UN FLOUTS PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE – Sri Lankan President
Posted on August 9th, 2014
Courtesy The Daily News
‘Leads to complete loss of faith and trust in international system of justice’
‘Development program founded on principles of sustainable development’
We are witnessing today far too many instances of the deliberate, even arrogant violation of fundamental principle of justice and the rule of law by some agencies within and outside the United Nations. This situation also can be seen to impact on matters relating to environment and sustainable development, especially in the areas of climate change and sustainable use of natural resources, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The President made this observation while speaking as Chief Guest at the Third South Asian Chief Justices Roundtable on Environmental Justice, jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank, held at the Central Bank Auditorium yesterday.
The President said, “The consequence of such unjust and unfair actions can only be the absolute negation of Justice and the Rule of Law, and complete loss of faith and trust in the international system of justice. This has to be avoided in the interest of international peace, security and friendly relations among states.’
“Your conference provides a timely opportunity to deliberate on these matters and set up a mechanism to establish generally acceptable rules to compel consistency and evenness in the application of international and national laws, and norms. Justice and the Rule of Law, demand no less,” the President said.
Briefing those present on what had transpired during the past three decades President Rajapaksa observed that the country has now marched forward with an economic and social development program founded on the principles of sustainable development on a scale and spread, never seen in the history of the country in modern times.
“Highways, including the one that brought you to Colombo from the airport, roads, bridges, railroads, an international airport at Mattala in the deep south and a new Port in Magampura in close proximity to one of the busiest international shipping lanes of the world, have dramatically increased international and national mobility, which is essential to usher in a better future for all our people”, he added.
In his address to the Asian Chief Justices present, as chief guest President drew their attention saying, “…another very fundamental principle of equal importance is that there must be consistency and evenness in the application of international and national laws.This means that there cannot be, and must never be, double standards in the application and interpretation of laws by Courts and international organizations.
” It is a matter of grave concern and much regret that we are witnessing today far too many instances of the deliberate – even arrogant – violation of this fundamental principle of justice and the rule of law by some agencies within and outside the United Nations. This situation also can be seen to impact on matters relating to environment and sustainable development, especially in the areas of climate change and sustainable use of natural resources”.
The full text of the speech:
“I am very pleased to welcome you all to Sri Lanka for the Third South Asian Chief Justices Roundtable on Environmental Justice, jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank. I extend to the Asian Development Bank my sincere appreciation for taking the lead in facilitating judiciaries in South Asia to actively engage in promoting Environmental Justice and Sustainable Green Development in Asia, through the series of Judicial Roundtables that they are helping to organize in several Asian countries.
“The theme of your Conference is Environmental Justice for Sustainable Green Development. The environment touches almost every aspect of life, of all people. It is an essential part of the heritage of mankind. The judiciary plays a decisive role in establishing a delicate balance between competing interests of the three dimensions of sustainable development, namely, environment, development and social progress.
Environmental Justice, which includes environmental rule of law, is the other aspect of your deliberations here. This is of fundamental importance to all countries. This notion comprises a complex, inter-linked bundle of fundamental ideas and principles including, equality before the law, access to legal process, accountability, transparency, equity, fairness and justice.
“It also includes another very fundamental principle of equal importance. That is, that there must be consistency and evenness in the application of international and national laws. This means that there cannot be, and must never be, double standards in the application and interpretation of laws by Courts and international organizations. It is a matter of grave concern and much regret that we are witnessing today far too many instances of the deliberate – even arrogant – violation of this fundamental principle of justice and the rule of law by some agencies within and outside the United Nations. “This situation also can be seen to impact on matters relating to environment and sustainable development, especially in the areas of climate change and sustainable use of natural resources.
“The consequence of such unjust and unfair actions can only be the absolute negation of Justice and the Rule of Law , and complete loss of faith and trust in the international system of justice. This has to be avoided in the interest of international peace, security and friendly relations among states. Your Conference provides a timely opportunity to deliberate on these matters and set up a mechanism to establish generally acceptable rules to compel consistency and evenness in the application of international and national laws, and norms. Justice and the Rule of Law, demand no less, dear friends.
“Protecting the environment for present and future generations is an obligation shared by all governments whether big or small, rich or poor. Of equal importance is the obligation of governments especially in developing countries like Sri Lanka to enhance the quality and standards of living of the vast majority of our people. This is crucial for securing the stability and sustainability of social and political institutions throughout the world. This is now universally recognized and enshrined in the legal principle, “Common but differentiated responsibility”.
It is self-evident that there cannot be sustainable development, without due regard to the environment. Equally true is that there will not be an environment to protect and preserve, for future generations, if there is no economic and social development, and people continue to suffer in poverty and misery.
