CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Vic. Toews vs Louis Arbour

Asoka Weerasinbghe Gloucester . Ontario Canada

June 22, 2008

The Editor (Letters)
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

Sir:

If High Commissioner for Human Rights Louis Arbour’s opinion and comments about Sri Lanka’s human rights aberrations is something to go by, then it is not too difficult not to agree with Treasury Board President, Vic. Toews comment about her in parliament.

It was obvious that Madame Arbour decided to change gears to the “Bully”
mode when she made the impetuous statement last January on sovereign Sri Lanka, lambasting its Government for withdrawing from the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed in February 2002 with, the non-state terrorist organization, the Tamil Tigers. Being a Sri Lankan-Canadian I was not only disappointed, but I was also miffed.

What she failed to tell the Sri Lankans and their law makers was how she came to the conclusion that the CFA bore any value at all, when it had been violated over 7,000 times by the Tamil Tigers compared to the armed forces violations of just over 200 times. And 90 percent of the Tamil Tiger violations were of human rights like unlawful killings with impunity of unarmed civilians, arbitrary detention, torture, and abduction and recruitment of children for its Baby Brigade to be trained as Black Tiger suicide bombers.

When UNESCO and UNICEF failed miserably to rein in the Tamil Tigers to stop human rights violations who thumbed their noses at the UN institutions, Madame Arbour’s impetuous statement and veiled threats on the Sri Lankan government certainly weakened her position as the Head of the OHCHR, and has shown by her staff who were unqualified and inept to monitor Human Rights in Sri Lanka.

As for the United Nations which celebrated its 59^th anniversary some months ago, and its Charter which was established with the spirit of co-operation and mutual respect for all nations and peoples of the world, Madame Arbour and her staff have embarrassed this institution, and more so having taken the arrogant “Bully” mode against sovereign Sri Lanka and not against the real Human Right violators the Tamil Tiger terrorists who are exploding bombs in buses and trains killing hundreds of innocent civilians during rush hours.

With such a record, it is not difficult to agree with Vic Toews.

Asoka Weerasinbghe

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