Only for the eyes of Geneva HR Councillors

Ranjith JAYAWARDANA

Everyone is aware that terrorism which existed for over 30 years ended on May 19, 2009 by defeating the LTTE. It is strange and beyond the comprehension of any sane person as to what criteria was adopted to level human rights and war crime allegations against the leaders of Sri Lanka by the Human Rights Council in Geneva headed by biased Navaneedan Pillai taking into account the final stages of the war.

Within the 30 years of this conflict, there has been far worse situations than the final stage that would deserve attention by the Geneva based Human Rights Council.

One of the LTT E's most gruesome massacres

Aranthalawa massacre

LTT E brutally killed Muslim civilians at Kathankudi mosque

There was a very inhumane stage during the last 30 years of this conflict where innocent civilians including women and children, were brutally massacred in thousands by the LTTE in the threatened border villages of the Northern and Eastern Provinces to ethnically cleanse Sinhalese and Muslims in those provinces. These villages were raided by LTTE gangs in the night and killed innocent men, women and children. It is on record that in spite of their pleas, these terrorist marauders slashed the bellies of pregnant women and pulled unborn babies out of their wombs and chopped them inhumanly.

Tamil Diaspora

It is strange that the international community, the so called Amnesty International, human rights organizations, Navaneedan Pillai and even the UN Secretary General were in deep slumber when these events occurred.

Members of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, don't you think that this stage of killing innocent civilians, including women and children, is the worst stage of the conflict that should be taken up for examination by your body? Why do N. Pillai, Norway-led anti-Sri Lanka lobby or the Tamil Diaspora (economic refugees) who are stakeholders of this conflict not contemplate action against the LTTE for those heinous crimes committed by the LTTE with their blessings.

Then there was another stage where bus loads of Sinhala and Muslims passengers were waylaid in the Trincomalee district of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and taken out of the buses, machine gunned and killed ignoring their cries and pleas without giving them a chance to wave white flags. Over 500 men, women and children were massacred in the Trincomalee district alone in this manner.

Dear Members of the Human Rights Council, don't you think that such an inhumane, horrendous massacre deserves to be examined by you?

I would like to bring to your kind attention another stage where bus bombs, car bombs, train bombs and human bombers were used by the LTTE to kill thousands of civilians, including women and children, who did not even have a knife in their possession as a weapon.

There were schoolchildren going to school or coming home after school, and men and women proceeding to their work places or returning home after a hard day's of work. They were killed by these bombs during this stage. Don't you think that this stage is worse than the final stage of this conflict that should be taken up for examination and appointed a Sub Commission to punish the ruthless Tigers and their mentors.

Brutal killings

Hon. Members of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, I would like to bring to your kind notice another stage of the 30-year-old conflict. It is on record that over 600 Sinhala and Muslim policemen who surrendered themselves to Prabhakaran in the Ampara district on June 11, 1991 were killed at point blank range after lining them up in front of a massive pit dug to bury them. Later their bodies were burnt and buried. Was not this a war crime worst than the war crimes committed by the USA in Mai Lai in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan? Nobody still knows where these burned bodies were buried. Is not the killing of these surrendered unarmed policemen in civvies a war crime of the first order? Should not this be investigated and inquired into by your Council. We cannot understand why this stage of brutal killings was ignored by the Human Rights Council.

Human Rights Council

Also, there was another stage where hundreds of Muslims who were praying in Meera Jumma Mosque in Kathankudy on August 3,1995 were gunned down mercilessly by the LTTE who are friends of N. Pillai and who were identified as good terrorists by Hillary Clinton.

During this attack, 147 were killed and 248 were badly wounded. Also there was a stage that people who were worshipping and were proceeding to worship the 2,500 year old Sacred Bodhi Tree venerated by Buddhists in Anuradhapura were gunned down like dogs and created a pool of blood in the sacred area. This was sacrilegious and blue murder. Even savages do not commit crimes of this nature.

Hon. Members of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, don't you think that the said act was a despicable war crime against the right to worship?

Dear members of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, isn't there a clause in the UN Charter to protect the Right to Worship and Freedom of Movement to Worship? When all these war crimes were committed by the LTTE what was the UN, Amnesty International, Navaneedan Pillai and other human rights organizations doing? Was it because this crime was committed by the LTTE? Or was it because those killed were only innocent Muslims and Sinhalese?

Hon. Members of the Human Rights Council, you are still not too late to appoint a panel or a Commission against the LTTE to investigate the above mentioned heinous war crimes of this millennium committed against religions, humanity and freedom to worship.

Some of these are -

*October 16, 1992

Four villages, Palliyagodella, Agbopura, Ahamedpura and Pamburana in the Polonnaruwa District were attacked by over 150 LTTE terrorists and brutally hacked to death over 141 civilians and 83 wounded.

*January 20, 1994

Bus bomb kills 10 civilians and injured 40 at Rambewa in the Anuradhapura district.

