As UNHRC Summit begins :
Islandwide protests against anti - Lanka resolution
Ridma DISSANAYAKE
* Public asked to shed all
differences and rally behind country
* Peace achieved after great
sacrifice
The government is to hold massive islandwide protest campaigns today
against the resolution which is to be presented against the Sri Lankan
government at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions
in Geneva to be held from today to March 24.
The protest campaigns will be held at regional level. They will take
place in 150 main cities across the country. The main campaign is to be
held in Colombo at 3pm. The government urged the public to line up as
one nation to defeat local and international challenges directed towards
the country, ahead of the UNHRC.
Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Allahapperuma
said Sri Lanka is enjoying freedom, independence, peace and democracy
after three decades of terrorism.
“The country’s leadership and Tri - Forces personnel faced a number
of barriers and obstacles in the journey towards a peaceful and fruitful
country. Thousands of Tri-Forces personnel have sacrificed their lives
for making the country a peaceful place to live in,” Allahapperuma told
a press briefing yesterday. Certain Western elements tried to impose
unnecessary pressure in the conduct of the country’s internal affairs
during the last few days of the war, he said.
“President Mahinda Rajapaksa faced them in a firm manner and those
elements failed to impose their will on Sri Lanka. The President has
created a peaceful country as he promised to the public in 2005,” he
added. “A number of local and foreign forces have stood against this
great effort from time to time. We suspect that the allegation about
human rights violations is also one of them. Sri Lanka had not violated
human rights. The Sri Lankan government and the military rewrote
military theories by performing a humanitarian mission,” Alahapperuma
said.
“President Rajapaksa had challenged the conflict management theory
introduced by some Western countries. As a result, they have named Sri
Lanka a country engaged in human rights violations.
‘This protest is not against the UNHRC. But we urge them not to use
the Human Rights Charter as a weapon, like during colonial rule,” the
minister said. “The proposal to be discussed in Geneva is one of the
strategies created by the certain Western elements to get involved in
the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.
‘At a moment when they should support Sri Lanka’s revival, they are
trying to impose their will on us,” Alahapperuma said. The government
appeals to the international community to support Sri Lanka to establish
itself as a free and independent state after defeating terrorism.
The public are also requested to unite to safeguard the country
putting aside the economic, political and all other social problems, he
said. |