The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights must respond immediately to the yesterday’s exposure by Channel 4 News regarding a UN initiated plan to establish a domestic mechanism for accountability in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) has said today.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, if he is to maintain the dignity of his office, cannot be silent anymore”, the TCSF said in a statement.
We publish below the statement in full;
The Tamil Civil Society Forum takes serious note of the yesterday’s exposure (28 July 2015) by Channel 4 News regarding a UN initiated plan to establish a domestic mechanism for accountability in Sri Lanka. In a joint letter dated the 3rd of July 2015 signed by 15 civil society organizations from the Tamil majority North-East of Sri Lanka addressed to the UN Human Rights Commissioner we raised concerns about the UN in Sri Lanka’s collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka to set up a credible domestic mechanism in Sri Lanka. The concerns were raised based on a speech delivered by the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka on 04 June 2015. The speech seems to have been based on the UN Memo now exposed by Channel 4. In our letter we argued that these moves preempt the OISL report scheduled for release in September 2015. There has been no response to date to our letter from the UN in Sri Lanka or the High Commissioner’s office, except for an acknowledgement of receipt from the UN Resident Coordinator’s office. Full text of our letter can be found here.
The leaked document by Channel 4 provides for a domestic mechanism to be run by the Government of Sri Lanka with mere ‘technical support’ from the UN. We condemn and reject these moves hatched in secrecy to establish a domestic mechanism solely negotiated between the Government of Sri Lanka and the UN. The UN clearly does not see the Tamil people as being partners in the process towards accountability in Sri Lanka, despite the fact the High Commissioner has repeatedly insisted on consultation with victims. TCSF has consistently maintained that establishing a credible domestic mechanism in Sri Lanka would be impossible. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, if he is to maintain the dignity of his office, cannot be silent anymore. He must respond immediately.
Kumaravadivel Guruparan & Elil Rajan
Co-Spokespersons, Tamil Civil Society Forum.
justice / July 29, 2015
[Edited out] Please write instead of posting links – CT
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Dave / July 29, 2015
in the word of a revered statesman, this demand is coswallop
Sri Lanka includes its Tamil population and doesn’t need the help of people who would rather criticise from afar than repatriate and become part of the solution.
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Afzal / July 29, 2015
What I can see is since the election campaign started
LTTE operative found with cyanide
One more LTTE guy was arrested both in India
Leaked UN report
A white van which made so many people disappear without a trace is paraded in the open for all to see, GORA voiced his expertise on the issue without any shame. Werasangili and his sidekick Musammil added their 2 cents.
Some one try to grab MARA bijuwa, he almost pissed in his sarong.
Who benefit from these events, it’s non other than MARA.
MARA will stop at nothing to grab power in which ever way possible. He can clearly see after the elections he is heading towards disgrace and few family members in to jail. Siriliya Shiranthi, Chi chi baby, Chocho baby, Namal bebe, Sajin de Vass the CEO,MM,MP,Advisory to President,Thug, Big Businessman and Air Lanka Nishantha too are being cornered and strong cases built around them.
While all this is going on MARA is blabbering Olmada promising sun and the moon to any one and everyone.
Good times ahead just under 3 weeks to go. Baiyo making much noise as possible. It wont take long for majority of Baiyo to change colors. The hard core ones will claim asylum or end up in Angoda.
Just make sure you don’t get counted among the Baiyo.
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SL-walah / July 29, 2015
The effing TCSF is a sick and rotten to the gut outfit that thinks it could buy the world opinion for a cause that has no substance to prove war crimes. Then also, Sri Lanka is not a signatory to the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity; So are prominent Western countries such as USA, UK that always get away after committing the worst war crimes and crimes against humanity that there are – in Vietnam, many nations in Latin America, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and CIA’s clandestine operations around the world and USA’s torture centers in Diego Garcia islands near India and in all other collaborative countries where they operate crime operations and violate human rights and then go without being punished. While Sri Lanka was in a legal position to deal with Tamil terrorists and a war it fought for 30 years, Sri Lanka is not a signatory to the above convention that has the same status that USA, UK and their cohorts enjoy. The World is yet to see how Sri Lanka will act to such threats by the Tamils. If the United Nations have any good brains left within its organization, then now is the time to get out of this mess and to be fair in respecting the conditions laid down in its own Convention on the non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.
