JANAKI CHANDRARATNA PERTH, AUSTRALIA

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The aftermath of the UNHRC resolution appears to be focussed on the review and analysis of the event. It is natural for a country to back track and scrutinize its strategies for future engagements. Yes, unfortunately we lost the contest 15 to 23 with 8 abstentions on 22 March 2012. It was a contest that could have been easily won as the allegations were baseless, politically motivated and not limited to Sri Lanka. In fact many horrific violations of human rights had been perpetrated by the resolution sponsor as well as several UNHRC members in the recent past, which conveniently have escaped the UNHRC radar.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yes, we are deeply hurt over IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s betrayal. It is not so much the fact that India voted against Sri Lanka but it is the infamous address to the Parliament by the Indian Prime Minister, that gave credence to alleged discrimination and so called undignified existence of Sri Lankan Tamils, just 2 days prior to the resolution, that cannot be forgiven or forgotten in a hurry. In particular the distress caused and insults hurled against Sri Lanka are inexcusable as India was fully aware of the ground situation of the strategies in place to safeguard the rights not only of Tamils but all minority groups in Sri Lanka. In fact the LTTE, TNA, Tamil Diaspora or other Tamil forums, are yet to respond to requests for naming specific areas of discrimination, if any, for investigation. Sri Lanka is one of the very few countries in the world that provides free services such as education and health to all citizens irrespective of ethnicity, caste or religion. Thanks to the free education in Sri Lanka, unlike other communities in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, the Tamil Diaspora has been able to take their maligned cause to the highest forums of the world. Sri Lanka indeed is a haven when compared to parts of India where large numbers live in squalid conditions not only because of poverty but also due to their abhorrent casteism. These issues however lack political clout and human right champions to be addressed by the UNHRC.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yes, IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stand no doubt turned the tide against Sri Lanka in Geneva for sure. Nevertheless, it is time to look at the positives of Geneva. The exposure of India could not have come at a better time. Sri Lanka is now free to develop strategies that are sustainable and achievable in Sri Lanka to safeguard the sovereignty of the country and not be acquiescent to Indian politics. It is time to review the constitutional changes that were rammed down our throats by the Indian peace makers. Also Sri Lanka is in a position to seek the assistance of UNHCR and engage the wider community, if necessary, to clarify international allegations, in particular, when, where, what, and how of the so called war crimes, as no investigations can take place without substantiated evidence.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yes it is time for Sri Lanka to get over the grieving period and look to the future. It is not the end of the road for Sri Lanka. In fact it is the beginning of an era of lasting peace and prosperity. We need to focus first and foremost on domestic issues such as the cost of living. Procrastination on this front can provide opportunities to create chaos by NGOs and other bankrupt political parties gasping for survival at the edges with or without foreign assistance.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka has enough capacity and political will for the immediate and sustainable resolution of this issue. It may be that some of the development projects may need to be put on the back burner to resolve the current economic difficulties of the average Sri Lankan.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There is also the issue of law and order and the retention of illegal arms in the community. In terms of ethnic reconciliation, there is the non participation of TNA in the government appeasement process. The recent events in Geneva no doubt have exacerbated this position. The implementation of LLRC recommendations and the investigation of alleged war crimes are significant issues that need immediate attention. Internationally there is an urgent need to deal with the elaborate plans of the Tamil Diaspora, in particular, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Tamils for ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ group, who had described Sri Lanka as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Unfortunate CountryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. One can only wonder why the Diaspora wants to return to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Unfortunate CountryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These campaigns need to be nipped in the bud sooner than later before they are firmed up as major issues in the international scene.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One of the weaknesses of the Sri Lankan diplomatic campaign, as is with many developing nations for that matter, is the belated response to international allegations. The slow response or non response at times, project erroneous impressions of guilt and insolence. An immediate rebuttal of allegations from the highest level is mandatory to diffuse the immediate tension and the resolution of issues in the longer term. We all know the story behind Iraq invasion. Iraq was invaded on a baseless allegation fabricated by Bush and Blair on the retention of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Sadham Hussain was either too arrogant or naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve to refute the allegations in a timely manner. In fact Mr Hussain did not offer any kind of explanation until it was too late. The whole world believed in the concocted story and the country was subjected to untold carnage by the most unjustifiable invasion. It is important that developing countries are fully aware of the machinations of the West. The western strategies have taken a different turn in the recent past because of the lack of support from the UN Security Council for outright invasions after the Iraq experience. The new strategy is to fund and arm the dissenters and opposition parties for regime changes. Libya, Syria and Egypt are examples.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In view of the above Sri Lanka needs a different diplomatic approach to deal with the West. Organised protests and speeches by government hierarchy, though of value, are not to the point. We need to be open and proactive in communicating and demonstrating to the world from the highest level of Government of our plans for achieving the set goals such as reconciliation to maintain our national security. This is a very practical strategy adopted by many developed nations. An example in recent times is the immediate acknowledgement and assurances of the investigation processes that would be in place to deal with the Afghanistan shootout by a US soldier. This information was communicated by the US President himself through the international media. More recently the Syrian President addressed the international media to request the West to stop funding and supporting the terrorists to end the war in that country. In this day and age these communiquƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚© can be readily organised through the international media as there are several outlets competing for such information. Our foreign embassy forums also could be utilized to disseminate our PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s message rather than provide interpretations. This would also ensure consistency of the messages communicated. As noted before Sri Lanka has the capacity to adopt this strategy in an efficient and effective manner and this may be an approach that Sri Lanka needs to consider in the future.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