Highlights
The 19th
meeting of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that started at Geneva on
February 27 dominated the national attention during month. The U.S drafted
resolution asking Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the Lessons
Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) relating to human rights was to
come up at the meeting.
In a show of near unanimity almost all political parties have voiced their objection to the UNHRC meeting taking up the Sri Lanka issue. In a surprise move, perhaps dictated by political strategy, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has refrained from blowing up the issue and decided not to send its representative to Geneva. The ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition played up on the national sentiments and organized 150 protest meetings all over the country on February 27.
President Rajapaksa had
yet another meeting with TNA leader R Sampanthan. However, no tangible progress
was made on the deadlocked devolution talks with Tamils. Presumably, the meeting organised on the eve
of the UNHRC meeting had the limited objective of showing the US and the West
that the President was serious about dealing with the issue.
Steep hike in fuel prices triggered protests from many sections of the people.
UNHRC meeting
Sri Lanka Special human rights envoy
Mahinda Samarasinghe, heading a delegation of 52 members to the UNHRC meeting, put
up an eloquent defence of his country’s stand against admitting the US’s
resolution on Sri Lanka’s accountability. He said that there was no
justification or urgency whatsoever in floating a resolution calling for the
implementation of the LLRC recommendations, and engagement with the High
Commissioner, when this had already been effectively undertaken by the
Government.
Presumably he was referring to the court of inquiry appointed by
the Sri Lanka Army on January 2 to inquire into the observations made by the
LLRC report on alleged civilian causalities in the final stage of Eelam War and
probe the Channel -4 video footage showing custodial killings of prisoners.
He also accused some countries of being biased against Sri Lanka
and failing to see the “truth.”Sri Lanka has time until the third week of March
to win the support of the 47 member nations of the UNHRC.
The US draft resolution called upon the
Government of Sri Lanka to implement the constructive recommendations in the
LLRC report and additionally to take immediate steps to fulfil its relevant
legal obligations. It also expresses
concern that the LLRC report does not adequately address serious allegations of
violations of international law and expresses disappointment that the
Government of Sri Lanka has not fulfilled its relevant legal obligations and
stated commitment to initiate credible and independent investigations and
prosecutions of those responsible for such violations.
This is in keeping with the US’s consistent stand
that Sri Lanka should show greater accountability for its conduct on ensuring
human rights and allegations of war crimes.
Britain and the EU have come out in vocal support of the US resolution.
The US appears to have gone ahead with the draft resolution after
considerable deliberation. Stephen Rapp, Ambassador at Large, Office of Global
Criminal Justice at the US State Department, made a shot visit to Sri Lanka. He
also met the TNA MPs Sampanthan and Sumanthiran to discuss issues relating to
accountability in Sri Lanka. Prior to his visit the US Assistant Secretary of
State, South Asia, Robert O’Blake also visited Colombo met with government and
political representatives to discuss the same issue.
The line up of countries supporting Sri Lanka has not emerged
fully. However, Samarasinghe has claimed China, Russia and India were
supporting Sri Lanka. Thailand has come out openly in support and other ASEAN
members could follow suit. Japan is also likely to take a similar stand.
However some of the media reports indicated that India might
abstain as it was peeved with the way the Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna‘s
statement during his visit to Colombo was rebuffed by Sri Lanka. There is also
strong public opinion building up in Tamil Nadu at Sri Lanka’s casual attitude
to the war crimes allegations. So the possibility of India abstaining is there.
Devolution of powers
The TNA leader R Sampanthan after his meeting
President Rajapaksa has clarified two contentious issues that are blocking the
progress in his party’s negotiations with the government on devolution of
powers to Tamils. In a media interview he listed them as:
·
TNA was reluctant to participate in the proposed
Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the subject till the Sri Lanka Freedom
Party (SLFP), the main component of the ruling coalition, clarified its stand
on devolution.
· Lack of government response to TNA’s proposals
submitted after seven rounds of talks. He also doubted the usefulness of PSC when the All
Party Representative Committee (APRC) under Dr Tissa Vitharana submitted its
detailed report on the same subject, and the Udalagama Commission on the
subject was not allowed to complete its work.
The Muslim perceptions to the devolution issue were highlighted when Sri
Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) renewed its call for the creation of a
South-Eastern Provincial Council (SEPC) if the government conceded additional
powers PCs under the 13th Amendment Plus to the Constitution.
According to the SLMC, the SEPC should comprise Pradeshiya sabhas controlled by
Muslims in Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Pottuvil, Sammanthurai and Kalmunai.
The SLMC – a partner in the ruling coalition – also supports the demand for land and police powers for PC as visualised in the Constitution.
With the President dragging his feet on resolving the issue, lest it erodes
support of Southern Sinhala voters, and the TNA standing firm on its proposals,
the devolution issue is likely to remain on the table in the coming months.
Miscellaneous
Fuel price hike: The
government hiked up fuel prices during the month. In the biggest increase per
litre prices of petrol went by Rs 12 to Rs 149, diesel by Rs 31 to Rs115 and
kerosene by Rs 35 to Rs 111. Though the government came out with subsidies to
fishermen, public transport operators and villages without electricity to
cushion the effect of price hike, the increase in prices sparked were
widespread protests. When the army and police opened fire to control a massive
protest of over 5000 fishermen blocking the Colombo-Puttalam road one fisherman
was killed and eight others injured.
Sri Lanka protest: Sri Lanka has strongly
protested over the conduct of Ms Louise Frechette, Chair of the Special Advisory
group (SAG) on UN Peace Keeping Operations, when she informed Major General
Shavendra Silva, selected to represent the Asia Pacific Group, that she would
not allow him to attend SAG meeting. However, Silva attended the SAG meeting. One
of the heroes of the Eelam War and currently the Deputy Permanent
Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN, the retired General had been branded a
‘war criminal’ by some Tamil Diaspora groups.
Amnesty eludes Fonseka: Sri Lanka freed 1414 convicts to mark the 64th
anniversary of independence after the President granted amnesty to them.
However, former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka was not among those released.
However, his family is said to be negotiating with the government on his
release.
Damaging Wikileaks cable: The online Colombo Telegraph quoted Wikileaks cable dated
July 6, 2007 leaked from the US Embassy in Colombo quoted Major General Prasad
Samarasinghe, former military spokesman, and Chief Signal Officer of the Army,
to say that the arrest of five alleged abductors on June 26, 2007 said
to be working with Gajanayake [an officer arrested earlier] was “political
retribution” against those considered disloyal to the Rajapaksa administration.
Samarasinghe further alleged that the GSL felt compelled to demonstrate
concrete examples of progress on abductions to appease the international
community. [This only confirms the general belief that many of the “white van
abductions” were politically motivated and carried out by government agencies.]
S & P rating lowered: Standard & Poor’s
Rating Service has lowered its outlook on Sri Lanka’s B+ long-term currency
sovereign credit rating to stable from positive because of falling foreign
reserves and fiscal problems.
Written on February 29, 2012
Courtesy: South Asia Security Trends, Volume 4 No. 2 March 2012
URL: www.security-risks.com
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