5 December, 2024

Blog

TCSF Expresses Disappointment Over OISL Deferral

The Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) has today expressed its deep disappointment on the UN Human Rights Council’s decision to defer the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Inquiry on Sri Lanka (OISL) by six months.

“We do not believe that there were adequate reasons for the deferral of the report” the TCSF said.

TCSF Convener - Bishop of Mannar, Dr. Rayappu Joseph

TCSF Convener – Bishop of Mannar, Dr. Rayappu Joseph

Issuing a statement the TCSF said;”We wish to point out with utmost disappointment that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council and the relevant states had ignored the unequivocal request from all sections of the Tamil polity not to delay the release of the report. The announcement of the deferral sadly reminds us of 2008 when the UN left Kilinochchi contrary to the wishes of the local population to remain with them and provide humanitarian protection.”

We publish below the statement in full;

Statement on the Deferral of the Report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Inquiry on Sri Lanka (OISL)

We are extremely disappointed that the UN Human Rights Council has decided to defer the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Inquiry on Sri Lanka (OISL) by six months to September 2015. We are even more disappointed that the recommendation to defer the report originated from from the UN Human Rights Commissioner. Victims who engaged with the OISL see the postponement as completely unnecessary and as a possible final blow to any further search for accountability through international means. Given their lack of confidence in any domestic mechanism delivering on accountability, Tamils are afraid that the delaying of the report signals an end to the hope for accountability, truth and justice in Sri Lanka, in its entirety.

We wish to point out with utmost disappointment that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council and the relevant states had ignored the unequivocal request from all sections of the Tamil polity not to delay the release of the report. The announcement of the deferral sadly reminds us of 2008 when the UN left Kilinochchi contrary to the wishes of the local population to remain with them and provide humanitarian protection.

The UN High Commissioner in his media statement of 16 February 2015 provides two reasons for the postponement of the report to September 2015:

(a) the possibility of the inquiry receiving important new information

(b) cooperation from the new government on a broad range of human rights issues.

Regarding (a) above we believe that this reasoning will only be credible if the OISL team is given access to Sri Lanka and given full freedom and access to engage in evidence gathering. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister’s letter to the High Commissioner dated 13 February 2015 does not promise engagement with OISL specifically. Given that the Government does not promise cooperation with the OISL inquiry, the High Commissioner needs to clarify as to how he envisages OISL receiving new information.

Regarding (b) we are not convinced that this is a sufficient basis to postpone the report. Why should the Government’s willingness to act on present day human rights issues be a bar to releasing a report on accountability for the past? We are well aware of the OISL mandate to monitor on going violations but this need not be read as impeding any efforts taken by the Government to improve on the human rights situation in the country.

We however do not think that in the past month of the new Government taking office there have been any significant improvements in those human rights issues that significantly and directly affect the Tamil people. The new government similar to its predecessor has also confirmed that there will be no scaling down or withdrawal of troops from the North-East. The government has published a gazette notification under the public security ordinance extending the granting of police powers to the Sri Lankan armed forces. The Government has promised resettlement in the Valikamam High Security Zone in Jaffna but has in fact has only rehashed an abandoned model resettlement village programme initiated by the former government, which will not allow people to go back to their original lands. It has so far remained silent about the plight of the IDPs in Sampur (Trincomalee), Mullikulam (Mannar) and Keppapilavu (Mullaitivu).

The promise on the part of the Sri Lankan Government to allow for a visit of the High Commissioner and that of the UN Working Group on Disappearances we suspect have instrumental motives of wooing international opinion in their favour while not delivering on substantial issues. This expressed willingness to engage with UN mechanisms sits in contradiction to the Sri Lankan Government’s position of rejecting the UNHRC resolution of 2014 and the OISL inquiry.

We have detailed in our 12 February 2015 letter to the High Commissioner (in which we urged that there be no deferral of the report) as to the reasons that point to the impossibility of setting up a credible domestic accountability in Sri Lanka.

