http://www.spur.asn.au/LTTE_Atrocities_20070528_Ratmalana_Bomb.htm
http://www.spur.asn.au/LTTE_Atrocities_20060615_Kebithigollewa_Massacre.htm
http://www.spur.asn.au/chronology_of_suicide_bomb_attacks_by_Tamil_Tigers_in_sri_Lanka.htm
http://www.spur.asn.au/After_signing_the_so-called_JM.htm
"kevin larry" <kvjohan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:ab072f7e-6a82-49d0-9889-a5a5cb041903@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> UN special envoy flies in to Lanka as govt. ****fts deadline to end war
>
> Mahinda Rajapaske, Ban Ki-Moon, Wieczorek-Zeul and Angela Kane
>
>
>
>
> While fighting in the northern theatre of war intensified to such a
> degree that the government was last week compelled to revisit the
> deadline set for fini****ng the war, the international community
> continued to mount pressure on the human rights front with the United
> Nations' focus on the emerging crisis in Sri Lanka also increasing.
>
> It was evident for sometime now that the government had placed all its
> political eggs in the war basket and even went public with the hope
> that the LTTE will be eliminated by August, a target which is now
> being re*****sed by Army Commander Sarath Fonseka no less in the wake
> of fierce resistance from the Tigers.
>
> Propaganda
>
> This propaganda hype generated earlier by the government with periodic
> 'leaks' of LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan being killed, injured or
> ailing from diabetes, it was hoped, will keep public morale high and
> the focus away from the burgeoning cost of living, but now with the
> reality dawning on the people the government has cried wolf once too
> often it was back to the drawing boards for the Rajapakse brothers.
>
> The periodic medical re****ts on Pirapaharan was like some wags stating
> President Rajapakse visited Singa****e last week with heart
> specialists, Drs. Kanishka Kamaladasa and Vajira Senaratne due to a
> chest ailment when it was not necessarily the reality.
>
> The ailing Pirapaharan theory and the success of the military
> offensive in Mannar came in the backdrop of heavy fighting in the
> north and for all the media hype, the ground reality was not lost on
> the defence top brass who decided to take a fresh look at their
> strategy.
>
> Of course from a purely psy-ops angle, it was good to keep feeding the
> public the ailing or injured Pirapaharan theory because it on one hand
> helps boost morale in the south while demoralising the Tiger
> sympathisers on the other.
>
> At the same time, by driving home the ailing theory at regular
> intervals, it could help draw Pirapaharan out to give a confidence
> booster to his cadres, thereby making him vulnerable to an air strike,
> but the Tigers were not biting the bait, forcing the government to
> look at other alternatives.
>
> And the end result was President Rajapakse, Defence Secretary Gotabaya
> Rajapakse, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapakse and Army
> Commander Sarath Fonseka, all within a space of one week stating it
> would take approximately one and half year to finish the LTTE, thus
> signaling the road to Wanni was going to be long, hard and bloody
> notwithstanding an ailing Pirapaharan or otherwise.
>
> The obvious intention was to lower public expectations, which were
> built up over a period of time and condition the people's minds to
> bear the economic hard****ps including the upcoming electricity price
> shocks for a much longer time than earlier projected with Senior
> Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapakse making no bones about it
> publicly.
>
> Not a new phenomenon
>
> In an interview with the Daily Mirror on Wednesday, February 13,
> Rajapakse when asked about extending the time line of ending the war
> by a year and a half was to say, "This conflict has been continuing
> for the last three decades. This is not a new phenomenon. Why can't
> the government do it?"
>
> President Rajapakse too in an interview with India Today was to
> project a similar timetable, as did Army Commander Fonseka in yet
> another interview, where he spoke of the fierce resistance mounted by
> the LTTE and the foolhardiness of setting deadlines to finish the war.
> That by a government which has hitherto made deadlines its political
> lifeline.
>
> Thus, given the new time frame of 18 months to finish the war, the
> government is looking at end 2009 and the question naturally arises
> whether the economy can sustain an intensified conflict for such a
> long period of time in a hostile international environment.
>
> That brings the government back to the human rights and humanitarian
> crises and the international pressure to address the issues raised,
> which of course would necessarily call for a policy reappraisal on the
> part of the Rajapakse brothers.
