ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ By Charles.S.Perera.

Your Excellencies,

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am an aged ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ man from Sri Lanka. I have seen the beginning of terrorism to its end.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Terrorism in Sri Lanka lasted nearly thirty years.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  DuringƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  those days the fear of death was ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ our ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ proverbial sward of Damocles.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We waited in fear until our children returned home from school. We waited in fear until our daughters and sons returned home after work. A father and a Mother from the same family would ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ not go out of home together for fearƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of the bombs set by terrorists in buses, trains and market places, so that if ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ one parent were to be ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ killed in ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a terrorist bomb blast the other would ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ live to look after the children.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When we hear of a bomb blast we contact our families to see whether they are safe.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  When Eric SolheimƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  demanded the Prime Minister of a previous government to enter into a Cease Fire Agreement with the terrorists, we gave in for sake of peace and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ safety of the people. According to the Agreement areas in the North and East were demarcated as territory under terrorist control ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ into which even our police could not enter.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This allowed terrorists to do any murders and assassinations and escape in to terrorist territory thus avoiding search by the police.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The poor men, women, and children ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in villages bordering the territories demarcated as terrorist controlled areas were subject to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-genocideƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by the terrorists who massacred men, women, and children from time to time when making demands from the government, or to show their disagreement with ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ peace negotiations.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Terrorism sappedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the better part of our lives. We had become a fear ridden NationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  subjugated by a ruthless group of terrorists existing according to their whims and fancies not knowing where they would plant one of their deadly claymore bombs, lob a grenade, orƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  send a human suicide bomb.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We had lost our human right to liveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  peacefully withoutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  constant fear of lurking death unleashed by the terrorists. But then, the UN Human Rights Council did not come to help us toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  accuse the terrorists for violation of our human rights and stop constant massacres of innocent civilians, our Ministers, our Security Officers, or the clergy of our religions.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was only the year 2005 that brought us ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a ray of hope, with the election of Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse as the President of Sri Lanka. We knew from the beginning that he was a determined man who loved his country and the people and that he will end terrorism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  At the beginning of his term of office there were many bomb blasts and many innocent civilians died.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Then the President took matters seriously into his hand and organised the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He knew from experience that the only solution to the raging terrorism was a military solution.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The successful military operations wiped out the terrorists in May,2009.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The people could ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ at last take ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a breath of peace and life began to blossom after terrorism. The foreign countries were willing to invest in the new found peaceful environment in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The tourism flourished.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Investors, and foreign friendly countries came forward with loans to rebuild the country that had been devastated by the terrorists.

We sacrificed in the elimination of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ terrorism a large number ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  poorƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  young youth from villages who were valiant soldiers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We were leftƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  with thousands and thousands ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  widowed mothers , orphaned children, and weeping parents. After the war the President of Sri Lanka did not fail as gratitude to our soldiers who made their supreme sacrifice or lost their limbs to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ look after these parents, mothers ,children who had lost their loved oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s in the war, or the soldiers left handicapped. He built houses for them and paid compensation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And the Armed forces were deployed in civil work such as construction of roads, bridges , houses, cultivation of land, and construction of boats .

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But we still had the pro-terrorist elements with large funds collected by the Terrorist Front Organisations at their disposal ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ who were not satisfied with the peaceful climate that existed in Sri Lanka after terrorism where every citizen the Sinhala, Tamil and the Muslims began to live happily organising their lives, socially and economically.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These pro-terrorist Tamils in the diaspora who never suffered from terrorism in Sri Lanka, revived the terroristsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ claim for a separateƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  homeland for Tamils.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These pro terrorist Tamils of the Diaspora are led within Sri Lanka by the politicians of the Tamil National Alliance and abroad by different pro terrorists Organisations such as The Global Tamil Forum led by a Catholic Priest Rev. Emmanuel, and few other groups. It is they who demonstrate to-day out side the UNHR Council with the flag of the tzerrorists, and not the Tamil civilians from Sri Lanka.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government appointed the LLRC to find out how to set about the reconciliation process after the war.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Government ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has commenced working on the recommendations of the Commission in a proper organised way.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But the Foreign GovernmentsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  at the behest of the Pro -Terrorist Tamil Diaspora.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Have now come to intervene and interfere in the excellent work the Government is carrying on in getting the communities together to build a united nation of Sri Lankans.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ No foreign Government helped or assisted the Government and its Armed Forces in the elimination of terrorists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Nor did ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ they make any attempt to help our innocent peopleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  during the frightful ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ terrorism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But now ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ they have come out ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in numbers posing as Humanitarian activists to drive ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ pokes into ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the wheels of progress that is rolling across peaceful ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Your Excellencies the Ambassadors, the Heads of Missions, and Delegates to the UNHRCouncil Geneva, please look at my country Sri Lanka in the light of what I have said. It is indeed regrettable if large numbers of civilians had died in the cross fire at the last phase of the war to eliminate terrorism .ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But such number as 40000 civilians death is highly exaggerated.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But in war deaths of civiliansƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  are put as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- collateral damageƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by more wise Western Countries who are well experienced in affairs of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ war.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In view of all these that had taken place and taking place, in Sri Lanka, it is very sad that USA the leading Nation of the world has thought it fit to move a resolution against Sri Lanka., ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ without taking into consideration the invaluableƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  servicesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Government of Sri Lanka is rendering to the country ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to bring the communities together. Now there is no violation of human rights at all in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These are ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ false reports spread by people who have self interest, and who want to discredit Sri Lanka to get the foreign countries to intervene to force the government to allow the Creation of a separate State for the Tamils. .

Therefore, as an old man from Sri Lanka who had seen the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-hellƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that was created by the terroristsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  for nearly thirty years, and suffered the death of many near and dear oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s , and saw the massacre of an ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ unaccountable number of innocent men , women and children by the terrorists, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ had lived with an ever present fear of death until the elimination of terrorism by the Government Forces of Sri Lanka to who be the blessings of Gods, I appeal ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ you ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ pleaseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  NOT TO VOTE for the Resolution that USA is proposing to move against Sri Lanka ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ at this ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ session of the UNHRCouncil .