*October 25, 1994

Gamini Dissanayake, Leader of the Opposition and the Presidential candidate was killed with 53 others at an election rally in Colombo.

*February 1, 1996

Blast caused by a bomb laden truck ripped the Central Bank in Colombo Fort and other buildings in the area killing over 160 civilians and injuring (mostly their eyes) over 1,400 people.

*July 25,1996

Two out of three parcel bombs set up in the Colombo Aluthgama Train exploded at Dehiwala Station, 10 km, South of Colombo killing over 70 civilians and injuring over 300. Majority of them were office workers getting back home after work to join their families.

*June 12, 1996

Fourteen civilians including women and children were killed in Rathmadu, 24km off Puttalam and burnt over 20 houses in the village.

*January 26, 1998

Extensive damage was caused to the Dalada Maligawa building, the venerated Temple of Buddhists, when a lorry carrying a large amount of explosives was exploded before the entrance to the palace which housed the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha. Death toll was 8 and injured 25.

*March 6, 1998

Bomb blast at the Maradana Junction in the city of Colombo. This van bomb killed 32 civilians and injured over 30 people.

*May 18, 1998

LTTE gunmen shot dead the Jaffna Mayor who was against their gun culture

*January 28, 2000

In Vavunia, a bomb at a post office killed nine and injuring 73 civilians.

*March 11, 2000

In Rajagiriya, Colombo suburb 22 were killed and 65 injured due to bombs and shooting.

*January 6, 2000

In Colombo near Prime Minister's Office entrance a women suicide bomber exploded herself and killed nine and injured 24 civilians.

*May 19, 2000

Twenty two civilians were killed by time bombs near a Buddhist temple on Vesak Buddhist religious day in Batticaloa, East of Sri Lanka

*June 8, 2000

In Ratmalana Cabinet Minister C.V. Gunaratna his wife and 21 others were killed and injured 36 by a suicide bomb attack.

*October 4, 2000

At Muttur, Trinco East of Sri Lanka at an election rally LTTE suicide bomber killed 26 civilians

*September 16, 2000

A suicide bomber blew himself opposite the Eye hospital, Colombo and killed six and injured 28 civilians

*August 30, 2005

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar who stood for peace and unity was assassinated.

*October 6, 2000

At an election rally in Medawachchiya, a suicide bomber killed 10 and injured over 40 civilians.

*April 25, 2006

LTTE continued their tactics to chase the Sinhalese from the East and killed a mother of 38 feeding her infant child.

*?August 13, 2006

R. Selvaraja SLRC presenter who also worked for Radio Ceylon and her husband were shot by gunmen in their office.

*May 31, 2006

In Trincomalee Mahasenpura 12 Sinhala villagers were lined up and shot dead when they were cleaning a neglected stream.

May 29, 2006

An LTTE landmine killed 11 people in the Wilpattu wildlife park to drive away people out of the village while getting ready for peace talks initiated by the government

*June 16, 2006

A packed civilian bus was attacked by detonating claymore mines at Kebathigollawa East of Anuradhapura killing 64 and injuring 87 others mostly patients visiting the hospital

*October 17, 2006

Over 100 unarmed sailors getting back home were killed at a transit point when a lorry laden with explosives was exploded in Habarana

*September 19, 2006

LTTE massacre 10 Muslim villages in Panama East of Sri Lanka whilst clearing a sluice gate

*January 6, 2007

Bus blast killed six and injured 50 civilians at Giriulla about 70 km North East of Colombo

*February 8, 2007

Chief Poosari (Priest of a Hindu Kovil) in Batticaloa who garlanded the President was killed by gunmen

*November 29, 2007

In Nugegoda 17 civilians were killed and injured 37 by a parcel bomb placed inside a supermarket around 6 p.m

*July 17, 2007

Chief Secretary Eastern Province was killed in his office by gunmen.

*May 26, 2008

A parcel bomb exploded in a crowded office train near Dehiwala killing six including four women and over 60 were injured.

*July 16, 17,18,1996

Mullaitivu Army Camp was attacked and run over by LTTE terrorists and brutally killed over 1,180 Army Personnel without taking a single soldier as a prisoner.

The above brutal acts are only a few among the cowardly acts committed by the LTTE.

Hon. Members of the Human Rights Council what do you think about these acts committed by the LTTE terrorists? Why don't you even at this later stage, contemplate any stern action against the LTTE and their allies in the name of humanity.

The Sri Lanka government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa is making an honest and sincere effort for reconciliation.

The majority of all communities have experienced the curse of racial conflict, disharmony, hatred and disunity. They value peace at any cost.

Dear Councillors of Human Rights in Geneva, please give the government a breather to implement its proposals for reconciliation, unity and development.

Now there are no different nationalities but only Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka. Let 100 flowers bloom in Sri Lanka.

Dear members of the Human Rights Council, please do not crush those flower buds waiting to bloom.