of the Tamil Nadu representatives.


This article intends to examine the factors behind India’s decision. It is interesting to note that the Indian Prime Minister makes some qualification in his speech that gives the impression that its decision is not final. He told the Lok Sabha that India was yet to receive the final text of the draft resolution moved at the UN Human Rights Council. This suggests that India may make an attempt to dilute the resolution when it comes for voting.


In both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the representative of Tami Nadu irrespective of their party affiliation pressured the central government to support the US resolution. It was somewhat hilarious that the Tamil Nadu Communist Party also asked India to vote for the US resolution. The discussion on Sri Lanka took place at a critical conjuncture.


The Union budget was presented to the Indian Parliament a couple of days ago. It has proposed to increase indirect tax significantly. Railway budget proposed to increase rail fare that led Tinamural Congress to force Railway Minister to hand over his resignation. A withdrawal of DMK from the ruling coalition at this stage would be disastrous to the government.


This signifies that Indian federalism has now begun to operate at a different level so that the Union government has to change its course of action because of the pressure of the states ruled by local political formations. Although it is not possible to establish a link, it is interesting to note that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa gave go ahead to Kudankulam nuclear plant on the same day when the Prime Minister informed the Lok Sabha that India would vote for the US resolution.


Secondly, India has every reason not to vote in favour of Sri Lanka because the behaviour of the Sri Lankan government in the post-war period. The Mahinda Rajapaksa government has given so many promises to Indian authorities that it would implement fully the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the measures will be taken to make necessary changes to the Constitution to make 13th Amendment fully operative.


In some instances, the representatives of the Sri Lankan government talked about 13 +. However, since May 2009, the Rajapaksa government has been trying hard to avoid making power-sharing operational. The Governor of the Eastern Province is continuously disrupting the activities of the elected Provincial Council. The election for the Northern Provincial Council was not held.


Democratic political activities in the country in general and in the Northern Province in particular are suppressed. There is no news about Lalith and Kugan, who were arrested a couple of months ago. The government has broken promises given to the Sri Lankan people and to India. Hence, Indian decision can be interpreted as India’s revenge for the Sri Lankan government leaders’ broken promises.


Thirdly and sadly, India’s decision signifies that India cannot emerge in the near future as an independent actor in world politics as this decision has proved that India remains a subaltern in the Indian Ocean Region to the US. Instead of taking lead role on regional matters, India has voluntarily decided to play second fiddle in regional affairs. How do we explain this? Sometime back when President Barack Obama visited India, many middle class Indians made god out of him.


Manmohan Singh government’s priority has been to make India an economic power. Hence, a nuclear deal with the US and the West is portrayed as critical. Similarly, India seems to think that the US support is crucial in order to obtain a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.


India became a prominent and respectable Third World power when it adopted an independent non-aligned foreign policy. It appears that India’s foreign policy has changed significantly during the last decade or so. India’s hands-off policy vis-à-vis Sri Lanka was not just a response to the failure of the IPKF mission and the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, but a continuation of its changing priorities. India’s acceptance to play a second fiddle in the Indian Ocean Region may be response to the emergence of China as world super power and China’s growing role in the India Ocean.


We all know that the US is not concerned with human rights or democracy. As Tariq Ali has correctly pointed out the US is violating basic rights of many peoples in the world. The Obama syndrome is, according to him, characterised by surrender at home and war abroad. As Cho S. Ramaswamy, the editor of the Tamil weekly Thuglak and a former Rajya Sabha member, puts it, US Resolution on Sri Lanka is to divert attention from Israel.


The US used veto power at the UN Security Council a couple of months ago over the resolution on illegal settlement by the Israel government. Recent killings of civilians in Afghanistan are the latest example for its new imperialist strategy. The US has decided to submit a resolution not because it is concerned with human rights or the rights of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, but primarily because of its displeasure over Sri Lankan foreign policy.


