Give credit where it is due
Disaster Management and Human Resources
Ministry Secretary tells AI:
Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry Secretary Prof. Rajiva
Wijesinha in a letter to Irene Khan, Director General, Amnesty
International (AI) has conveyed displeasure over the AI’s recent
comments that the State is as much at fault as the Tigers for the plight
of civilians.
He said that it is noticeable that there have been hardly any
allegations even of civilians deaths in the course of military
operations on the ground through the international community have not
given sufficient credit to this.
The letter: “I write with reference to a recent release of Amnesty
International concerning the current situation in the North of Sri
Lanka. Sadly, some phrases in your release convey the wrong impression,
and have been used by Forces opposed to the elected government of Sri
Lanka to suggest that they are as much at fault as the Tigers for the
plight of civilians.
The BBC for instance claims that Amnesty had accused both sides in
Sri Lanka’s long running conflict of deliberately putting civilians at
risk.
I am not sure that allegation of the BBC is accurate, but I would be
grateful if you could please issue a rejoinder to them if you agree that
misrepresents your position. After all it has been amply proved over the
last year that Sri Lankan Forces in operation even in the most difficult
terrain are scrupulous about maintaining civilian safety.
It is noticeable, though typically some who purportedly call
themselves the international community have not given sufficient credit
to this, that there have been hardly any allegations even of civilian
deaths in the course of military operations on the ground.
Our record speaks volumes, when compared with the record of other
military forces engaged in conflicts against terrorism, for the concern
and care for their own citizens displayed during operations by Sri
Lankan military forces.
I believe, from my interactions with your representatives in Geneva,
that Amnesty is usually more careful about its critiques than many
agencies with political agendas that have sprung up recently to take
advantage of the new concern the West displays for Human Rights.
While we welcome this concern, we wonder about the motives of some of
these organisations, and appreciate the fact that Amnesty was one of the
few agencies to concern itself about the plight of Sri Lankans a couple
of decades back, when authoritarianism was condoned by the assumption
that Cold War concerns overrode all else.
Now however, it seems that, at least in London, your pronouncements
have fallen over the edge in the balance that those who live by advocacy
claim to pursue. This has sadly led to equation as in the BBC claim, of
ruthless terrorist movement with a democratically elected Government.
Thus, you put your finger on the real cause of the problem when you
write of the Tigers ‘keeping them in harm’s way.... imposing a pass
system...measures...designed in part to use civilians as a buffer
against Government Forces but sadly you then seem determined to critique
the Government by claiming that it is not doing enough to ensure they
receive essential assistance, a phase leapt upon by Tiger supporters and
other enemies of the people.
The Government is doing its best under difficult circumstances, using
the assistance of the United Nations as best as possible, as is clear
from the pronouncements of responsible UN spokesman. As you may be
aware, even these have been twisted, leading to forceful rebuttal from
the UN in Colombo when a local newspaper headlined a report of a UN
statement to suggest that there were death camps in the North.
Indeed the UN made it clear that this seemed designed to destroy good
relations between the UN and the Government, which led to a tame
response that this had not been the intention. Let me assure you that
the Government monitors the situation carefully, and addresses all
problems promptly.
At August 17 meeting of the Consultative Committee on Humanitarian
Assistance, chaired over the last couple of years by Diaster Management
and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, the position in the
affected districts was put clearly by the Government Agents, who
continue to do an admirable job there, for the Government, despite the
rigours of LTTE control of the territory.
They reported that food was available, that refugees were all now
housed though they had been in the open for a day or two sometimes when
on the move - that the hospitals were still functioning effectively.
Unless you can cite a single instance anywhere else in the world where
such concern is shown by any government battling a terrorist insurgency.
I would suggest that you withdraw your claim that the Government is not
doing enough, and instead concentrate on the task of pressuring the LTTE
to let our people go.
Such pressure will assist them to return to the cleared areas where
we will deal as expeditiously with the problem of internally displaced
persons as we did in the East, a process that again provides a model for
the world. And when we have succeeded in those endeavour, we will also
give justice to the Muslim population of the North, chased out by the
Tigers 18 years ago in a process of ethnic cleansing unknown in Sri
Lanka previously.
No previous government thought of a durable solution for that
problem, but in the midst of its other difficulties this Government has
begun to work on that as well.
Please therefore remember to give credit where credit is due, and
bear in mind that part of our joint struggle to promote human rights
should - as any decent manager knows - involve appreciation of whatever
is positive and should be replicated. |