“Judges at national level too have to grapple with these complex and multi-faceted challenges of environmental rule of law on a daily basis in their respective courts. Yet, we know very well that very few of them, if any, have had Environmental Law as a part of their curriculum, in their formal legal education. As you know, a rapidly growing body of jurisprudence has been developed in the last two or three decades, around the area of environmental rule of law.
“This has made it necessary, for judges and others engaged in the making and enforcement of laws, to be familiar with emerging legal concepts and principles, and the terminology concerning the environment, ecology and related scientific disciplines. “In addition, they need to have a thorough understanding of the precise legal meanings that these terms have acquired through their use of multi-lateral environmental agreements, statutes, regulations and judicial decisions.
“It is in this context that Judges throughout the world have acknowledged at global and regional judicial conferences, the urgent need for measures to strengthen the capacity of judicial officers on this relatively new body of environmental law, interpreted within the broader framework of sustainable development, and the rule of law.
“There appears to be an urgent need to accelerate progress in strengthening judicial knowledge and competence in environmental rule of law, in the SAARC region. As a contribution from Sri Lanka towards this noble endeavour, I shall be happy, if you so decide, to provide start-up institutional and financial support to establish a small but efficient entity in the Office of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka to work with UNEP and ADB and other competent organizations, to initiate and coordinate judicial capacity building activities within the SAARC region, in this subject area of Environmental Justice and Rule of Law.
“I should also like to take this opportunity to remind you that your conference is being held in this excellent Conference Hall which itself is, to us, a sad reminder of the horrible agony and destruction of a war that engulfed our nation for some thirty years. “This building and its state-of-the art conference facilities have come up from the ashes of the Central Bank Building which was destroyed by LTTE suicide bombers in January 1996, killing about 91 innocent civilians and seriously injuring over one thousand four hundred others.
“You can see for yourself, how the country and its people of all faiths and ethnic origins live in peace and harmony today. The war against terrorism ended just five years ago. That is when the Sri Lankan armed forces, overcame the resistance of the terrorist leadership, while saving the lives of nearly Three Hundred Thousand innocent men, women and children, held as a human shield by the terrorists in a last-ditch stand to save themselves.
“Since then, the country has marched forward with an economic and social development program founded on the principles of sustainable development on a scale and spread, never seen in the history of our country in modern times. Highways, including the one that brought you to Colombo from the airport, roads, bridges, rail roads, an international airport at Mattala in the deep south and a new Port in Magampura in close proximity, to one of the busiest international shipping lanes of the world, have dramatically increased international and national mobility, which is essential to usher in a better future for all our people.
“Those of you, who have visited Colombo before, will now see the new face of Colombo, signalling a wave of sustainable urban development across the country. I sincerely hope that all of you will have the opportunity to travel within and outside Colombo and see for yourself the nation’s economic, social and environmental progress achieved since the end of the war against terrorism, five years ago.
“Dear friends, I wish you every success in your deliberations and a very pleasant stay in Sri Lanka.Thank you”.
August 9th, 2014 at 7:19 pm
Very Good speach by our President.
He has touched the arrogance of UN backed by US and its allies and also mentioned about our bitter experience due to LieTTE. Which leader of ours will do this….? I doubt.
Although MR lost the plot in dealing with the Die-Ass-Pora war in the wider arena due to ill advice by his so called experts came around after the war was ended, he still has the mettle to bring those history diplomatically to even professional forums. What can SL do without you Mr. President? But be aware of the cunning wolfs around you setting a trap to prosecute you and Gota and other War Heroes.
August 10th, 2014 at 10:15 am
It is now an openly admitted fact that foreign countries provide training, weapons, money and intelligence to the terrorist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. USA undermines its security and its global position, pointlessly and gratuitously, in blind allegiance to ungrateful and self-destructive Israel.
If any country should be saved by the West it should be Palestinians suffering in Gaza for decades as a result of Israeli. What does the US do instead – it vetoes Resolutions brought against Israel in the UN.
Where is the corrupt and Zionist controlled United Nations now? Shouldn’t they remind Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar that what they’re doing infringes international law, the UN charter and international conventions ?
The United Nations has just proven, once again, whose interest it serves…
Remember the Iraq war when French president Jacques Chiraq vetoed a resolution for an intervention? What did George Bush do? He went to war. And what did the UN do against they USA? Nothing !
Serbia’s Milosevic was brought before a UN tribunal to face justice but NATO leaders who made illegal war on Serbia, were not. The history of US interventions is littered with false stories, from the “Remember the Maine” campaign to the stories of Vietnamese attacks.
