By Philip Fernando, former Deputy Editor, Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is tragic that Secretary General Ban-Ki MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s intellectual bent towards the demonic Tiger remnants, still warped towards their evil designs may tarnish the 65th anniversary of the UN this week. It stuck out as a sour thumb ignominiously mocking the more decent work of that august body. Moon seemed presumptuous, preposterous and loathsome judged by the accepted norms of decision making at the United Nations. His dual standards in dealing with rights violations round the globe are odious, unworthy of the impartiality expected of a Secretary General shattering the high hopes the Asians had in one of their own assuming the leadership at the UN the very first time after the stewardship of the Secretary General U Thant of Burma years ago.

Moon has been quite blind to Western countries blatantly flouting U N mandates, too numerous to spell in full here. Here are the grotesque ones: -invasion of Iraq on false pretenses, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, repeated drone attacks killings civilians in Pakistan.

The United Nations was established on October 24, 1945 with 51 countries as members now have a membership of 192 Nations. Moon has not paid the attention the small nations deserve in an era of big power dominance.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is significant that Sri Lanka also celebrates the 55th anniversary of its admission to this organization this year. Sri Lanka was the 76th country to join the United Nations Organisation on December 14, 1955 when Sir John Kotelawala was the Prime Minister of the country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Flawed UN panel on Sri Lanka

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Moon and his ill-advised and flawed panel are hideously insensitive to the upbeat tone of reconciliation discernible in Sri Lanka now. Moon’s irrational sleight of hand infuriates more than restrains, aggravates rather than diffuses the ethnic antagonisms that are being put to rest by the Sri Lankans.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Most malicious aspect of MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s cantankerous decision is (1) to undermine the commission set up by Sri Lanka to achieve amity after the long war and (2) to discard the cardinal mandate that the UN Secretary General is an integral part of any member stateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fundamental right to seek protection from terror as etched in the UN Charter of state rights. Moon has set in motion a train wreck with his narcissistic self-promotional moves.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The treacherous and heinous aspect of MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s decision was the contemptuous treatment of a sovereign stateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s right to defend itself and protect its people against frightful killing sprees on its own soil of a proclaimed terrorist organization that went on a rampage for decades. Moon has failed to base his decision on any UN mandated authority prior to taking such a stand. His accountability demands from Sri Lanka are atrociously misguided.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Manipulative scare tactics

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The draconian attempt to fabricate unfounded incidence of imaginary wrongdoing during the receding stage of LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s valiant war against terror are nothing but an imposition of manipulative scare tactics to nullify the path towards peace and restoration of moral values painstakingly sought by the Sri Lankans.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Moon also off-handedly pooh-poohed the patently discernible path towards reconciliation emerging in the country following democratically held elections in the North and East and the allocation of enormous amount of resources to rebuild the decrepit infra-structure deliberately decimated by the Tigers, the re-establishment of avenues for enhancing education and as well as the recognizing of the places of historical and religious places of record.

MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s tilt towards a terror outfit

MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s inexplicable tilt towards the LTTE terror outfit with a gargantuan record of unspeakable atrocities, including wanton and contemptible recruitment of children as cadres and scornful disregard for international authority was uncalled for.

Moon and his group of advisers had failed to thwart the contemptuous Tigers who had been infinitesimally mindless about UN authority for too long.

MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s weird web of accountability

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Damaging his credibility beyond repair, Moon has assumed that there were violations that occurred even before the investigations have begun indicative of malicious intent while the only perpetrator of terror, the Tigers were allowed to act with impunity for so long. The Tiger leaders-the sole inflictors of terror are beyond the reach of the law now. This is nothing but delusion gone berserk.

Moon impartiality is in question

MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s impartiality also came into question in another matter: his rushing to condemn the alleged downing of a ship in South Korean waters few months ago, totally unacceptable at the UN level.

In a rare news conference, North Korean the envoy, Sin Son-ho, called the UN investigation carried out with a number of foreign experts, which hurriedly concluded that a North Korean torpedo blew up a ship in March this year, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-a complete fabrication from A to Z.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was considered a rare blemish by a Secretary General trying to intervene rather undiplomatically in a dispute among long adversaries disregarding any inherent conflict of interest that may ensue due to such action.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Moon panel is fodder for Tiger regrouping

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ MoonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s panel is trying to recreate imaginary scenarios tailor-made to suit the whims of the Tiger Diaspora. It would bring confrontation to the fore instead of the current climate of reconciliation. The panel is not able to bring back the Tiger leaders to justice and neither can the accountability doctrine so banally described by Moon be ever exerted on the dead Tiger leadership.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In a recent editorial, The Hindu lambasted Moon stating that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-in a move reeking of the foul odour of cynicism and double standards.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The Hindu further stated that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the very basis of the notification is totally unacceptable and untenable. First, Sri Lanka is a sovereign, independent country, having the indisputable right under the UN Charter itself, to act in its best judgment on issues relating to its internal affairs, especially where maintenance of peace and security is concerned.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It is a settled canon of international conduct that no extraneous agency has any business to poke its nose into matters of internal governance of any country.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Since crushing the LTTE in May 2009, both the Sinhalese and the Tamil communities, and especially the Buddhists and Hindus, have begun to take symbolic measures to heal the wounds of over three decades of war and mutual suspicions.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Secretary General Moon has treated those efforts as tripe. Secretary General Moon! Your slip is showing. Abandoning high moral ground bespeaks of a bankrupt diplomatic mind-set. What disgusting thoughts on the 65th anniversary of the UN!