Those who have dual US citizenship and dual passports become fake patriots when UNHRC sessions commence, says Bimal Ratnayake, the National Organizer of the JVP.
He was speaking at a media briefing convened at the party head office today (19th) to comment on the UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka and its contents. Commenting further at the press conference Mr Ratnayake said, “The UN Human Rights Commission has been established by Resolution 60-252. Representatives are appointed by direct secret ballot of the United Nations General Assembly. All 193 countries in the General Assembly can stand and vote for this. Accordingly, 47 countries will become members for three years. When the World Human Rights Commission was established in 2006, 117 countries voted in favour. Sri Lanka is among those countries. 47 countries representing all continents from all regions of the world are elected to this Council. It intervenes and reports on human rights in all these member countries.
The discussion on the human rights issue in Sri Lanka begins with the resolution 1/11 on May 26, 2009. The then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of Sri Lanka issued a joint statement agreeing to investigate violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. As a result of agreeing to look into this matter, the UN Human Rights Commission’s Special Resolutions on Sri Lanka started coming since 2012. Various countries have submitted special proposals regarding Sri Lanka as 2/19 in 2012, 2/23 in 2013, 1/25 in 2014, 1/30 in 2015, 1/37 in 2017, and 1/40 in 2019. Except the original resolution tabled in September after the end of the war in 2009, all other resolutions were against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been defeated by a number of those proposals. No vote was required due to Sri Lanka’s sponsorship for the 2015 resolution.
A resolution signed by 41 countries representing the UN General Assembly was submitted to the Human Rights Council on March 16. The motion will be put to the vote on March 23. It is important to consider the context in which the proposals are made, not the facts. The government’s large media network reports on the proposals are in accordance with the government’s power project. For example, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was a dual citizen before applying for the presidency. We are confident that his dual citizenship was not revoked when he submitted his nomination for the presidential election. His wife and son are still American citizens. Their leader Basil Rajapaksa still holds American citizenship. Even the constitution of Sri Lanka is changed to suit their needs without removing citizenship. People who are always biased towards foreign countries, people with dual citizenship, people with dual passports become huge anti-Geneva. These people are against the United Nations when it comes to the Geneva issue.
Issues related to the 2009 war were present in resolutions presented earlier. However, today, 12 years later, most of the resolutions are about the post-war period. They are concerned with anti-democratic moves, interfering with the independence of the judiciary etc. It should be emphasized that this is not a purely war-related resolution. A separate commission will be appointed to examine all the reports of the Presidential Commissions appointed by the President so far. A commission about a commission. The commission has focused on the Presidential Commission on Human Rights. It is a commission appointed to go to Geneva and say something.
There are five main points they make regarding Sri Lanka. One is the weakening and collapse of the Human Rights Commission in this country. It is clear to everyone that its current chairman cannot play the role of an independent commission because he is the foreign minister’s father. The second is the issue of militarization in the country. The third is the acquisition of the power to appoint judges to the judiciary by the President through the Twentieth Amendment.
The fourth is political interference in cases currently pending in the courts. The best example is the Kekille Commission. The fifth refers to the search for information of social activists, intimidation and pressure on journalists. Besides, the issue of the cremation of covid deaths of Muslims has been raised against Sri Lanka. The Commission on the Disappearances has also been cited as an additional factor. The Kekille Commission chairman had stated that human rights cases pending in courts could not be discussed in the commission. However, the chairman of the Kekille Commission himself has ordered the acquittal and release of the accused in 79 cases pending in the courts and has recommended that the plaintiffs who acted against those accused be prosecuted. It is a serious situation that the former chairman of the Kekille Commission is now the chairman of the Commission on Missing Persons. The International Human Rights Resolution has considered the contradictory actions taken by the Human Rights Commission in connection with the abduction and murder of 11 youths for ransom.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka appointed by the President should have a very active person. It is reminded in the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Also, former military officers have been appointed to 28 departments in Sri Lanka. Even the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a former Army Chief. The militarization of civilian institutions is unacceptable in the world. Even military officials acknowledge that there can be problems in civilian affairs. Institutions for which former army chiefs have been appointed have not developed. Despite this 25 serving Army officers have been appointed in parallel with the Government Agents. Even the official duties of District Secretaries have been handed over to the Army officers. In some places, the Chief of Army Staff has begun to play a higher role than the Government Agent. A parallel military administration has now been established.
As the Cabinet approved the report on the release of 79 accused on the recommendation of the Kekille Commission appointed to influence the judiciary, there is now a Kekille Cabinet. These recommendations have been sent to the Attorney General and 79 accused, including the Rajapaksa family elite, are in the process of being acquitted and released.
If the accused in the murder of a Sri Lankan parliamentarian is approved by the Cabinet on the recommendation of the Presidential Commission and acquitted, how can it be said that there is at least an independent judiciary? These facts are specific to countries that submit proposals against Sri Lanka to the Geneva Human Rights Commission. Therefore, the Rajapaksa regime is proving that there is no independent judiciary. Serious corruption charges had been filed against Sajin Vaas by the Bribery Commission. The Bribery Commission does not file cases according to its whims and fancies. The withdrawal of the charges filed against Sajin Vaas years ago is acquitting and releasing the political elite’s corrupt members. Not only the judiciary but also the Bribery Commission has been interfered with. Also, Judicial appointments are not independent.