Democracy in USA is a dictatorship of the elite. USA is not a democracy because it is money that talks during elections and not the people. The results of each election are the expression of the voice of money and not the voice of the people.
Peru’s constitution prohibits an outgoing president from seeking a second consecutive mandate. In Guatemala, not only can an outgoing president not seek re-election to the same post, no one from that person’s family can aspire to the top job either. Rwanda is the only country in the world that has 56 per cent female parliamentarians. In the 2007 CIA index, four of the world’s best-governed countries are African. That the top prize goes to Equatorial Guinea whose public debt represents only 1.14 per cent of GDP.
The USA alone, has a staggering debt of $US14,000 billion, France, Great Britain and Italy each have a US$2,000 billion public deficit compared to less than US$400 billion in public debt for 46 African countries combined.
US economy is in a deep hole and US shouldn’t dig any more. Reckless money printing known as “Quantitative Easing” and economical stimulus packages introduced in the aftermath of the Credit Crunch, has made very little impact on the growth of US economy. Current US economical growth is not adequate enough to create jobs and to get an economy back on track. Now the banks are under enormous pressure to lend more money but reckless lending by banks got US into this mess in the first place. The economical problems in Greece, Spain and Italy are very precarious. The bailout phenomenon is not working in Greece which is on the brink of defaulting on its debt. It is impossible for the EU to bailout Italy which is the third largest economy in Europe.
In Saudi Arabia there is no Church, Synagogue, Buddhist nor Hindu Temple is allowed. Wahhabism (pseudo Salafism) is NOT a religion of tolerance. Wahhabism provides the fundamental base for Jihadism which causes unending strife and misery. It is not Iran that should be bombed. In Iran there are still Jews living there and praying in their Synagogues. Muammar al-Gaddafi respected Christian and Jewish religions and their Churches, Synagogues in Libya but American, English, French, Saudi and Qatari financed terrorists destroyed Churches, Synagogues recently. Buddhist Temples including Bamiyan Buddha statues have survived in Islamic countries for centuries, but they could not survive under the Wahhabism.
Washington and London are protecting Wahhabi extremists. In Syria Christians and their Churches were safe before the Westerners began sending their Wahhabi fanatics to kill innocent Syrian civilians.
In Bosnia and Kosovo, under the guise of “reconstruction aid”, Saudi Arabia, Kuwaiti, and other Wahhabi organizations have demolished and removed major Islamic monuments (survived attacks by Serb and Croat militias) which were created by Muslims with an Islamic culture and tradition stretching back to 14th century long before Ibn Abd al-Wahhab made his 18th century alliance with the warlord Ibn Saud who founded the Saudi dynasty – House of Saud.
The Wahhabis, and the British, supported the warlord Ibn Saud and legitimized the Saudi dynasty and its struggle against the Uthman Khillafath of Turkey. Since then the House of Saud always supports Britain and its allies including USA and Israel. When the House of Saud took control of the Holy Places in Arabia from the Uthman Khillafath of Turkey with British support they destroyed 15 centuries of Islamic heritage, including the desecration of the tombs of the wives and companions of the Holy Prophet, in the iconoclastic imposition of Wahhabism. The iconoclastic Wahhabi House of Saud gradually destroyed several holy shrines, including historical places of Islam from the Prophet’s house in Mecca and companion Ayoob Ansari’s house in Medina and turned them into apartments blocks and hotels. They also turned the site of the Prophet’s wives’ houses into a parking lot.
The Wahhabi-backed House of Saud took full control of the Hijaz, Mecca and Medina, in 1924 and established the modern state of Saudi Arabia, with Wahhabism as its official religion. Since then the House of Saud has promoted Wahhabism as normative Islam throughout the Islamic world. The House of Saud was consolidated on massive oil wealth and have spent huge sums of money building Wahhabi mosques, publishing Wahhabi literature and funding Wahhabi organizations world-wide. Today, with Wahhabi control of the Holy Places intact, virtually every aspect and corner of modern Islam has been penetrated by Wahhabi influence through the agency of the House of Saud.
Through the control of the Hajj – the beating heart of Islam – and through their vigorous publication and propaganda means, almost all the Muslims are infected with Wahhabism to some extent.
Present Zionist and Wahhabi doctrines foresee the fall of Iran, Belarus, and, ultimately Russia and China, after the fall of Damascus, to the combined forces of NATO and the Saudi- and Qatari-backed Wahhabis, who make up a large portion of the anti Syrian movement.