For the above stated reasons we do not believe that there were adequate reasons for the deferral of the report. We insist that the High Commissioner should officially request the Government for the OISL team to have access to Sri Lanka. If not it will only strengthen the understanding that the deferral of this report was made for extraneous political considerations.

(Signed)                                                                                            (Signed)

Kumaravadivel Guruparan                                                  Elil Rajendram

Co-Spokesperson, TCSF                                                        Co-Spokesperson, TCSF

 

Latest comments

  • 5
    10

    TCSF Convener – Bishop of Mannar, Dr. Rayappu Joseph

    There are two kinds of Tamils.

    1. Tamils with Common sense, who voted for Mairipala Sirisena, and

    2. Tamil Mootals,முட்டல்ல்ஸ், who boycotted elections and got Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa elected, and Mr.Rajapaksa returned the favour in kind.

    Still many such Tamil Mootals,முட்டல்ல்ஸ், left and all they did was decrease the Tamil Mootals,முட்டல்ல்ஸ், fraction and numbers. Quite a way to go, to bring the Tamil Mootals,முட்டல்ல்ஸ்,numbers, like the one above.

    Tamil Mootal,முட்டல்ல்ஸ், Bishop of Mannar, Dr. Rayappu Joseph, why not take a course in Realpolitik?

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

    Does the Sun go around the Earth? Your Church and Joshua said so.

    Joshua 10:13
    New International Version
    So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

    • 9
      4

      Amarasiri, If you DONT KNOW Tamil just shut up. DO NOT insult the language. If you are not fluent in Tamil just use your Sinhalese. Medamulana HORA also called his mother in the name of Tamil Language in his regime during past years.

      • 3
        5

        Mayilvaganam தம்பி,

        http://tamil.changathi.com/

        Amarasiri used the above web site to call Mootals in Tamil. A fool is a fool, whether one calls the fool, Fool, Mootal or Modaya. Calling a Mootal, Fool who only knows Tamil, will understand முட்டாள்.

        The intention was not to dishonor Tamil or any other Language. Mootals are முட்டாள், with spelling error or not.

        Yes, முட்டல்ல்ஸ் is not correct, perhaps முட்டாள் is the correct word.

        Correct Amarasiri, if Mootal Fool is முட்டல்ல்ஸ் or முட்டாள், or just Plain Madu, மாடு or Donkey கழுதை or Buffalo எருமை. All Describe Fool.

        Do you know of a Sinhala translation web site just like the Tamil Translation web site, so that Modaya can be put in Sinhala?

      • 3
        4

        Mayilvaganam Little Brother, மயில்வாகனம் தமுள்

        Don’t be hung up on the Words,முட்டல்ல்ஸ் or முட்டால், no disrespect for the language, only confusion for the முட்டால்.

        முட்டால் need to be printed out so that Tamils with Common sense can live in peace with out being messed up by the முட்டால்

        முட்டால் நாய் Mootaal Dog Will the Mootals Ever Learn?

        • 4
          1

          common sense is for middle class.

          common problems is for common people.

          Corner shop Nisha Biswal is still saying Please Cheese me.

          Twinkle twinkle how they wonder.

          Salli kiyanne malla.

  • 5
    2

    Bishop Dr. Rayappu Joseph, I respect and appreciate you for the hardship you went through and the fear you lived with, under Rajapakse regime for speaking out against an evil regime.

    I am a small fly in front of you but my common sense tell me that the case will be stronger if the UN can reinforce many facts in a conducive environment for people to speak up. On the other hand the crooks and the criminals of the former regime are putting all their weight on an LTTE come back and a foreign conspiracy. It is time we prove to the Srilankan masses that it is their trick to blind fold the Sinhalese community to emotionally charge them to vote them.

    The delay in the release of the report can can do more good than harm to the entire cause of a free and fair Srilanka for all.