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tomsam / July 30, 2015
Please dont BS thro ‘cow’s a– with your legal jargon.
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Native Vedda / July 30, 2015
SL-walah
You have raised brilliant argument in your observation. Why don’t you take all your concern to the UN and charge UK and USA for their involvement in war crime in all those countries.
Are you confident that not signing the Rome Document is a strong defense against war crime charges?
Do you believe Sri Lankan state has not committed any war crimes and crime against innocent people?
Do you think by pointing out war crimes committed by UK/USA would absolve Sri Lankan state’s habitual commitment of war crimes?
For example, you kill your wife and in your defense you say your friend also murdered his wife, therefore you are innocent. Would the judge dismiss the case against you?
Of course the judge would if MR is still running the country.
David Cameron was in this island to attend Commonwealth Conference. Why didn’t you make a citizen arrest and drag him all the way to The Hague? I really believe you should have taught him a lesson he would never forget.
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Rajan / August 1, 2015
Native Vedda I think it’s more about calling a spade a spade. People in this country are sick of the double standards by the western community by preaching human rights to us while committing atrocities on foreign land. Leave the MR nonsense out of this because all you folks ever do is label anyone that disagrees with you as an MR supporter. I think this is above any politics domestically and internationally because human rights is a human right.
There just needs to be an equal playing field and until there is, don’t expect third world countries to pander to the demands to western countries when they themselves can’t practice what they preach.
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Native Vedda / August 1, 2015
Rajan
The people are sick of the way the state perpetrates war crimes and crime against humanity, and then trying its very worse to deny them through various agencies, including useless war crime deniers.
First don’t commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, human rights violations.
Second set up impartial independent truth and reconciliation councils to investigate all war crimes committed by all partys since 5th April 1971.
Third state treats all its people well.
If the state had observed the above there was no need for foreigners to hypocritically poke their nose in our affairs.
Please note if you don’t treat your family well then the neighbours and strangers would grope your wife, daughters, sisters, mother, mother in law, aunt, sister in law, grandma, ….
“There just needs to be an equal playing field and until there is, don’t expect third world countries to pander to the demands to western countries when they themselves can’t practice what they preach.”
I am sorry I was born in this island and still a citizen of this land. I do not need lectures from others (other countries) to teach me about human values. Those human values are part and partial of our way of life. Only problem is when we forget those values foreigners take the opportunity to remind us thorough varies crude means.
The best form of defense is “don’t forget your own values”.
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alex / August 5, 2015
‘The world is yet to see how Sri Lanka will act to such threats by the Tamils’ … hmm thats a threat if ever I saw one. SL-walah, you don’t need to be a signatory anymore – if you are small enough, the world can intervene under the Right to Protect (R2P) doctrine. Sri Lanka will see what will happen if it continues its violent tendency toward Tamils – it will be split in two by the world.
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kumaran / July 29, 2015
What exactly does the TCS and all its purported supporters want? For my part, I like to give My3 and the JVP a chance to resolve this issue.
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Sinhala_Man / July 29, 2015
Exactly, “Tamil Civil Society Forum” seems only to want its “pound of flesh” by way of all of us saying that they were always right, rather than ensuring that all Sri Lankans live in peace and harmony.
Oh, how we get mesmerised by language! “Federalism” – what a dirty word it is to all Sinhalese!! But I think that all this is changing; let me speak only for myself, and hope that my views have wider application.
I’m not bothered as to what slogans the TNA uses, so long as they continue to operate within the law, and don’t resort to violence. There’s nothing wrong with devolution, but with ever smaller units of administration, we may have growing numbers of bureaucratic parasites. Never mind such theoretical reservations; please do nothing that will enable the Rajapaksas get anything more than 30 seats in parliament. Even that’s too many, but not everyone will desert their sinking ship.
As for TCSF, you have one thing in common with MaRa – you guys are heading towards oblivion; ten years from now you will be forgotten by mankind.