Sufism is an entirely indigenous Islamic resistance movement to fundamentalism an throughout South Asia including Sri Lanka for several centuries, the spiritual tradition of Sufism is vigorously present. Across Pakistan, the religious tenor has been correspondingly radicalised: the tolerant, Sufi-minded Barelvi form of Islam is now overtaken by the rise of the more hardline and politicized Wahhabism. Remember Sri Lankan cricketers were ambushed in Lahore by armed Wahhabi Jihadists.
Wahhabi ideology of Islam reached Sri Lanka in the 1940s, but was not accepted by Sri Lankan Muslims. Later oil rich Saudi Arabia greatly began to penetrate Sri Lanka’s adherents to Islam in 70’s., With the increased funding by the Saudi Arabia with their petro dollars, Wahhabi followers have increased and are now responsible for the sectarian clashes that are slowly increasing among Sri Lankan Muslims especially in the Eastern Province. It is sadly true but there is a rising trend of Wahhabi Jihadism in Sri Lanka. Wahhabis are trying to take the peaceful Islamic community in Sri Lanka down the path of extremism and violence. Wahhabi fundamentalism has advanced so quickly in Sri Lanka partly because the House of Saud has financed the building of so many madrasas,The Wahhabis have already created deep divisions in among Sri Lankan Muslims and have formed gangs that intimidate moderate Muslims who speak out against Wahhabi fanatics. Like the Christian fundamentalist groups using NGOs to convert innocent poor families to Christianity, Wahhabis help poor Muslim families by providing cash and other material benefits to convert the innocent poor Muslim families into their cult. By building churches and madrasas all over the world to harvest the poor souls is truely very clever idea. Wahhabis even use Sri Lankan Government Cultural and Religious Affairs Departments to continue their nefarious activities.
Wahhabis claim that moderate Sri Lankan Muslims do not know anything of Islam and only themselves are the real scholars of Islam. But Wahhabis preach only “dawah” of hatred, terror and murder. To understand the deranged mentality of Wahhabis look at the “fitna” the Wahhabis have caused in Pakistan. The Government authorities must investigate every Wahhabi school and propagandist in the Eastern Province to make sure they are not preaching things that are inimical to Sri Lanka. Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for AL-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Wahhabi terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia spends 87 billion US dollar per year to spread Wahhabism world-wide. Scholarships are offered to our Muslims youths to go to Wahhabi institutions in Saudi Arabia. But those who completed their Wahhabi studies returned to Sri Lanka and propagate Wahhabism.
Wahhabis have infiltrated Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). Almost all the participants and staffers in the Muslim section of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation are Wahabis and use the State radio to propagate Wahhabism. Not only Wahhabis run private unlicensed radio stations in the Eastern Province, also armed Wahhabis often attack mosques and leaders of the Sufi sect.
Wahhabism in Srilanka is headquartered in Kattankudi is a new politico-religious movement that is sweeping the Eastern province of Sri Lanka with more than sixty Muslim Wahhabi organizations helping in propagating the movement throughout Sri Lanka and has raced ahead and taken control of the Jihadist and Al Fatah groups in Sri Lanka under their wings. Wahhabism is imported and planted in the midst of peace-loving Muslims in Sri Lanka, mostly through the lavish inflow of Saudi money pumped into Sri Lanka has overtaken other Islamic organizations by threats, intimidation and coercion.
Remember Colonel Lateef was gun down by the prominent Wahhabi militant `Police` Faiz in Oddamavadi. CIA introduced Wahhabism in Sri Lanka through Saudi Arabia as a means of countering the growing support for Iran and Sufism among the Sri Lankan Muslims since CIA had calculated that Wahhabism would be an effective rival theology to prevent the spread of Iranian influence in Sri Lanka.
Clashes between Sufis and Wahhabi Muslims in Kattankudi and in Oddamavadi occured on a regular basis due to the conflict of beliefs between both religious theologies. In October 2004 similar clashes occurred in Kattankudi and more than 200 homes of Sufi followers were burnt down by Wahhabi Jihadists.
One of the Sufi leaders Abdul Payilvan died in Colombo was buried at in Kattankudi the next day. Wahhabi Muslims observed a hartal and demanded the removal of the body from the burial grounds. Wahhabi Muslims claim Kattankudy soil is sacred and bodies belonging to those who preach views contradictory to Wahhabism should not be buried there. Wahhabis demanded that the body of Abdul Payilvan, who is from Maruthamunai in the Ampara district, should be exhumed and buried elsewhere.
Wahhabis had dug up the buried body of another Sufi Muslim from Mosque burial grounds and dumped the body on a local road as an act of protest. Kattankudi Police recovered the body, re-buried it in the original burial ground and guarded burial ground for few days.
