28 March, 2024

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Rajapaksa Has Little Interest In Thorough Investigation, Brooks No Criticism: New York Times Editorial

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has little interest in a thorough investigation and his government’s systematic persecution of journalists and other critics amply demonstrates that he brooks no criticism, the New York Times said in its editorial today (3).

“Nobody should be naïve about the motives or intentions of Mr. Rajapaksa,” the NYT editorial board said.

mahindaThe highly respected newspaper said that while it would be easy for the world and American officials to give up their demands for accountability given that nearly five years have passed since the end of the war, that would be tragic and would signal to public officials that they might never have to answer for mass murder.

The newspaper’s editors said that it was also true that international pressure has forced Rajapaksa to make some decisions that he would not have made on his own. “For example, in September, the country held regional elections in the Tamil-dominated Northern Province that it had been resisting for years. The new provincial council recently voted to call for an independent war crimes investigation,” the New York Times editorial read.

“It is important that the world stand with those Sri Lankans who have demanded a full accounting of what happened during the war,” it added.

The NYT Editorial Board said it had been a good move by Washington to send US Assistant Secretary of State for South And Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal to the island last weekend “to press the case with public officials and community leaders.”

“A United Nations panel reported that as many as 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the last stages of the conflict, many of them by military shelling. But the country’s government has failed to hold officials accountable and has resisted every effort by the international community to do so. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has largely ignored two resolutions adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council calling for Sri Lanka to investigate war crimes by both security forces and the separatist Tamil Tigers,” the editorial said.

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Latest comments

  • 29
    2

    This man`s stupidity will not allow him to study anything being passed towards good for the country. They are just frogs in well mentality, have difficulties to see beyond.

    Once british premier stressed him to see for an independent war crime investigation was instantly attacked by saying ” those who are in glass houses must not throw stones at others”.

    • 15
      3

      We should send this bugger to Saudi Arabia where throwing of stones is permitted by law. The rest is understood!

      • 5
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        Did NYT write editorials when US forces killed 1.2 million Iraqis??

        What a hypocrisy ???

        • 6
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          John

          “Did NYT write editorials when US forces killed 1.2 million Iraqis?? What a hypocrisy ???”

          Its a good question you never asked those leader writes many moons ago.

          Drop NYT a line, questioning its hypocrisy, lets see what happens.

          In the mean time lets deal with war crimes committed by Sri Lankan state since 5th April 1971.

        • 2
          0

          focusing on the very term highlighted by you -IRAK, the day
          on which this megalomaniac will be excuted is nearing. All right respecting folks should get read to share the nektar together – if UN will fail to do so – the masses in the country get mobilised to corner the most rhythless lanken leader in ascending next pres. election – remove him by every means – clearing safe ground for a leader with human face to get elected by people´s likes.

  • 8
    6

    Guess the NYT Editorial board didn’t get the memo from Michael Roberts about the war being all the imagination of the pro diaspora western media ?

    Or is the NYT under the zionist Nessman, who he forewarned us about only a few days ago :-D

    • 3
      3

      So if a proper impartial open investigation is conducted Michel Robert could be proved right.
      You should point this out to MR. It is in his best interest.

    • 1
      4

      It really is the height of stupidity to imply the Pro Israel crowd in the US give a dam about war crimes investigations in SL and that they want Mahinda removed. India supports Mahinda and will do anything to destroy Tamils , and India is very much in bed with the Pro Israel crowd. India was very pro active and hands on in supportinf GOSL for atleat 20 odd years and continues to do so diplomatically and at the UN.

  • 4
    4

    The last time we heard of the Zionist plot to take over the world was from the Nazi’s :

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion

    I hope someone is not suggesting the same, having run out of other ideas.

  • 10
    3

    Excellent editorial. The outside world has seen Rajapaksa’s deception long enough. The dictator has been caught out and will get his comeuppance at the next UNHRC meeting

    • 1
      2

      American Exceptionalism needs to be protected at all costs, and NO leader of another nation must even be allowed to mimic the US leader even in a minor way. Is the NYT any different from the Sri Lankan newspapers ?

  • 10
    5

    Monkey Mahinda soon will join Gaddafi in hell.

    • 3
      3

      My regards to Prabhakaran etc.

      • 5
        3

        Looks like your in love with the bastard Mahinda Jarawapaki. Paul are you sucking [Edited out]?

        • 4
          4

          Ha Ha! If you can’t keep your foul Tamil language to yourself, CT will continue to edit your deeply intellectual contributions.

  • 1
    1

    Regime cannot fool all the people all the time. People can no longer issue blank cheques to the regime to implement Justice and Accountability. Facism instead of Justice is not an option.