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tomsam / July 30, 2015
The actions taken by the present govt does not impress the Eelam Tamils that any concrete steps are seing taken to bring Eelam state or Confederate Eelam state in otherwise sinking lanka.
The tamils are no longer gullible to take crap from the so called rulers.
60 plus years of fooling is more than enough for any biped.
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Analyst / July 29, 2015
With the plundered wealth of the state the murderous family spent it all on themselves rather than caring the welfare of the citizens. The result was CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) multiplied and thousands died in a small nation . WHY ? Because the funds were utilized by the family and friends for their JOLLY GOOD TIMES while the deserving patients were left to die by this greedy family and friends.
The water pollution is not only in the Rajapakshe country it is prevalent and affecting people in the NORTH TOO in a grand scale. It appears nobody gives a two hoot for these poor people.
A HEALTHY NATION IS A WEALTHY NATION.It be applied to all parts of the country including the North.
I have just read about the President’s drive to tackle CKD. It’s an excellent news and the willingness to help by the wealthy nations are commendable , I notice that Australia has promised to invest in the NORTH TOO to tackle this water and kidney problem.
On the subject of Education clever children should be rewarded with all kinds of bursaries and promotions no matter from which remote village they were educated. They too deserve the recognition not only the spoon fed Colombo school children.
I like to harp about these two major issues which had been neglected disastrously.
We have heard about the greedy school Principles who plundered the funds allocated for the Education of their school children And the University heads and the Education Department too had a hand in these pots .
Certain village schools have no toilet facilities no equipments to learn not enough computers. Ect.
When the funds were pilfered by these people how the children can progress in their lives??
I hear the schools in the North too are suffering with this kind of deprivation.
The President and the next PM should try to solve these in their GG( Good Governance.) treat all citizens equally and be a healthy and wealthy Nation.
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Leonvet / July 30, 2015
This is what Mr Zeid said. ” There should be no misunderstanding, I give my personal, absolute, and unshakeable commitment that the report will be published in September”.
Hope Mr Zied you will keep to your commitment.
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taraki / July 30, 2015
Zeid too is a politician. He understands what is possible and what is not. The genius Tamil brain cannot grasp that.
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Native Vedda / July 31, 2015
taraki
“He understands what is possible and what is not.”
It is a matter for Hindia/USA to decide and not based on what is and what is not possible
“The genius Tamil brain cannot grasp that.”
You are right, they do share the same stupid gene with their Sinhalese brethren.
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alex / August 5, 2015
I think its the sinhala genius who thinks that they can murder over 70,000 people and get away with it. Ooops think again. MR is going to jail.
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alex / August 5, 2015
Zeid does understand what is possible .. he has seen it in Kosovo, East Timor and other countries where nationalist majorities didn’t understand the new liberal world order.
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NIRMALA n / July 30, 2015
The leaked report now confirm Mahinda’s success to defeat the LTTE terrorism was a fair one. Maithiri and Ranil are benefitting from Mahinda’s hard earned victory.
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Nari-bana / July 30, 2015
This is very interesting. Tamil Civil Society Forum as well as other Tamil groups, including Chief Minister, Wigneswaran, are behaving in a way that would make the Sinhala voters wanting to see Mahinda Rajapakse back on the saddle. Outwardly these Tamils pretend as if they would not like Rajapakse to get back to power. But their scheming is more complex. Consider this:
It is only if Mahinda Rajapakse regains political power in the country that Tamils who wish to carve out a separate state in the North and East will be able to go crying to Western capitals, to Washington, London, Paris and Bonn asking those governments to support their claim for a separate state or maximum devolution. However, if the government in Colombo is headed by a moderate, someone who is willing to accommodate Tamil demands of autonomy without diluting the present unitary status of Sri Lanka, it would be hard for the Separatists to justify their demand with their sympathisers in the West (and in New Delhi too).
Thus, expediency calls for the Separatist Tamils to ensure Rajapakse wins this general election. The idiotic Sinhala-Buddhist nationalists supporting Rajapakse don’t have the brains to understand this. They believe Rajapakse will stand up to Western pressure, as he did during the last stages of the war. Little do they understand that the economic pressure the West can exert on Sri Lanka is different to what they could have done during the war. Economic pressure would be slow strangulation and the Sinhalese don’t have the stomach for hardships. After initial bravado to please his bigoted constituency, Rajapakse will yield when hardships start to bite. And the Separatists will get what they want.