In Kattankudi, the hatred between Wahhabis and Sufis has widened in the last few years and has grown in intensity, left many injured, and caused damage to several houses and vehicles.
Saudi agents have successfully penetrated the Eastern province Muslims social fabric and have managed to defeat the Sufism in their game. Due to the training afforded by the House of Saud now the Wahhabis have prevailed over the Sufis. The Muslims in Sri Lanka have been subdued due to the Wahhabi influence while Buddhists have been agitating for the release of Rizana Naffek – teenage housemaid from Muthur who was sentenced to death by a Wahhabi Sharia Court in Saudi Arabia.
The House of Saud pretending to be the leaders of the Islam promote their Wahhabi ideology world-wide. The result has been the birth of al-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Wahhabi terrorist groups which are killing Sunni and Shia Muslims alike in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Wahhabism has been taking roots in Maldives from the days of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Abandoning its tolerant, syncretic brand of Islam, Maldives now moves towards an intolerant Wahhabi society.
al-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba are overseen by the CIA and Mossad who want to destabilise countries that are not friendly to them. Because the House of Saud depends on the Americans for its security it always obeys American orders. The constant demonization of Iran and now the war against Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad confirms a perception that Western Countries have joined with the Wahhabis in the Wahhabis’ war on the Shia. Wahhabi Jihadism remains a long-term security risk to the civilized world. In particular, through the spread of Wahhabi education in tens of thousands of religious schools world-wide, the practitioners of Wahhabism are breeding tens of millions of youth who are certain to remain outside the productive economy, and as a consequence, seethe with resentment and anger against the rest of society.
Even the forced exodus of the Hindu Pandit community from the Kashmir Valley in India during the early 1990s, and the destruction of several Hindu and Sikh temples by the Wahhabi Jihadists in Kashmir, failed to slow down the volume of laudatory coverage of what were portrayed Wahhabi Jihadists as freedom fighters battling cruel Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir State by the Western media. The “Kashmir Model” of using the language of democracy and human rights to win Western support, even while adhering to a contrary policy in practice was widely used to topple Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. Wahhabis hated Muammar al-Gaddafi for the fact that he ruled Libya, with no quarter given to Wahhabi demands as the imposition of Sharia law or the banning of women’s dress other than the abaya. After Muammar al-Gaddafi was defeated and killed, Wahhabi Jihadists who took over Libya as a result of huge help from Nicholas Sarkozy and David Cameron have lost no time in imposing a Wahhabi version of Sharia law in Libya and in killing and jailing those who disagree with their extremist world-view. Fortunately for them, Western media channels that were once filled with news about Libya under Muammar al-Gaddafi are now silent about the immense human rights violations taking place in Libya after its “liberation” in 2011.
Seeing the success of such a pitch in Libya, Wahhabi Jihadists against the Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad, have begun cultivating the Western media and public opinion, the way the Wahhabi Jihadists in Kashmir used to do in the 1990s.
So extreme has the identification with such elements become, that even the largest Western media outlets accept without question such “facts” as that Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad bombed his own troops and facilities in order “to blame it on the insurgents.” Since the armed uprising by Wahhabi Jihadists began in Syria several thousand members of the Syrian security forces and their family members have been killed by the Wahhabi insurgents, who themselves have lost thousands of their own.
However, those relying on Western media are told that every such death has been caused by the Syrian security forces, ignoring the deadly violence that is being unleashed in Syria by groups of armed Wahhabi mobs.
Today in Syria, women can dress as they please. Were the Wahhabi Jihadists to take control, this freedom might soon be replaced with the obligation to wear the full veil. Already in Egypt and in Tunisia, the secular ethos of the country is rapidly giving way to Wahhabism.
While Western countries are opposed to Wahhabi Jihadism and Sharia law in their own countries, in the Arab countries they favor Wahhabi Jihadism over those who are secular. The result is a galloping Wahhabism and its Sharia law across the Arab countries.
Since the Western countries subterfuge to destabilise Sri Lanka, by surreptitiously supporting the LTTE failed, now the Western countries will promote Wahhabi Jihadism to cause strife and trouble to destabilize Sri Lanka . Wahhabi followers – al-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-TaibaTaliban and other Wahhabi terrorist groups – have caused untold misery in several countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Sri Lanka appears to be their next target. The Sri Lankan government must take immediate strict measures to control Wahhabi organizations and ban them. Wahhabis have already built several illegal Mosques in Sri lanka using Saudi Arabia’s petro dollar. The overwhelming peace loving Muslims of Sri Lanka will extend their support to the government in this matter. As the Wahhabis are even capable of starting ethnic riots between the peaceful Sinhalese and the Muslims, the Sri Lankan government must not be lethargic on this matter.