“Set up your mission in Iraq”

(October, 14, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour arrived in Sri Lanka amid heavy protests by the JVP. On her request, however JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe agreed to meet her at their party headquarters. Vijitha Herath also participated. She kicked off the meeting by saying that she was here on invitation by the Sri Lanka Government. “I must tell you that we were against your visit because of some statements you had made,” said Amarasinghe.

“Other UN officials have also made controversial statements about Sri Lanka. Allan Rock said after his visit that the Sri Lanka Army was recruiting child soldiers. We consider this as an attempt to despoil the image of Sri Lanka and the armed forces. You have yourself said that a UN human rights monitoring mission should be set up here. We are completely against such a body. That’s a violation of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and an attempt to show that the Sri Lankan state is not committed to human rights.

The UN has no right to do so.” “So, are you saying there are no human rights violations in Sri Lanka?” Arbour asked. “We are not saying that,” replied Amarasinghe. “We too, are watching the situation. We protested against the arbitrary dispatch of Tamils from lodges in Colombo. We have spoken up on other occasions, too. But there isn’t reason enough to set up an office here.”

Amarasinghe told Arbour that the JVP suspects the UN of attempting to have Sri Lanka labelled as a failed state. “Let me speak openly,” he said. “We cannot tolerate attempts to erode the sovereignty of our country.” He added that the violations occurring in Sri Lanka were nothing compared to the human rights issues in Iraq and other conflict zones. “We think you should set up your human rights mission in Iraq,” Amarasinghe asserted.

JVP’s Somawansa Amarasinghe said during his meeting with UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour that his party had been suppressed from 1983 onwards. “In 1989, nearly 100,000 Sri Lankans were killed including our leader,” he said.
“Fortunately, I escaped. Let me tell you what happened afterwards. Our party wrote to the UN but didn’t even get a response. Not one statement was issued. The UN must not have double standards.” “What does your party feel about the conflict?” Arbour then asked. “There is no LTTE controlled areas in the East now,” replied Somawansa. “Our soldiers are engaged in resettlement activities. We are applying pressure on the Government to expedite this process.”

“Our roadmap is to first defeat terrorism while also dealing with the problems of civilians,” he continued. “We feel there must be local government elections to establish democracy in these areas. If democracy is established, the Tamil people will get the strength to leave the LTTE behind.”

Arbour told Amarasinghe that attempts were being made to reform the UN system, although there is a delay in implementation. “Well, we can certainly see that the UN is changing but it isn’t changing for the better,” opined the JVP leader. “The UN was created to work multilaterally, not unilaterally. Now, however, the UN works according to a Western agenda. The UN must be just and must show this in their actions.”
“Do you think that you can bring the LTTE to the democratic mainstream?” Arbour asked Somawansa. “Never,” he said. “They don’t like democracy. The Government in 1983 proscribed the JVP but we did everything possible from that point to re-enter the democratic mainstream. We did so, at the first opportunity we got. The LTTE isn’t like that. They have been given so many chances to enter the democratic mainstream, which the JVP didn’t get. But, with every cease-fire, the LTTE geared for war. We must defeat the LTTE.”

Just as Arbour was about to leave, Amarasinghe asked her: “There is a conspiracy by the UN to have us declared as a failed state. Are you part of that plan?” “I don’t think our officials are doing that,” she responded. “That’s impossible.” “Also,” questioned Amarasinghe, “will you set up a mission in Sri Lanka to monitor human rights?” “If the Government wants it, yes,” answered Arbour. (LBN)