Ira de Silva London, Ontario

Ms. P. Butenis
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dear Madam:

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I refer to your statement at the outset of the news regarding the content of the information made available to the world on diplomatic exchanges from the U.S. embassy in Colombo and the U.S. State Department. Your claim was that this information should not be made public and your Secretary of State could also only condemn the exposure stating that it would endanger lives. What is clear is that the U.S. is only concerned with American lives and have no regard for the lives of others they have deliberately killed, wounded and rendered homeless.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The information according to a leaked cable is that you hold the Sri Lankan President and former Army Commander responsible for alleged war crimes last year. According to you, “one of the reasons that there was so little progress towards a genuine Sri Lankan enquiry into how so many people were killed was that the president and the former army commander, Sarath Fonseka, were largely responsible”. In non diplomatic language you are making a direct accusation against the president and the former army commander. What is the basis of your opinion that the president’s two brothers are war criminals? Could you now make a statement indicating on what evidence you hold the Sri Lankan president, his brothers and the Army Commander responsible for alleged war crimes? Sri Lankans would be most interested – perhaps you could send it to the LLRC. Also advise Sri Lankans of what progress the U.S. is making towards not just an inquiry but a “genuine” inquiry now that the world knows that the U.S. is “largely responsible” for hundreds of thousands being killed in many parts of the world.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You go on to claim, “there are no examples we know of a regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power.” Your thinking must be based on the notion that your wars are waged according to the Geneva Convention although the whole world knows that you do not abide by those rules. Your own documents prove that the U.S. has been killing civilians at checkpoints and shooting “alleged insurgents”. They reveal many previously unreported instances in which US forces killed civilians at checkpoints and during operations. For example, the leaked report claims that “in one incident in July 2007 as many as 26 Iraqis were killed by a helicopter, about half of them civilians, according to the log”. Another record shows an Apache helicopter gunship fired on two men believed to have fired mortars at a military base in Baghdad in February 2007, even though they were attempting to surrender. The crew asked a lawyer whether they could accept the surrender, but were told they could not, “and are still valid targets”. So they shot them. Is that not a documented war crime?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Please advise Sri Lankans why the U.S. has not undertaken “wholesale investigations of its own troops and senior officials for war crimes” and set the example, established the precedent and a protocol for such investigations. In the case of Sri Lanka, it still remains an allegation. In the case of the U.S. there are valid documents and videos. The fact is that while the U.S. makes it a “religion” to point fingers at others it does nothing to correct it’s own crimes even though it has ample proof.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is ironic that you should talk of “accountability”. All documents indicate that the U.S. has the worst record on accountability based on it’s actions in so many countries in the world and particularly in it’s prosecution of an illegal war in Iraq, it’s treatment of detainees, it’s torture of prisoners (President Bush even now claims that water boarding is acceptable), it’s killing practices in Afghanistan dropping bombs indiscriminately on civilians. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The United States policy on accountability in Sri Lanka has been made clear many times by Ambassador Butenis, by visiting officials, and through published statements”. Again, I refer you to the statements made by the Secretary of State regarding a pause in fighting, negotiations to save the hierarchy of the LTTE, opposing the loan from the World Bank and the blatant lie at the U.N. that Sri Lanka had used rape as a tool of war. Although you attempted to retreat from that statement it was undoubtedly given to the Secretary of State by either you or Robert Blake. Based on these latest documents, what is now clear is not accountability but the duplicity of the U.S. mission in Sri Lanka, it’s destructive interference in the internal matters of a sovereign country, it’s support of the LTTE which it had designated a terrorist organization and it’s persecution of Sri Lanka for defeating the terrorist LTTE.

You are correct that when you state that “in cases where allegations of possible violations of human rights have been made, the primary responsibility for investigating them lies with the sovereign national government”. Why then has the U.S. been actively pushing for an international investigation as now clearly revealed in your cables. Why has the U.S. not investigated it’s violations of the human rights of millions of people? If you believe there should be an international investigation on Sri Lanka, why do you not establish and international, independent investigation on U.S. actions?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You state “we have consistently expressed to the Government of Sri Lanka the importance of implementing a credible and independent process through which individuals responsible for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law are held accountable for their actions,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. In Sri Lanka in spite of the best efforts of the U.S. and other western countries to continue to destabilise the country and permit the LTTE to continue terrorism the war was ended. Now there is a commission of inquiry. The U.S. on the other hand is continuing “violations of international human rights and humanitarian law” with no end in sight and certainly no intention of implementing a “credible and independent process” to hold those responsible accountable. In non diplomatic language, you should practice what you preach.

That Sri Lanka was considered a “hot spot” by the U.S. is made clear as indicated by the number of cables from Colombo to Washington. There were 3166 cables and the number “spiked” in May 2009 – possibly when the then U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka was doing his best to save the LTTE and getting support from other western countries and influencing Mrs. Clinton to call for a pause and negotiations to save Prabhakaran. In contrast there were 5087 for India and 4775 for Pakistan. To state that these cables are mere opinions and do not have much importance is another canard. Your apologist Glen Davis claims that these cables are often preliminary and incomplete expressions of foreign policy and they should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. It is a fact that these cables to Washington provide the basis on which policy is based and directs U.S. attitude and actions towards a given country. The report made by M. Albright and W. Cohen in 2008 indicated the inadequacy of the information being supplied to Washington on which judgements are made. Nevertheless the U.S. believes that it should continuously attempt to tell the third world countries what they should or should not do. Before coming to Sri Lanka you attempted to act as the viceroy in Bangladesh. Your cables from Colombo indicate that you are not only interfering in Sri Lanka but are pushing the international community to investigate war crimes in Sri Lanka and have named those who should be tried.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “Accountability is clearly an issue of importance for the ultimate political and moral health of Sri Lankan society,” you say. The answer to that is when you accept accountability for your accusations on the political and military leaders in Sri Lanka, the political and moral health of Sri Lanka will be helped. When the U.S. shows the world that it is “accountable” the political and moral health of so many countries and millions of people will be improved.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yours truly,

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ira de Silva
London, Ontario