>
> High cost of living
>
> If the government was in a position to finish the war in keeping with
> its earlier time frame of August, the economy might have been able to
> absorb the shocks including the pressure from the people over the high
> cost of living but given the new 'end 2009' time table it is an all
> together new ball game the Rajapakse brothers will have to play with
> the international community becoming a that much more im****tant
> player.
>
> For, an extended war means an escalation in costs both in economic and
> human terms and greater international focus on human rights over a
> longer period to hold the players accountable, all of which the
> government will now have to factor in when confronted with rights
> issues.
>
> In fact, only a few days back, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
> spoke over the telephone with President Rajapakse on the deteriorating
> security situation in the country and the growing human rights
> violations and urged urgent remedial steps.
>
> Further, the UN Secretary General urged the President to give UN
> agencies access to the conflict zones to carry out their humanitarian
> work especially given the large number of internally displaced
> persons. The President for his part explained the steps taken by the
> government to address the human rights issues raised and blamed the
> Srilanken Army for civilian killings.
>
> First hand review
>
> Having listened to the President, the UN Secretary General said he
> would like to send his Assistant Secretary General for Political
> Affairs, Angela Kane to Sri Lanka within days for a first hand review
> of the situation, and Rajapakse readily agreed.
>
> Kane, a German by birth is now expected in the country February 24,
> just two days after the UN Security Council Working Group takes up Sri
> Lanka's case on Children and Armed Conflict and will meet with Foreign
> Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Human Rights Minister Mahinda
> Samarasinghe, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapakse and Defence
> Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse from the government side.
>
> Following her meeting with the government members and other key
> players in the political process, Kane is expected to submit a re****t
> to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on the ground situation in Sri Lanka
> for follow up action.
>
> This is but just one more re****t that will be submitted on Sri Lanka
> to the UN and what the government must take note of for all their
> public bravado is that there is a systematic incremental approach on
> the country situation at the UN and it takes diplomacy and tact to
> deal with the emerging trend rather than mere in-your-face rhetoric.
>
> In that context, the government's case when it comes to dealing with
> allegations of human rights violations is not helped by contradictory
> and incriminating statements made by senior ministers, especially
> those handling defence.
>
> Collecting data
>
> What the government possibly does not also realise is that there are
> members in the international community dealing with human rights who
> are collecting data and building up a dossier on violations to someday
> hold those responsible accountable and whether they succeed or not,
> that ball is now in play.
>
> Even the International Committee of the Red Cross weighed in with
> statements on the growing number of civilian casualties both in the
> north and the south due to the escalation of the conflict, describing
> it as 'appalling levels' of civilian casualties.
>
> The Head of the ICRC delegation in Colombo Tom Vandenhove was to say,
> "The number of civilians affected by the violence throughout the
> country, either by being directly targeted or as bystanders has
> reached appalling levels."
>
> The number of civilians killed since the beginning of the year is
> placed at 180 while the number of injured was said to be 270.
>
> It is in this backdrop the government's handling of recent bus
> bombings where school children were killed showed an appalling sense
> of amateurishness bordering on the criminal.
>
> The paramilitary , mind you, is already in the international dog house
> over child recruitment and human rights violations, including suicide
> bombings, with the organisation banned in a number of countries, but a
> legitimate government has a much larger responsibility as a member
> nation of the UN to respect human rights and international conventions
> and that is where the government is seen to be falling short.
>
> Remain silent
>
> Thus, when the Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph on Tuesday, January 29
> charged that 12 schoolgirls were killed in a claymore attack by an
> Army Deep Penetration Unit, the state media chose to remain silent.
> The Daily News for example did not re****t the incident at all in the
> January 30 issue. The private media however re****ted the issue in
> their January 30 issues, quoting the Mannar Bishop.
>
> The silence of the state media to the international community and
> human rights watchdogs was a telling comment since no steps were taken
> to even blame the SLA for the killing. Not at least until the private
> media re****ted the incident.
>
> Thereafter on January 30, Government Defence Spokesman, Minister
> Keheliya Rambukwella, addressing a press briefing as re****ted in the
> government and Media Centre for National Security website said neither
> the army nor any section of the security forces were involved in the
> claymore attack and charged that it was a ploy by the LTTE to
> discredit the armed forces.
>
> All well and good. Blundering admission
>
> But then comes the blundering admission by omission on February 13
> from the lips of Minister Rambukwella himself at a press briefing, as
> re****ted in the same Media Centre for National Security website at
> 17.10 hours.
