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Wednesday, 15 May 2013

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We have self respect too

There are some vital questions that need to be posed for answer vis-a-vis the important upcoming event of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2013.

The fact that CHOGM will be staged amidst a hail of accusations and allegations by foreign interlopers viz Sri Lanka warrants preparation of a strategy that would counter these unjustified attacks. No country must be allowed to point fingers at others particularly when their own hands are soiled with the blood of innocents in not just one nation by almost 90 per cent of the entire world.

Sri Lanka and fellow nations of Africa, Asia, North and South America and Australia were all one time colonies of the British Empire. Each nation has their own woeful tale of atrocities that cover pilfering, murder and divisions that continue to haunt the masses still. Many of these once colonized nations in Africa and Asia are now coming out to seek reparations and compensation from former colonial Western countries. Sri Lanka is a civilized and considerate nation but we cannot forget the crimes that our forbears and ancestors had to endure and it is our duty to seek an apology and compensation for these crimes from all three Western colonial countries i.e. Portugal, Netherlands, and Britain.

What is our take on colonial compensation for crimes committed?

Buddhists in Myanmar

Should we not as a self – respecting independent sovereign country be ready with appropriate placards, slogans and argument in the event one former colonial master attempts to give a discourse on Accountability and Human Rights at the CHOGM in Hambantota? We invariably become victims of their harassment of our own choosing when we take all what is thrown at us lying down without protest or resistance. Does the NGO-mindset prefer to keep mum and say ‘Mum’s the word’ and otherwise maintain total silence when others start pointing the accusing finger at us and by doing so continue the servile attitude? If Israel can be paid compensation for the holocaust why can’t other nations who have suffered more? The summary of the compensations made to Israel is given in detail in the link.

http://www.claimscon.org/forms/allocations/Summary%20of%20Major%20Holocaust%20Compensation%20Programs.pdf

The Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany on September 10, 1952 says that Israel has to be paid for the slave labour and persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, and to compensate for Jewish property that was stolen by the Nazis. In 2009, Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz announced that he will demand a further €450 million to €1 billion in reparations from Germany on behalf of some 30,000 Israeli forced labour survivors.

Germany has paid $89billion already to Israel as compensation but Israel claims a further 50,000 have not received compensation.

If Israel’s claims are being addressed why has Africa’s, Asia’s and Latin America’s cases being ignored?

An International Claims Conference for Colonial Crimes upon Third World nations must be immediately set up to put out into the open all the crimes that have been committed by the Western world upon nations of the Third World and the colonial powers must come out with a plan to compensate these nations for the pilfering, the plunder, genocide, the crimes against humanity and violations of human rights committed by them.

Yuval Steinitz

The Western media is quick to brand President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a Sinhala Buddhist leader, given that he did come to power primarily on the Buddhist vote as do all leaders since the majority are 70 per cent Sinhalese Buddhists, it was the Mahinda Chinthanaya that promised to rid the nation of LTTE terrorism that won him the people’s vote. The people of this country did not vote for any other Chinthanaya for devolution, separation of power, modification of the national anthem, discarding of Article 9 of the Constitution and a subtle incremental usurping of the rights of the Sinhala Buddhists legislatively.

As such, with great warmth when we greet those of other faiths including foreign representatives at Ambassadorial level to discuss matters concerning the interests of minority faiths, our next query is what is stopping the initiation of a similar exercise i.e. an international forum of Buddhist delegates and starting a think tank to address the grievances of Buddhists in Sri Lanka as well in other parts of the Buddhist world given that Article 9 empowers the State to take steps to 'protect and foster Buddhism’. A straight forward answer will be good.

We would also like to know if there is a specific reason that detracts from issuing a statement showing allegiance with the Buddhist world in particular the Buddhists of Burma/Myanmar which is a fellow Theravada Buddhist nation? We have not forgotten that we as a country essentially remained silent when historic Buddhist Temples and priceless Buddhist artifacts were destroyed overnight by mobs in Bangladesh a few months ago.

We would first like to have asked what is the strategy to use the influence and leverage of Sri Lanka as a leading Buddhist nation to join hands with other Buddhist nations to give voice to the plight of Buddhists in various parts of the world and protect Buddhists and Buddhism?

There are many more questions, given that we are to be the host of the Commonwealth Nations whose heads are to meet in Sri Lanka.

 

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