UK’s obligation to make amends!

– The Sudar Oli Editorial

(September 20, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tamil people are furious over the views expressed by a senior British Minister over the Lankan Tamil issue for his suggestions are like a doctor prescribing Paracetomol instead of curative medicine to a patient suffering from a serious ailment.

It is Lord Malloch Brown, the Minister in charge of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is referred to. He stated that the UK and the EU consider the Generalized System of Preferences Plus Scheme – GSP+ – as a legitimate tool to apply pressure on Sri Lanka.

According to reports, he had stated that Sri Lanka should abide by the international standards on human rights for the concession to be extended for another three years.

Therefore it is clear that the position of UK is that it would only use the GSP plus as an option to deal with human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Is it effective enough?

It is UK that is accountable for the present situation, the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. While Tamil nationalism and Sinhala nationalism co –existed in the ancient Sri Lanka as separate states, it was the UK that unified them into one unit for administrative convenience in the early 19th century.

But, when the British left the island in the 20th century, they handed over the reigns of administration in the hands of the majority Sinhala people. That is what caused the present sufferings for the Tamil people.

It really hurts that instead of taking viable moves to resolve the Lankan ethnic problem and to deal with human rights situation that affects the Tamil people most Britains contemplate on soft pedaling moves!

(An English translation of the Editorial, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo.)- Sri Lanka Guardian