India’s decision to vote for the US resolution can be portrayed as its failure to play pro-active role vis-à-vis Sri Lanka since May 2009. It has refused or failed to exert adequate pressure on Mahinda Rajapaksa government. India could have justifiably forewarned Sri Lanka that it would submit a resolution at the UNHRC in 2012 had Sri Lanka failed to take definite action for the resolution of the Tamil national question.


The absence of such forewarning represents a lacuna in Indian foreign policy. The result: to become a subaltern to the US in world politics. Its repercussions on SAARC and its future are yet to be seen

Tamil Nadu Govt increases Police deployment at Koodankulam in readiness for crackdown

by S.P. Udayakumar


The Tamil Nadu State government is increasing the police strength in front of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). Heavy police force has been posted in a few major junctions around Koodankulam. The ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) three DIGs (Deputy Inspector Generals) and ten SPs (Superintendents of Police) are present at Koodankulam.

The Tirunelveli District Collector has been inviting us (specifically five people, S.P. Udayakumar, M. Pushparayan, M.P. Jesuraj, S. Sivasubramanian, and Fr. F. Jayakumar) since last evening to get some clarifications on the petition we had given to the Chief Minister on February 29, 2012.

We pointed out that only our experts could answer those questions. It is pertinent to note that no attempt has been made so far to talk to them by the central or state governments or the expert teams constituted by these governments. In the meantime, the State government’s cabinet is meeting at 12:30 PM and they are expected to announce their stand on the KKNPP issue.

There are rumors that we all could be arrested soon and they may decide to re-start the KKNPP. WE ARE READY! We have a few specific issues we want you to know about though:

[1] The Government of India, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), and the KKNPP have not conducted any emergency preparation drills or evacuation exercises to prepare the people within 30 km radius for any possible nuclear disasters.

If these authorities try to load nuclear fuel rods without doing these mandatory exercises, it would be deemed illegal by India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) rules, IAEA’s and other international stipulations. These authorities should reveal to the world the complete and exhaustive details of these exercises if they had conducted them. The date, time, place, location, and the names of the participants of all these exercises should be revealed by these authorities in concurrence with the District Collector of Tirunelveli

[2] The Government of India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu should consult our experts and study their findings with the help of Indian and international experts if they care for the lives of Indian citizens and not for the profits of Russian corporations.

[3] If the KKNPP reactors are the best in the whole world, why doesn’t Russia want to give any liability to the people? Why do they sign a secretive IGA (Inter-Governmental Agreement) with the Government of India and hide behind such moves and avoid the whole issue of liability?

The tension is increasing; the government is acting in a high-handed manner. Please keep an eye on us.

(S.P. Udayakumar, Ph.D. – IS FROM tamil Nadu, India AND THE CONVENOR OF THE PEOPLES STRUGGLE MOVEMENT PROTESTING A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN KOODANKULAM)

JAYALALITHAA SLAMS MANMOHAN’S “FUTILE” STATEMENT

Dismissing as “non-committal” and “futile” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement on India’s stand on the US-backed resolution on Sri Lanka at UNHRC, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said it made no reference to alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka. 

“He didn’t make any reference to human rights violations. He has not said Sri Lanka will be condemned for these. This is a non-committal and futile reply,” she said reacting to Singh’s statement in the Lok Sabha. 

She said the PM had only said while he did not have the final draft of the resolution, “India was inclined to vote for it and that its objective was to ensure equality, self-respect and dignity for the future of the Tamils.

“Taking a dig at her archrival DMK chief M Karunanidhi for announcing a fast and party high-level committee meeting on the Sri Lankan issue, which he later withdrew citing Singh’s reply, she said he had enacted a drama. 

With parties in Tamil Nadu including UPA’s key ally DMK mounting pressure to support the US resolution in United Nations Human Rights Council against Lanka for its alleged war crimes, the Prime Minister told the Lok Sabha that India was “inclined to” vote in favour of the resolution which meets “our objectives” with regard to the future of ethnic Tamils.  - PTI