{"id":199318,"date":"2019-03-01T00:05:19","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T18:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=199318"},"modified":"2019-03-04T12:41:13","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T07:11:13","slug":"diplomacy-in-geneva-duplicity-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/diplomacy-in-geneva-duplicity-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Diplomacy In Geneva, Duplicity In London"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rajeewa Jayaweera<\/a> –<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rajeewa Jayaweera<\/p><\/div>\n

UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has bombastically declared, \u201cIn an ideal world, we should not need this Council. In an ideal world, states would meet the human rights obligations\u00a0 <\/span>they have to their people. States and non-state actors would not abuse the vulnerable, persecute certain communities or silence those who speak out. In an ideal world, those who did such despicable things would face justice. Sadly, we do not yet live in an ideal world. That is why this Council is important, and why the UK is and will continue to be one of the most steadfast supporters.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The UK Minister spoke of persecution of Religion and Beliefs in China and Russia. He also spoke of violations of human rights in Syria, Burma, North Korea, South Sudan, Libya, Iraq and finally in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

According to a GoUK media release, Ahmad has stated, \u201cFinally, to end on a more positive note, we welcome the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka to return more land to its people, and to establish an Office of Reparations and we encourage them to implement in full the commitments made to this Council to secure long-term reconciliation.\u201d He made this hypocritical declaration recently during his address at the 40th<\/sup> session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the Council the former US Ambassador to the United Nation, Nikki Haely, in June 2018 branded as a \u2018Cesspool of Political Bias\u2019 and a \u2018Protector of Human Rights Abusers\u2019 before announcing America\u2019s withdrawal. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In another development, the UN\u2019s highest court, the International Court of Justice, by an overwhelming 13 to one majority (only dissenting judge was an American) has passed judgement, UK\u2019s administration of Chagos Islands as \u201can unlawful act of continuing character.\u201d The judgement concluded, UK should end its control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean \u201cas rapidly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

UK\u2019s response to the ICJ judgement has been, \u201cThis is an advisory opinion, not a judgement.\u201d It added it would look \u201ccarefully\u201d at the detail of the opinion, which is not legally binding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The case was referred to the court, which hears legal submissions over international boundary disputes by the UN General Assembly. In 2017, Britain suffered a humiliating 94 to 15 defeat at the UN General Assembly attempting to prevent the Mauritius sponsored resolution to seek an advisory opinion from ICJ. A further 65 countries including France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Greece and Finland, Canada and Switzerland abstained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

UK blackmailed Mauritius in 1968 to give up its claim over Chagos Islands when negotiating for independence. It paid a princely sum of GBP 4 million to Mauritius. It was in breach of UN resolution 1514, passed in 1960, which specifically banned the breakup of colonies before independence. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chagos People were forcibly evicted by Britain before leasing out the island of Diego Garcia to the Americans as a military base for which Britain received a USD 14 million discount for the submarine launched Polaris missiles it obtained from the US. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What ever land occupied by the Sri Lankan military in the North or else where in the island is Sri Lankan territory. Needless to say, land occupied by the government and its branches, if illegal must be challenged in court and a solution found by either returning the land to its rightful owners or compensation paid if acquired for reasons of national security.<\/p>\n

However, Ahmad\u2019s assertion has no basis and only goes to confirm Nikki Haely\u2019s statement of the UNHRC being a cesspool of political bias. If not, how can a junior minister of a nation even speak of the land issue in Northern Sri Lanka when it has exiled an entire people from their native land, gained financial advantage by leasing such land as a military facility to another country and has failed to return the Chago Islands to its rightful owners for 51 years?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is Britain, whilst pontificating in Geneva, \u201cIn an ideal world, states would meet the human rights obligations\u201d ignoring the fundamental right of the Chegos People to return to their land of birth?<\/p>\n

As we say in Sinhala, it is a classic case of \u2018Loketa Purasare, gedereta madagathe\u2019 (boasting to the world,\u00a0 <\/span>chickeneray at home).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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