During the 180 day rule of President Sirisena, the Separatist Tamils did all they could to show to the hard-line Sinhala Nationalist bigots that they are going to make sambol out of the new government. The more they voiced their demands, more and more Sinhalese moved to the Rajapakse Camp. And that was exactly what the Tamil Separatists wanted.
The Tamil Separatists know that with a reasonable and moderate government in Colombo, no Separatist demand will be entertained in either the Western capitals or by the sympathizing international human rights groups.
It is not for nothing that there is suspicion the Central Bank Bond scandal was also a Tamil Separatist plot to discredit the current government and undermine its election prospects, while making a fast buck on the side by its operators. Ranil, as expected, played right into their hands by defending his pals.
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kumaraya / July 30, 2015
So much has been said in the last several weeks and so many “theories” extended. But I will close this dialogue with a verse from the Bible, Psalm 36:verses 1 to 6. “An oracle within my heart concerning the transgressions of the wicked. There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes when he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit. He has ceased to be wise and do good. He devises wickedness on his bed, he sets himself in a way that is not good. He does not abhor evil. Your mercy O Lord is in the heavens: Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains, Your judgments are a great deep. O Lord You preserve man and beast”.
I believe that the great Lord the God of heaven will Himself be the ruler of our precious isle. Every deceitful and wicked plan will be frustrated, in Jesus’s name.
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Chan / July 31, 2015
I hope moderate Tamils will come out of the shadows and join hands with moderate Sinhalese to bring about a settlement to what they call “The Tamil problem”. Some of us who are moderates don’t see a problem anymore. The Tamils have their language, their freedom, their successful lives and even the National Anthem in their language. Which other country has been generous enough to gray all these rights to a mere 12% of the population. I don’t see the US giving Black people or Hispanics their demands. I don’t see Native Americans who are still restricted to reservations ever gaining what we have in Sri Lanka.
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Native Vedda / July 31, 2015
Chan
Brilliantly put.
“I don’t see the US giving Black people or Hispanics their demands.”
However you will do well to remember the incumbent president is black/white born to a Kenyan Muslim father.
Don’t forget US does not discriminate people when it comes to bearing arms. According to US constitution Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. Would you like every Tom Dick and Harry in this island to be armed like the Americans as you seem to compare this island with USA?
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kumaran / July 31, 2015
The US President is a Black, but do you think the African Americans (as the black folk are now called), the Hispanics etc being better treated?!!
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Native Vedda / July 31, 2015
kumaran
“The US President is a Black,”
He is gray, for his father was black and the mother was white.
“but do you think the African Americans (as the black folk are now called), the Hispanics etc being better treated?!!”
However Black, white, brown, yellow, ….etc have equal right to bear arms.
None of the poor people are being treated well.
Do you think we should follow the Yankees or compete with them by treating the people of this island very very very badly?
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alex / August 5, 2015
The point is in the US, whilst crimes against blacks exist, there is a justice system that is independent and will send you to jail. There change happens. In Sri Lanka change does not happen.
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alex / August 5, 2015
Chan, the trouble is not many Sinhalese recognise Tamils as indigenous to the island. That is the fundamental problem. If Tamils are indigenous, then it doesn’t matter if they are 1% or 50% – they have rights to land, language and culture. Buddhism can no longer have ‘foremost’ place in the constitution? Would that be ok? To give you an example, the Welsh of Britain are indigenous to the British Isles. It means that their language has to be taught in Wales and the state cannot remove that. Of course their police is local too, for example. Scotland has its own parliament. There are many countries in the world that recognise indigenous people and their rights. Sri Lanka does not. Can that change?
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Senthil / July 31, 2015
Brother Chan,
Why we have to travel very far for example. Our neighbour India has state governments with police and Land power. I think that is the minimum need for Tamils to live with dignity without mass killings by Singhalese for the last so many years. The killings started way before our freedom fighters created. What is the problem in leaving Tamils to live peacefully at one corner (North). The way it goes, Buddhists will become minority soon.
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