Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to UK tells BBC:
‘RESPECT SOVEREIGN RIGHTS, WE DO’
* Progress in reconciliation
compared to South Africa and Ireland
* Critics of LLRC have
changed their view
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK Dr. Chris Nonis told BBC’s
Wold News that Sri Lanka respects the sovereign rights of Britain and
expects Britain to reciprocate in the same vein. “We respect the
sovereign rights of Britain and we expect you to respect ours,” he said
in an interview with BBC.
He told BBC presenter Mishal Husain of the show ‘Impact’, “We respect
the sovereign rights of Britain, and of every other country, and we
expect you to respect ours. We are a sovereign and an independent state
and naturally we expect the same courtesy that you would expect us to
apply for your country.”
Sri Lanka’s post-conflict measures at reconciliation, rehabilitation,
reintegration, and reconstruction were highlighted by the High
Commissioner during the interview.
Asked by the presenter what positive developments have occurred in
the last four years since the end of the 26 year conflict, the Sri
Lankan High Commissioner said
297,000 people rescued from the clutches of the LTTE have been
rehabilitated, in perhaps the largest hostage rescue operation in global
history. “After a 28 year bitter and internecine conflict with the
terrorists we finally achieved peace in the country under the leadership
of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
There is a billion dollar programme going into the North and East,
Negenahira Navoday a, and Uthuru Vasanthaya which is building the lives
and infrastructure of the people. Eleven thousand six hundred LTTE
cadres are now being rehabilitated, ” Dr. Nonis said .
“I have met these kids. They were cruelly snatched by Prabhakaran
from their parents, and they were fighting but they didn’t know what
they were fighting for. It is so wonderful to see them receiving
vocational training, being rehabilitated and re-integrated into
society,” the High Commissioner said.
On the question of an international independent process to assess
progress as called for by the UN, the High Commissioner said that one
needs to draw a distinction between an international process and an
independent process. “We do have an independent inquiry and many people
who initially criticised the LLRC process changed their views when they
actually saw the 388-paged document.
It was modeled on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South
Africa. It was set within the Principle of International Humanitarian
Law, incorporating the Principle of Distinction and the Principle of
Proportionality. “The Commission is moving forward and there is
significant progress”.
Questioned on refugees and persecution, Dr Nonis said, “I would say
there are many people who for various different reasons come and seek
asylum, and I think what we have to separate, is those who seek asylum
as economic refugees, from those who seek asylum as political refugees”
– You must remember the demography of the country, the majority of Tamil
people actually live in the Centre and South of Sri Lanka, if you look
at Colombo, its roughly a 30-30-30 percent split between Sinhalese,
Tamil and Muslim. We have a huge dichotomy or disjuncture in perception
between what is portrayed here and the reality of contemporary Sri
Lanka”.
Asked “How many years would it take to say that we are now
reconciled,” Dr Nonis pointed to South Africa and the post-apartheid
period where there are still substantial issues and to Northern Ireland
where, despite the “Good Friday” Agreement, there are still issues.
“In comparison, I think we have done pretty well,” he said
reiterating that it is only four years since the military defeat of the
LTTE.
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