    Leadership is a god given gift and the leadership has to think far ahead and make a legacy for them by doing the right thing using the brain versus emotions.

    I hope my example serves as a child pointing out to the Emperor that he is walking naked and not an invisible dress to the folly of entire advisory network.

    I mean well not insult

  • 8
    1

    THE WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATION REPORT IS NOTHING OTHER THAN A POLITICAL WEAPON USED BY WESTERN COUNTRIES TO HANDLE SL FOR THEIR TUNES. THAT REPORT DOES NOT CARRY ANY SOLUTION FOR TAMILS OR PUNISH THE WAR CRIMINALS.

  • 3
    8

    It is sad to note that the wishes of the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces are not clearly understood by their ungrateful politicians (TNA) and others like Bishop Rayappu Joseph.

    When Tamils voted for Maithripala people wholeheartedly followed TNA request and rejected the Diaspora request to boycott the elections. This created an environment where the Diaspora realized that the people of the Northern and Eastern PCs do not want to follow Diaspora requests and thereby rejecting the LTTE flag waving groups instructions.

    However, after the elections the Diaspora some or other got hold of the politicians (TNA), that too to my surprise Justice Wigneswaran who turned himself into a unthankful, unjust Wigneswaran to propose a resolution – the Genocide resolution.

    When Maithripala was appointed as the President, within a period of 30 days, of which first week nothing happened due to Pope’s visit, gave into the major requests of TNA, ie remove the Governor, military into the barracks, open road blocks, remove impediments for foreigners to travel to the North, removing the secretary and above all granting 1000 acres back to civilians. Even after taking such actions Unjust(ice) Wigneswaran moved the Genocide motion.

    What does this clearly show. Two things, TNA has once again shown that they are stick handled by LTTE tiger flag waving diaspora groups and TNA is a thankless group who do not follow the wishes of the voters but their own divisive ideas. If TNA is a honest group they should have mentioned about the LTTE genocide of the Sinhalese innocent people as well. This did not happen.

    Under these circumstances at the next general elections other political parties should also contest in the North and East and break the TNA hold in those areas. Tamil and Muslim civilians cannot be cheated by TNA anymore.

    Thankless, ungrateful politicians should be kicked out.

    • 0
      0

      Park

      “What does this clearly show. Two things, TNA has once again shown that they are stick handled by LTTE tiger flag waving diaspora groups and TNA is a thankless group who do not follow the wishes of the voters but their own divisive ideas. If TNA is a honest group they should have mentioned about the LTTE genocide of the Sinhalese innocent people as well. This did not happen.”

      Tamil Mootals taking over from the Tamils with Common sense.

      Bad News for Tamils,Muslims and the country.

      What is the IQ of the Tamil Mootals 79?
      http://www.photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html

  • 5
    1

    The Tamil people elected Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister and his influence with the United States made this deferral or may be being shelved is possible. Why the deferral of the report? The reason is to safe face of the present government and the guilty party to go free. Yes as always, the Tamils looked as fools at the end. How long it is, almost 70 years of subjugation and quarrels with the Sinhalese and now almost periodical annihilation of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka. As it is, in future no one knows the fate of those Tamils living in Sri Lanka . Almost 20% of Tamil population in Sri Lanka once have now become 12%.

  • 2
    6

    DAMNED TO HELL THESE CLERGY.
    INSTEAD OF HELPING TO HEAL THESE IDIOTS ARE FERMENTING THE WOUNDS.
    CURSE THEM. HOPE THEY ROT IN HELL.

    • 3
      1

      Chai Chai,..that ointment makes your fingers smart for the keyboard!!

      Why don’t you rub some on head then?

      Then you could keep walking in hell on earth.-
      the gates are still open seseme.

Leave A Comment

Comments should not exceed 200 words. Embedding external links and writing in capital letters are discouraged. Commenting is automatically disabled after 5 days and approval may take up to 24 hours. Please read our Comments Policy for further details. Your email address will not be published.