  • 1
    2

    Rajapakse’s international defence is ‘wasn’t I fighting the same war on terrorism, similar to that which the west was fighting?’ and ‘I saved thousands from a doomed organisation, as well’. At home he tells us ‘the path to peace is strewn with dead bodies, what to do? Everyone suffered losses’ and now the ‘meddling foreigners are trying to disrupt our country’. So, as those charged with policing our shrinking world ponder what to do next, the President has capitalised on his holding all the cards and is busy building succession, whilst around him, ministers and their sycophantic followers plunder and loot the country, law and order has gone to the dogs, what passes for Justice is on holiday, statisticians produce miraculous figures to show how the economy is thriving, and those journalists who can avoid the bullet, gun and white van, dart about in their newly acquired vehicles filing obsequious copy from shiny new laptops. All that our beloved President has to do now, to become the Papa Doc of the east, is to tour the country tossing rapidly devaluing one hundred rupee notes out of the window of his bullet proof four-by-four. You really cannot make it up!

  • 2
    2

    A short article telling exactly what MR is.

    Even this week we had another journalist killed.
    Karma is a bitch. It will come for you even if you are a king.

  • 4
    1

    Sri Lanka refuses visa to high-ranking US official

    In what is likely to be treated as a major diplomatic insult, the Sri Lankan Government has refused a visa to US Ambassador at Large for Women`s Issues, Catherine Russell, forcing her to cancel a high-level visit scheduled for February 10-11.

    ———————————————-

    Rajathuma is digging his own grave. -:(

    • 0
      0

      Sumith ,can you quote the link !

  • 0
    1

    If anyone can expect any imagination or a semblance of it from an egotist and a fox.. he must be mistaken. this man has now reached a position now to which he will and have to stoop down to any levels to keep the lives of his and his kith and kin and his ‘yessssssss’ men and women happy and safe.
    All the attention and the resolutions brought against his regime will only bolster him to feed back all sort of absurd theories and explanations for which only he can understand.
    The West and the Euro unions and organisations are responsible for his rise and this dictatorial attitude……and only they can undo it in the own overt or covert methods.

  • 0
    1

    Living upon offering bribes as usual

  • 4
    3

    Organized Religious degnetories such as father Emmanuel and Rayappu Joseph via trible Tamil diaspora are executing the plan hatched by the Western bosses. This has given birth to renewed patriotism locally, just what Rajapakse wants. That in turn gives energy to Buddhist activism. Arabian type fundamentalism may be emerging locally.

    This plot can fail. The will of the people is stronger by the new found freedom from terrorism,and economic boost, thank to Rajapakse doctrine. Amb Nisha Biswal, was dilusional in Colombo.

    UK and USA is hopelessly looking for another “Weapons of Mass Destruction” site like Iraq, in Asia. China taken a more clever role in funding economic boom. Who will have the last laugh?

    • 1
      3

      That’s a first: A sinhala racist parading as a Tamil. If there were two of you you could be put in the shafts of a double bullock cart in which your heroes could ride to the guillotine!

      • 0
        0

        There does seem to be a few posters who are Obviously Sinhala Nationalists masquerading as Tamil.

  • 4
    1

    Rajafucksas are the war criminals.

    They killed millions of Tamils and raped a hundred thousand Tamil women.

    How can the investigate? They KNOW.

    • 5
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      Either you must be bitten by a mad dog or got molested by a buddhist monk Fathima.

  • 2
    0

    But Rajafucksa will go to hell dragging at least 3 million Tamils with him.

    He has nothing to lose! :)

    He can be an eternal hero if he does that.

    • 2
      0

      Still searching for your dad on CT? Why don’t you ask CT to find the Tamil man who left your Sinha-lame mother.

  • 3
    1

    What hypocrisy! Remember when the US invaded Grenada? It was condemned as a flagrant violation of international law by Britain, Canada and the UN General Assembly. The US beats the war drums and then invades a country – shades of Iraq perhaps? Watch out Lanka…

  • 3
    3

    It is down right unethical for the board of editors of NYT to write lies as facts. Then again, how can any one expect ethics from the Americans.
    The Darusman report was not a UN sanctioned report but a private Ban Ki Moon report which he assured will only be used for the purpose of expert advice. Ban Ki Moon did that due arm twisting by the witch of the century Hilary Clinton.

    • 1
      1

      my my someone has hatred against many people, suffering from ulcers by any chance?

  • 4
    0

    His days are numbered

  • 0
    0

    This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/

  • 0
    0

    Gota and MR to Hague!!

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