British 'conflict resolution'
gimmick
By :- Gomin
Dayasri
Gomin Dayasri is a leading Sri Lankan lawyer who
was a delegate to the peace talks in Geneva with the Tamil Tigers.
Courtesy Asian Tribune
Subsequent to the publication of an article in the Asian Tribune of
25.8.07 by H.L.D.Mahindapala in the public domain are stories of the
British High Commission in Sri Lanka being instrumental in acting in
a manner detrimental to national sovereignty and national security of
the host country. There have been press conferences and public statements
condemning the conduct of the High Commission in Colombo. In the national
interest of both Sri Lanka and Britain the credibility of the story
requires to be probed.
Though this has attracted exposure the British High Commission is yet
to deny or issue a statement, which is bewildering. Therefore the alleged
substance has to examined with the conduct of British diplomats and
politicians to test the veracity in the face of silence
The background papers states the British government has been associated
in a joint venture in monitoring activities in human security with an
unnamed NGO in Sri Lanka. It has 20 field officers roaming in the Eastern
Province collecting information on a daily basis which is channeled
to an information centre for analysis to identify cogent local political
and social issues.
The collected material is parceled to make an impact on international
organizations; other NGO's and decision makers both local and foreign.
The papers states "It translates analysis into action by supporting
the development of a network of organizations and individuals with a
capacity for early responses in conflict resolution". For fast
action it dispatches text messages to key players.
Undoubtedly entering the sphere of influencing opinion makers to agitate
is an operation that extends to a platform outside the precincts of
a diplomatic enclave. A UNP government named British High Commissioner
Gladstone a persona non grate and had to pack his diplomatic bag to
go home. It happened while he was testing the conduct of the infamous
Referendum to extend the lifetime of Parliament.
The source is a paper which describes strategy carried out by the British
High Commission's Political and Development Section with a staff of
4 officers from the United Kingdom, 2 from the British Ministry of Defense
and 6 Sri Lankan staff members. It is the recipient of US $ 4 million
from Global Conflict Prevention Pool for the year 2007-2008 for Sri
Lankan operations.
Political officers and the staff -local or foreign -enjoying diplomatic
privilege or otherwise in an Embassy or High Commission have to be registered
with the foreign office. They are entitled to monitor and evaluate political
and social issues of the host country and report back home. Legitimacy
does not extend beyond to align itself with NGOs to scrutinize and disseminate
information to ferment agitation among political and social activists
especially against friendly governments.
Indeed a NGO front organization helps the British High Commission to
carry on its deceptive crusade of human rights and safeguarding democracy
with an agenda to destabilize a government in power without the imperial
or colonial image. While greater penetration is possible via a national
NGO to reach the people, it provides credibility which an foreign governmental
organization does not posses.
The US government uses the National Endowment for Democracy an NGO
to do presently, what was done by the CIA covertly 25 years ago -Le
Monde Diplomatique August 2007. It is funded by the State Department.
Colin Powell former Defence Secretary described NGOs as the fifth column
of the US government.
Guardian in its Foreign Affairs column (23.Jan 2006) reported the Russian
security services, the FSB, discovered four spies at the British embassy
in Moscow having used a hidden transmitter to communicate with a Russian
MI6 agent by passing through a fake stone and downloading information
onto a PDA computer. A UK diplomat it was alleged made regular payments
to Russian Non Governmental Organizations. Guardian is a British newspaper
which carries often material hostile to the Sri Lanka Government on
the terrorist issue.
An officer of the embassy's political section had authorized a transfer
of 23000 UK pounds to a leading Moscow Human Rights Group, Moscow Helsinki
Group,a persistent critic of President Putin. Former Prime Minister
Blair's then response was "I think the less said about that, the
better" Alex Standish the editor of the reputed Janes Intelligence
Review commented "It could be a KGB staged story or could be completely
true".
Previously the head of FSB accused foreign intelligence services using
NGOs to spy on Russia and foment political upheaval in ex Soviet republics.
The British Foreign Office in a statement declared "It is well
known that the British government has financially supported projects
implemented by Russian NGOs in the field of human rights and civil society".
The money was channeled through Foreign Office Global Opportunities
Fund. Legislation was passed to hold NGOs to tighter control on financial
transaction and their activities.
The influential Scottish daily Scotsman (9 Aug 2007) reported of an
alleged discovery of a secret tunnel used to sneak spies into the British
embassy in Teheran.
These facts are supportive, especially in absence of a denial from
the British High Commission that arrangements with NGOs to inject money
for purported causes of human rights and civil society is on its priority
list but with a hidden agenda which is vulnerable to national security.
It is transparent in Sri Lanka, the information, collected is being
utilized to create unrest among the people for potential anti national
causes at a time and place in the East where an internationally recognized
terrorist organization is being gradually dismantled.
Does diplomatic cover permit them to enter into a "co existence"
with a local unnamed NGO and have 20 agents of the joint venture, roam
the country or the province gathering sensitive information? The material
obtained is analyzed by a joint information centre outside diplomatic
norms. Thereupon the information so gathered is utilized for dissemination
among opinion makers for agitation purposes which is a security danger
and in any event a threat to the sovereignty of Sri Lanka amounting
to acts of undue interference in domestic affairs The danger is more
acute since activities have been carried out in the sensitive East of
Sri Lanka during a period of military operation in the host country.
The British High Commission according to the source paper, which originated
these allegations, have set up an outfit known as Facilitating Local
Initiatives for Conflict Transformation(FLICT) and launched on 60 projects
involving youth, women, politicians, artists, media, business community,
religious leaders especially in areas of high political tension. This
means entering the domestic arena outside the diplomatic threshold in
the name of a peace building agenda to proselytize people to align with
an alien agenda. It appears to be a backroom brainwashing exercise provided
by a local NGO in conjunction with the British High Commission in a
clandestine manner from 2003.It has reached the public domain in 2007.
Is the British High Commission under the guise of human rights and
protecting civil society harming the sovereignty and national security
of Sri Lanka? The British forces landed in Iraq and Afghanistan purportedly
to safeguard human rights and the democratic rights of the civil society-consequences
being another story. But here in Sri Lanka they appear to foster the
cause of terrorism against the forces of democracy. Do they see -what
we fail to see -human rights and a free civil society thriving in the
uncleared areas of Prabhakaran and his desire to extend it else where!
Roger Howell in his book "What's wrong with Liberal Intervention"
states that the cover for intervention by the West has been to safeguard
human rights and introduce democracy to the affected people. But the
true intent is economic interest or to safeguard their own security.
Wherever intervention has taken place it has displaced the culture and
civilization of the communities and placed them in greater peril.
British interference must be looked in the context of the expulsion
of Norwegian diplomats from Ethiopia notwithstanding the appeal of the
Norway to reconsider the decision, which was refused. Norway has cut
aid to Ethiopia. It was alleged Norway was assisting the Eritrean Government.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has found Eritrean Government
assisting the LTTE.
Those who fail to learn from history will suffer from the lessons of
history.
(Courtesy Asian Tribune)
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