By Shivanthi Ranasinghe Courtesy Ceylon Today

Early this month (August, 2021), a farmer in Vilavotei, Kilinochchi, whilst preparing his paddy field, detected a part of a uniform worn by Sri Lankan soldiers with skeletal remains. He promptly informed the Police.

The investigators found besides the aforementioned also evidenced that strongly suggested a site used by the LTTE as an execution ground. Surprisingly, or not, this news had not generated any interest in the Media, civil societies or amongst the nosy western diplomatic corps. Even the various groups that have sprung up in support of our war heroes are keeping mum. 

On taxpayers’ money the high maintenance Office for Missing Persons (OMP) functions. In the year 2018 national budget, Rs 1.4 billion was allocated for the functioning of the OMP. In the 2019 April budget, another Rs 500 million was included to honour an interim report submitted by the OMP. 

This additional sum was to provide the affected families with missing persons a monthly allowance of Rs 6,000/ until a suitable compensation package can be finalised through the Reparations Commissions. The necessity for this allowance was established on the basis that the surviving families could not proceed with their legal rights without a death certificate. Therefore, recognising a person as missing until his/her fate can be determined is important for the surviving family. 

Responsibility of the OMP

 It is the prime responsibility of the OMP to thus determine the identity of the victims in this mass grave. Since DNA testing is available locally this is not an impossible task. The work involved may be tedious but the Government has made a generous allocation to the OMP, so that they may execute their responsibilities without constraints. 

Therefore, it is of great importance that the OMP submits to Parliament a progress report on the identity of the skeletal remains. The Parliamentarians too, especially those who won their seats by speaking on behalf of our war heroes, should push for such a report from the OMP.

 Kilinochchi Mass Grave vs Mannar Mass Grave 

When the Mannar mass grave was discovered in 2018 in the northwestern town of the then German ambassador himself visited the site with a Media crew on tow. The immediate presumption was that this was a crime committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces. The western diplomats and civil societies dependent on these western agencies were licking and smacking their chops with anticipation of finally finding evidence to prove their wild allegations against our war heroes. They did not even for a moment entertained the possibility that this mass grave could have been the works of the LTTE – even though the disrepute of LTTE included the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians who they perceived as against them. 

However, carbon data from the world’s most advanced labs proved that the mass grave was created by neither the Sri Lankan armed forces nor the LTTE. This was a crime committed during the forced European occupation and was few centuries old. Immediately, all interest on it vapourised. When the Mannar mass grave was still a hot topic, it was discussed even in Geneva. 

On 20 March 2019, The United Nations Human Rights Commission’s High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet met a high profile Government delegation that comprised the then Foreign Minister Thilak Marapana, Parliamentarian Dr Sarath Amunugama, Governor of the Northern Province Dr Suren Raghavan, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ravinatha Aryasinha and the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva Ambassador ALA Azeez.

 It was reported that the High Commissioner greeted the Yahapalana Government delegation warmly and expressed satisfaction on the progress made by Sri Lanka in some of the key human rights commitments arising from HRC resolution 30/1. In what was described as frank and candid discussion between the two parties, the High Commissioner had also referred to certain information contained in the Office of the High Commissioner’s Report such as the ‘mass graves’ in Mannar.”

One-sided story reaching Geneva 

Whether High Commissioner Bachelet would express similar interest on the mass grave with remains of Sri Lankan soldiers in the upcoming UNHRC September session is to be seen. It is unfair to predict a reaction before its time. However, it is not unreasonable to be doubtful as the news that reach the UNHRC only caters to a narrative that is supportive of the LTTE propaganda. There is a reason for the UNHRC to fail in forming a comprehensive picture vis a vis Sri Lanka. The highly politicised UNHRC picks on certain developments concerning Sri Lanka and not all news. 

Despite the UN maintaining an office in Sri Lanka, the UNHRC tends to give more of a hearing to the Human rights groups, civil rights activists and other Non Governmental Organisations funded by the West that continuously carry tales against Sri Lanka to the UNHRC. 

The UNHRC Resolution 30/1 brought against Sri Lanka in 2015 is a case in point. That Resolution hinges on the outrages allegation that 40,000 perished during the last phase of the war against terrorism. Yet, the UN Colombo office’s estimate of this figure is around 7,000. 

This figure of 40,000 was first published in the illegal Darusman’s Report. When Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera challenged Yasmin Sooka, who made up the three-member panel that produced the Darusman’s Report, as to how the 40,000 figure was arrived at, all she could do was stare back dumbfounded. The Foreign Ministry is too entangled in negating these exaggerated or even false reporting and appeasing our accusers in the belief that will stop the hate campaign against the country. 

Hence, as a State arm we are not as persistent in presenting a positive image of the country as those who are engaged in discrediting our country. For instance, 15 ex-LTTE combatants were recently given cash emoluments of Rs 100,000 each to initiate a means of self-employment. This is certainly not a one time event or something that took place for the first time since the annihilation of the LTTE. 