>
> Re****ted the website on February 13 - "The Defence Spokesman Hon.
> Minister said 14 school children were killed by the SLA since January
> 2."
>
> The website then proceeds to give the breakdown of the children killed
> by the SLA as per Rambukwella's comments. It said, "On February 2, the
> bomb explosion by the LTTE suicide cadre killed nine school children,
> seven students of D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya and two from other
> schools. On January 2nd two children were killed at the explosion
> near the Nippon Hotel in Colombo. At the Nugegoda bomb explosion also
> two school children died. Yesterday a 14 -year-old boy was killed by
> LTTE fire at Akkaraipattu, the Defence Spokesman added."
>
> Now, if 14 school children were killed by the SLA between January 2
> and February 13 as detailed by Minister Rambukwella, who then killed
> the 12 school girls in Mannar?
>
> For, the 12 schoolchildren killed in Mannar on January 29 is not
> attributed to the LTTE by the Minister when he says the LTTE has
> killed 14 children from January 2 to February 13.
>
> It will be recalled, on January 30, Minister Rambukwella, as re****ted
> in the government websites attributed the killings to a LTTE ploy but
> on February 13, he absolves by omission LTTE responsibility for the
> killings, bringing the focus back on the military as alleged by the
> Mannar Bishop and the Tigers.
>
> And this propaganda bloomer was not lost on the international
> community with the contradictory statements being dispatched to human
> rights organisations within hours as an admission by omission of the
> state to the Mannar killings.
>
> Be that as it may, given the international concerns over Sri Lanka's
> human rights record, the European Union also made a request for its
> three human rights ambassadors to visit Sri Lanka in February to
> *****s the situation but an increasingly worried government ducked the
> issue stating the time was not op****tune for such a visit.
>
> Negative response
>
> The Human Rights Ambassadors of the EU from Denmark, Sweden and the
> Netherlands made the request to visit Sri Lanka and meet with the
> various parties to the conflict in January and their local
> counterparts met with both Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe
> and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona to obtain the necessary approvals
> only to receive a response in the negative.
>
> Kohona told the EU Ambassadors there were other visits scheduled for
> February and therefore the request of the Human Rights ambassadors
> cannot be accommodated at this time, a position that was later
> communicated to Brussels in writing by the Foreign Ministry.
>
> This push by European Union countries was further reflected in an
> interview given by Germany's Economic Cooperation and Development
> Minister Heidemarie Weiczorek-Zeul to the respected Tages Spiegel
> newspaper last week wherein she strongly advocated withdrawing the
> General System of Preference Plus (GSP+) facility from Sri Lanka.
>
> The GSP+ facility is the Sri Lankan garment industry's lifeline on
> which over 100,000 jobs and over US$1.2 billion ex****t earnings hang
> and it is this facility the German Minister was proposing to withdraw
> if the government continues to wage war.
>
> Said she: "The international community must influence both parties to
> the conflict to seek a political solution and withdraw from the war
> which brings only suffering to the people. In the beginning of March a
> EU-troika will travel to Sri Lanka. If the Sri Lankan government
> continues to insist on a military option, I will demand that the EU
> should withdrew the GSP+ offered to Sri Lanka. This concession enables
> Sri Lanka to ex****t its goods and products to the EU at reduced or
> exempted tax and duty levis. This step will really bring economic
> pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka. For Sri Lanka a Preference
> System Plus is in place until the end of 2008 which however requires
> good governance."
>
> Meaningless
>
> Adds Minister Wieczorek-Zeul - "If the EU continues to accept the
> present situation, the Plus is meaningless. The biggest ****tion of Sri
> Lanka's ex****ts consists of textile ex****ts. Only garment product
> ex****ts to the EU markets are valued at US$ 1.2 billion annually. The
> other part is ex****ted to the United States. It is also im****tant to
> consult with the US which has also taken up a very critical position
> towards Sri Lanka in the past few weeks."
>
> The Minister goes on to state that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
> Moon should send a special envoy to Sri Lanka to study the situation,
> a move that is now happening with the visit of Angela Kane.
>
> This to the government should be a signal there is some plan in motion
> to check Sri Lanka on the human rights front and unless it looks sharp
> without just letting loose the dogs of war there can be serious
> trouble ahead.