Also, those close to them have to be released in connection with ongoing cases. These are not war-related issues. The present regime is pressuring all institutions to justify what they are doing to maintain their political power illegally. When the Geneva resolution comes, the war and separatist things are shown to the people. Meanwhile, social activists and journalists are once again threatened by the highest echelons of the country.
Bhagya, a 19-year-old schoolgirl, says what she sees with her eyes. After that, the police, after passing the destroyed jungle, interrogate the girl. The wildlife officers, too, do the same. They do not question people who cut down the forest. The message from this is “Shut up. Do not question!”. “Close your eyes and ears and keep your conscience silent.” Not letting a small child speak the truth they see is a boon to teams bringing resolutions in Geneva. None of this is war-related. Bhagya daughter did not say anything related to the war.
On March 12, 2021, a very dangerous gazette notification was issued under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. If the police or the government think that a person has extremist views, he can be detained for one year for rehabilitation. He can be sent for ‘rehabilitation for another six months without trial if necessary. These are done without a court order. As the JVP, we are against all kinds of extremism. Extremism can be eradicated only through education, reconciliation, coexistence and equality. If a group spreads extremism, it can be isolated, and legal action can be taken. Otherwise, if extremism is answered by extremism, an entire community would be destroyed.
Nevertheless, anyone who feels that he is against the government can be made an extremist by this gazette. When the President visited Lankagama, he said, “nothing can be done with environmental extremists.” According to this gazette, even those whom the government thinks are environmental extremists can be sent for rehabilitation for two years. Many of those arrested in connection with the Easter attack have been charged with other offences. This shows that the government’s real purpose is to hunt down those who speak out against them. This gazette raises very dangerous extremism. What right does the government have to decide whether someone is an extremist or not? People do not come out with extremist views as much as MPs and ministers do. A big commotion was created saying, Dr Safi sterilized 4,000 women. What’s going on now? The report of the Easter Commission does not mention that. Nothing will happen to those who spread extremist ideas. Please leave it to the judiciary, even though it has been weakened, let it decide whether one’s views are extremist or not. The resolution that will be brought against Sri Lanka contains such facts.
How can Sri Lanka be protected from the March 23 elections? In 2012, 15 countries voted in favour of Sri Lanka. 24 countries voted against it. In 2014, only 12 supported Sri Lanka. In two years, the support had dropped from 15 to 12. There are imperialist countries in the United Nations. As a leftist political party, we know that these organizations are trying to achieve their masters’ various objectives. These organizations include a large number of independent, sovereign nations as well.
Just because there are imperialist countries, they have not made every institution in the United Nations their branches. This must be understood if Sri Lanka is to be protected in Geneva. Sri Lanka should not be isolated in the world but should win the world. That is the responsibility of the head of state. The Human Rights Commission is such a place where we can achieve a win. Let me give you some examples.
Cuba is a socialist country. It is not a country where there are heads of state with double passports. It is a country that works directly against everything in American imperialism. For 31 years, imperialists, including the United States, submitted proposals against Cuba to the UN General Assembly. However, Cuba has been able to win the votes of the whole of Europe, including Great Britain, France and Germany. 191 out of 193 countries in the United Nations have voted for socialist Cuba for 30 years. Can this be done if the United Nations was a part of the United States as Gotabaya’s henchmen say? The UN Human Rights Commission is not a purely American body. We know that the Human Rights Commission could not be fully operational when journalists were assassinated in Saudi Arabia. Also, this Human Rights Commission went to look into the war crimes being committed in Israel. That is for Palestine. Palestine did that by working properly. The International Court of Justice went to Palestine, despite US opposition. Palestine has been gaining a majority in the world bodies for years.
Therefore, our motherland needs international strength. It needs international relations. However, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime is trying to maintain a dictatorial regime by maintaining racism and religious extremism for the sake of power. They violate human rights, destroy the judiciary and influence the media and say that the United Nations opposes Sri Lanka. That’s a lie. Mr Basil Rajapaksa is still a citizen of the United States, which has always worked against Sri Lanka. Pohottu party leaders are associated with that country. In Geneva, we can win easily without the votes of the imperialists. If we protect human rights, we can get the votes of independent sovereign countries. Even today, some countries that vote in favour of Sri Lanka support the US resolution. They would vote against Sri Lanka due to the violations committed in this country. This resolution can be defeated only by protecting human rights in Sri Lanka.
While there is a possibility of winning Geneva, the dictatorial repressive mechanism of this government has pushed us into the imperialists’ arms. Due to the pressure exerted on the Muslim people of Sri Lanka, even Muslim countries that are against the United States may vote against Sri Lanka. Even the countries that were in favour of us are against us now.
The military has ruled Burma for 60 years. It is the best example of how military rule cannot develop a country, no matter how prosperous it may be, no matter how rich it may be. This vast state of 500,000 square kilometres has been under military rule since 1962. Now, it has become the poorest country in Asia. There are some politicians and religious leaders who do not know about the corrupt military junta. Unfortunately, many people in Sri Lanka eat the rotten ropes given by them. The other is It is a country where the majority practise Theravada Buddhism.
A country that was like that has been turned into a cemetery today. We condemn that military rule. Despite this, the Foreign
Minister of the Burmese Army Junta is invited to a conference to be held in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Burma, Prof Nalinda Silva, says that the President made a mistake in appointing him to the post. He says he gets a paycheck.The President has appointed such people everywhere.
