ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Shenali Waduge

Bruce Haigh has responded to an article by Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Consul-General in Sydney to the Weekend Australian titled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Diplomats paint one-sided picture of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What would anyone really conclude whenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  someone who has been serially writing against the Government of Sri Lanka, who declares that the LTTE is not a terrorist organization, who is the patron of Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in which his colleagues are proved supporters of the LTTE (Brahmi Jegan, Dr. Sam Pari) sees fit to call Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Consul-General Bandula Jayasekera one-sided? Where is the evidence of Bruce HaighƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s unbias?

http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20111103_03

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Where in the world do sovereign nations appoint diplomats to speak favorably of terrorists abroad?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bruce Haigh served as Deputy High Commissioner in the Australian High Commission in Colombo in 1994 where he would have seen first-hand several attacks by the LTTE ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a movement he does not wish to describe as terrorists but which has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed over 50 people including Presidential Candidate and Opposition Leader Gamini Dissanayake, MPs Ossie Abeygunasekara, Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi and G M Premachandra. If Mr. Haigh will recall it was the previous year in 1993 that the LTTE assassinated Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s President R. Premadasa. Now if despite personally being present in Sri Lanka seeing these killings take place, Mr. Haigh insists LTTE is not a terrorist movement or that Sri Lanka did not suffer terrorism, Mr Haigh may well like to ask the Australian Government why they have arrested members of LTTE for funding and providing support to a terrorist organization.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Just so readers know the facts ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” LTTE is banned in 32 countries, all the powerful nations of the world are now seriously persevering arrests of LTTE operations and networks globally, countries are beginning to realize that behind most of the local thefts and scams are LTTE operatives ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” should countries in order to satisfy people like Bruce Haigh simply sit silent and watch their natives be fleeced or clamp down on LTTE networks within their nations. But LTTE has used their kitty lavishly to ensure foreign parliamentarians use their office when needed. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bandula Jayasekera is quite right to caution Australia about being careful. As a nation AustraliaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Government and Opposition as well as political parties have to first secure the interests of Australian citizens. It is their rights that should not get denied nor delayed ahead of the rights of any others. When Bandula Jayasekera says LTTE ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-may breed terrorism on Australian soilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ there is reason to be not only alarmed but to take precautions. LTTE runs human smuggling networks, even contract killings and murders, this is nothing that Bruce Haigh does not already know. Just as he also knows that a number of hardcore LTTErs had been assisted to escape by their foreign friends just before the final elimination of the LTTE. There is enough evidence to prove this. LTTE is also involved in other nefarious activities ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the credit card scam cost 6000 West Australians more than $6.5M from EFTPOS machines.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was the Australian Government that declared Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s asylum seekers as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-economic refugeesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. If Bruce Haigh has a problem with this he needs to address it with the Australian Government. Better still he can also speak to opposition immigration minister Scott Morrison who also agrees that Australia should have a proper policy for these boat loads of people who are smuggled into Australia as a business.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ How many national flags denotes the minorities that live in it for Bruce Haigh to sneer at Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s National Flag? Let him not forget that in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese are over 74% of the total population while the Tamils are 11% and Muslims are 8% and where in the world do you have a country with such a large majority while in the capital Colombo that majority is the minority population? Just so readers are also aware there is less Tamils in the areas they call their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-homelandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as most of them live amongst the Sinhalese ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” out of their own choice. Why would they need to live and work with the Sinhalese if they were being discriminated, can Bruce Haigh please answer.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=68054