No longer credible 

Since the conclusion of the war against terrorism, the Sri Lankan Governments under Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa have concentrated on aiding the former LTTE cadres to return to the civil society. From the rehabilitation programmes and thereafter, these two Governments have initiated many programmes that have helped former terrorists to rebuild their lives through various vocational programmes. In April 2017, hundreds of ex-LTTE gathered in protest against the move to hand over the farms and pre-schools managed under the Sri Lankan Army to the TNA-dominated Northern Provincial Council. 

They insisted that their livelihoods would be adversely affected if these were given to be managed by the NPC. Therefore, they wish to work under the military in which they have more confidence. It is noteworthy the TNA once was the political stooge of the LTTE. Therefore, it is clear from these protests that the TNA is no longer a credible or accepted political entity amongst the very people who fought for a separatist movement. 

These protests, unlike the howls generated over the disappeared persons, are not funded by any NGOs. This makes the protests by the ex-LTTE cadres a genuine cry and denotes the true state of affairs in the country. During the current recruitment drive, more than 1,600 from the Tamil community had joined the Army,” observed Army Commander Shavendra Silva when he toured the Northern peninsula in April, 2021. 

The Tamil youth seeing career prospective in the Sri Lankan military is the best evidence we have of the harmony between the military and the civilians in the North and East. It is most unfortunate that the Sri Lankan Government and especially the Foreign Ministry fails to latch on to such developments. These developments are thus seen as isolated incidents and get dismissed even before the end of the day.

 Treacherous Agenda in Discrediting Sri Lanka 

Earlier this month, Canada announced funding to nine NGOs to the tune of CAD 300,000 under a programme labelled 2021-2022 Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. These nine Organisations include Centre of Human Rights and Development, Colombo Friends in Need Society, Comdu.it, Chrysalis, Media Law Forum, Save the Beach Maldives, Transparency International Sri Lanka, Verite Research and Women & Democracy.

 According to the press statement released by the Canadian High Commission on 04.08.2021, this initiative is to support and empower Organisations addressing local issues while strengthening ties with civil society and local communities. This year, the statement further read, this initiative will contribute to promoting and advancing inclusive governance, women’s empowerment, environment and climate action and growth that works for everyone in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The statement admits that this is a highly competitive and sought out programme.

 Here lies the problem, which the Defence Ministry should take serious note. This substantial funding and support is only given to those that meets the Canadian criteria. In simpler terms, this award is given to those with the most brown noses. This is an absolutely unacceptable situation. The role of an embassy is to establish and strengthen bilateral relations between its Government and the administration of the host country. As such, an embassy cannot be seen to be intervening in internal matters of its host country. 

This includes all attempts at moulding societies, groups and organisations to carry an external agenda. However, these local societies that are funded by these embassies and Western Governments do not work towards strengthening the positioning of their own country but rather to discredit it. The persistent demand to release Easter Attack suspects as Hejaaz Hisbulla and former CID Director Shani Abeysekera who fabricated false evidence against Yahapalana Government’s political opponents is made by such civil societies. 

The fact that they did not make a hum when the military intelligence officers were similarly incarcerated on flimsy charges that had no evidence highlights their hypocrisy. The West for centuries operated on a divide and rule principle. In this context, they always created confusion and chaos in non-white supremacist countries. They do not wish to see our countries progress. Thus far, US ambassador Alaina Teplitz has been exposed twice over misleading comments made on the Colombo Port City, the key project that will strengthen our economy. 

First she claimed that the Port City would be a haven for money laundering. Recently she falsely implicated that the US has one of the companies working on the Port City Development on our sanctions list,” and further commented that doing business with that company may not be something that’s advisable.” She made these comments to a select group of journalists.

 This in itself proves that the US embassy is not as big on Media freedom as they claim. CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd was quick in correcting this falsehood. The response noted that neither this company nor its parent company China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) have been listed in the US sanctions announced in August 2020, nor are these two companies engaged in any business with companies in the US sanction list. 

In fact, the CCCC is a Fortune 500 company currently ranked in the 78th position. The silence maintained by the Foreign Ministry over these developments is a matter of grave concern. The damage done by these civil societies is immense. The recent trade union actions instigated by the JVP have put the whole country in jeopardy. 

If not for the teachers’ protests, Sri Lanka would have resolved the pandemic to a great extent by September. Instead, today the country is in danger of another lockdown of at least three weeks. This will affect the daily wage earners as well as the overall economy of the country sinking under the weight of debt taken by the Yahapalana Government. 

Therefore, the Defence Ministry must take stern action against these nefarious elements behind these protests. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry must put the embassies and ambassadors in their due place. Otherwise, these so-called civil societies will continue to strain in the most uncivilised manner to release a big dump on our heads. ranasingheshivanthi@gmail.com