>
> The government however is somewhat complacent on the seriousness of
> the GSP+ threat, banking on Minister G.L. Peiris and EU Ambassador
> Julian Wilson to deliver the goods with President Rajapakse told there
> are no serious worries on that front.
>
> Confident
>
> This confidence, Minister Peiris has given to the President stating
> Ambassador Wilson will ensure Sri Lanka is not deprived of the GSP+
> facility notwithstanding human rights issues raised by EU political
> leaders.
>
> According to Minister Peiris, Ambassador Wilson will push Sri Lanka's
> case through humanitarian grounds claiming over 100,000 garment sector
> employees will lose their jobs if the GSP+ facility is withdrawn.
>
> How successful Ambassador Wilson will be in this endeavour remains to
> be seen considering the pressure mounted by the EU countries
> especially in the face of the government's failure to deliver on the
> civil and political rights convention which is a pre-requisite to
> qualify for the GSP plus.
>
> Interestingly, it is none other than Minister Peiris who has taken the
> position no specific legislation needs to be passed by parliament to
> give effect to the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
> following a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary, and has given a
> theoretical justification for this position whereas Foreign Minister
> Rohitha Bogollagama has taken a more practical approach and called for
> the passing of the necessary legislation to err on the side of
> caution.
>
> But with Ministers Peiris and Bogollagama battling for one upman****p
> over the issue, Sri Lanka may have to eventually pay a heavy price
> with the blame falling squarely on the shoulders of Peiris who has
> placed all his eggs in the Wilson basket with a little side sup****t
> from EU Parliamentarian Niranjan Deva Aditya.
>
> Bigger game
>
> What the government must realise is that there is a bigger game afoot
> with the EU troika too expected to visit Sri Lanka in March as
> indicated by the German Minister for Economic Cooperation which is
> also indicative of the fact there is much more at stake than the GSP
> +.
>
> That the government now predicts the war will go on at least till end
> 2009 also means the human rights issue will still be on the table at
> the EU when the GSP+ comes up for review end 2008 and is another
> factor the likes of Peiris will do well to remember when lobbying Sri
> Lanka's case.
>
> Of course despite the confidence Ambassador Wilson has in Peiris, the
> Minister's credibility among member nations is not all that high given
> his political gymnastics on the ethnic issue after joining the
> Rajapakse bandwagon and it could be yet another risk the President is
> taking by using him as the front man to secure the GSP+ facility.
>
> More im****tantly, with good governance being a crucial condition to
> qualify for GSP+, the government was skating on thin ice on another
> front and that is with regard to the Constitutional Council.
>
> Independent commissions
>
> The implementation of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution and
> through it the independent commissions is another factor the
> international community is looking at and delaying its appointment
> until upcoming vacancies in the judiciary, public service and police
> are filled will be another black mark which will go against the regime
> in reaping economic rewards on offer for good governance.
>
> And all these issues will be on the table when the EU troika visits
> Sri Lanka sometime in March as indicated by Germany's Economic
> Cooperation and Development Minister, Wieczorek-Zeul.
>
> While the dates for the visit are yet to be finalised, all indications
> are that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and EU Commissioner
> for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner will be two members in
> the troika and it is no secret both are tough on human rights.
>
> Kouchner in fact was to be a member of the Independent International
> Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) to watch the workings of the Special
> Presidential Commission and was replaced only because he was appointed
> as Foreign Minister of France.
>
> Strong commitment
>
> Kouchner, the founder of Medicins Sans Frontiers is from the Socialist
> ranks and is said to have a strong commitment to human rights and
> even sup****ted the US-led intervention in Iraq on the grounds of
> Saddam Hussein's denial of human rights.
>
> It is also re****ted that his and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's
> concern for human rights lies behind their eagerness to join British
> Premier Gordon Brown in a new push for action in Darfur and such a man
> being part of a EU troika visiting Sri Lanka to take stock of the
> situation is not going to be good news for the government on receiving
> the GSP+ unless the Rajapakse brothers get their act together pronto.
>
> Likewise Ferrero-Waldner too has in the past taken a dim view of the
> human rights situation in Sri Lanka and all things considered, the
> government may do well to not just fix new time frames for ending the
> war but look at overall strategy to address the political issues
> confronting the country, lest it be defeated on the economic war well
> before making headway on the military front.
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