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bruce Haigh is attempting to fool the readers of Weekend Australian not to believe that LTTE did not run a de facto state under its rule. There is much that Bruce Haigh needs to explain. If Sri Lanka suffered a civil war why would 32 countries ban LTTE as a terrorist organization? Why would LTTE kill over 250 Tamils including all moderate thinking Tamil politicians, Tamil public servants, Tamil policemen, Tamil academics, Tamil clergy including Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Foreign Minister ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a Tamil too? Why would LTTE torture and kill scores of Tamils who did not agree with them? Why would LTTE turn Tamil children into killers by abducting them and training them in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-orphangesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in the middle of the jungles? Why would they turn women into suicide bombers? And Bruce Haigh may also like to answer why his own countrymen a nurse Adele Ann Wilby (Balasingham) be put in charge of training these children as young as 7 years and hung cyanide capsules and dog tags on their necks instructing them to kill themselves if caught ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t ordering children to kill themselves a crime?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Mr. Bruce Haigh may also like to explain why LTTE would need to be amassing USD300m profit annually and what exactly they delivered to their people in 30 years for despite collecting so much of money and all the INGO/NGO and even foreign government assistance the territory under LTTE had seen no development whatsoever. If people in these areas look like they have not developed since the 1980s that fault lies not with the Sri Lankan Government nor the armed forces but with the LTTE and all those who support and supported the LTTE (inside and outside Sri Lanka). Let them not shed crocodile tears for those tears are nothing but ones of a guilty conscience only. The development in just 3 years suffices to put to shame all those foreign offices that were located amongst the LTTE and to call their bluff.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bruce Haigh and others may like to recall the state of these Tamil people who were rescued ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” why would they need to flee the LTTE? most had not been given any food or medical care by the LTTE, most were begging for something to eat and this is the kind hearted LTTE that Bruce Haigh is trying to whitewash, good on him ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” but we know better. LTTE has a formidable kitty and that kitty needs to be emptied and the best way to do that is to have scores of people being paid to speak on their behalf while its left for Governments who are sincere enough about terrorist funding and terrorist support to investigate people speaking on behalf of terrorists. There are many across the world not just in Australia.

http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/ltte1208webwcover_1.pdf

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bruce Haigh also mentions sharing of power ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” all these tests and trials have been done. Let the world again be reminded that we have had scores of peace talks, scores of negotiations, scores of cease fires, even foreign monitors who did little other than to put over 4000 LTTE violations, we had an infamous ceasefire wherein LTTE were practically given territory and were openly amassing weapons while flying VIP to countries getting ready for another onslaught.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If human rights abuses is the subject well thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s a PandoraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s box to disclose and western nations would be too embarrassed to either sit or stand when their lists of crimes are read out.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If any political leader does not wish to come to Sri Lanka and use international events as a media stunt to embarrass another Government so be it. Their caliber of diplomacy and mutual courtesy is made evident. A Government is only representing the country for a certain term, as citizens we do not like our nation to be globally humiliated building up allegations having already concluded that the country is the guilty party and thereafter media is tasked to do the rest of the dirty work. We are well aware of the drill. If no foreign dignitaries wish to come so be it ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the show will go on regardless.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is this same media that has been used to shamelessly humiliate Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s cricket team now on tour in Australia ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” when players get selected for their ability to perform what right does anyone have to bring in ethnicity, discrimination and other such factors into sports totally ruining a game that should be played in good spirits?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What does the issue of the Chief Justice have anything to do with Bandula JayasekeraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s article? It is very clear that all these issues are being nicely interwoven just to add spice and to ridicule Sri Lanka. Does Australia like any foreign nation to meddle with its internal affairs? Obviously not then there should be respect for the internal issues of other countries as well. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is just as well that Bandula Jayasekara has openly and boldly declared LTTE to be what it really is. It is because other consuls have not had the pluck to do so that the truth about the LTTE has gotten soaked in the lies and fabrications woven by a network of LTTE supporters who need to keep alive the nonsensical ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-eelaamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ myth coupled with a tag about Sinhala discrimination.

It is time the Sri Lankan Government clearly gives a sharp directive to all foreign representatives to place the truth about the LTTE and its support base in the countries they represent instead of taking the path of issuing statements of denials after the damage has been done.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is pointless following the path of appeasement.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Why should Sri Lanka ever have to apologize for eliminating a terrorist organization?

Why should Sri Lanka hesitate to tell all the crimes LTTE committed?

Who cares what anyone thinks because LTTE remains nothing but a terrorist movement whatever the likes of Bruce Haigh says.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is time the Government takes legal action using all the international laws in place when the criminals are the LTTE and the world now needs to officially know what these war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the LTTE and all those supporting LTTE now needs to have their names internationally exposed one by one, nation by nation.