The Sri Lanka Government killed press freedomChina and India friendship with Sri Lanka will end in tears with the Sri Lanka losing autonomy
Sri Lankan diplomatic missions have been a partisan disgrace.
Interviewed by Nilantha Ilangamuwa
(June 10, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lankan Government has tarnished its own image, without help from anyone else, Bruce Douglas Haig, former Deputy High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka in 1994, said in an exclusive interview with the Sri Lanka Guardian.
Bruce Haigh joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1972. He served in South Africa from 1976/79 with the Australian Embassy.
He worked in the Australian Embassy in Saudi Arabia from 1982/84. From 1984/86 he was Director of the Indonesia Section. During that time he travelled within the Indonesian archipelago. From 1986/88, he was at the Australian Embassy, lslamabad. He travelled to Afganistan where he reported on the war and other aspects of the Soviet occupation. He also undertook the photographic recording of Soviet activities and installations.
Bruce has visited or worked in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the Yemen, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, the United States and Europe. He was involved in high level trade and foreign policy negotiations.
Excerpts:
Q. I would like to start by inviting you to give us an introduction about your present role as a retired diplomat. You have worked as Deputy High Commissioner of Australia in Colombo. Later you wrote many articles and made a number of speeches on Sri Lanka’s ethnic issues as well as the situation involving the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Could you also please give us an introduction of your role prior to retiring as a diplomat and how you have helped to build Australian-Lankan relations?
A. I don't have a role as a retired diplomat. That profession plus my earlier studies equipped me to analyse people, policies and politics and that is what I do. Australian/Sri Lankan relations have yet to be built on a proper and sound basis. Australian security agencies have driven the relationship in the wake of 9/11, when the Sri Lankan Government convinced some Western governments that it was waging a war against terror. That veil has been lifted and it is plain for all to see and now widely accepted that it was a civil war.
Q. Sri Lanka’s diplomatic missions have gone through rapid changes over the past decade. It is also the case with the Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka lacks a strong establishment and its foreign missions have become heavily politicized fronts with the political appointees. Are these politicized missions healthy for Sri Lanka?
A. Sri Lankan diplomatic missions have been a partisan disgrace. Thoroughly politicised; they have been vehicles of propaganda and harassment of expatriate Tamils, often with the compliance of host governments. That is now changing, as host governments question their role.
Q. Going further, it is general knowledge that political appointments have weakened Sri Lanka in many fronts? This includes inexperienced political diplomats unable to do their jobs properly. Further, these missions are unable to bring fusion between the Diaspora communities and tend to work with heavily politicized extreme Sinhala nationalist groups. This is not helping Sri Lanka to reach to the minority Sri Lankan communities to build bridges. What is your advice to Sri Lanka on this?
A. Enter the real world, embrace the new realities.
Q. The Government of Sri Lanka celebrated its first anniversary of crushing the Tamil Tigers, which is banned and listed as a terrorist organization in many countries including Australia. So what is your assessment of the post military victory against the so-called terrorist organization?
A. The LTTE is not listed as a terror organisation in Australia. There is no victory in the humiliation of the vanquished. The root cause of the civil war has not been addressed. Look at Palestine.
Q. Sri Lanka has crushed the LTTE militarily? The LTTE outfit is the product of the political failures of Sri Lanka for over six decades in not positively addressing the legitimate political demands of the Tamils. This underling political issue is haunting Sri Lanka in spite of defeating the LTTE. Can Sri Lanka continue to prolong the agony by engaging in heavy handedness towards its minorities?
A. No, but you have answered your own question.
Q. The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is undertaking an important visit to India. What is your assessment of the Indo-Lanka relationship in the post –War Sri Lanka? Meanwhile Chinese vice premier is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka with a huge loan that is expected to help galvanize the semi-dead economy of Sri Lanka. Do you think President Rajapaksa’s anti-west foreign policy will archive its goal?
A. Sri Lanka wrongly believes that it can be very cleaver and play China and India off against one another for advantage to the SLG. It will end in tears with Sri Lanka losing autonomy. It was a big mistake to get into bed with China, particularly under the nose of India. The Sri Lanka Government has stupidly, in my opinion, stupidly transgressed Indian notions of its sphere of influence. My own government has behaved just as stupidly and clumsily toward India.
Q. There are so many allegations against the government over corruption, war crimes, human rights violence, nepotism, manipulations, sexual abuses etc. Despite these, in the last few elections the majority of the people are with the President Rajapaksa. Why there is wide gap on the opinion of the President within and outside Sri Lanka. Is the West’s attitude towards Sri Lanka justified?
A. The Sri Lanka Government killed press freedom. Debate is at best stifled and at worst crushed. Ordinary people look for financial security, a level playing field, they are desperate for jobs, prosperity, predictability, voting for Rajapaksa, partly represents that and also represents the lack of choice. Expectations relating to politics and politicians are low. How could they be otherwise in a corrupt, quasi police state?
Q. The section of the pro-LTTE Diaspora has formulated a Transnational Government which the government of Sri Lanka is vehemently opposing. Do you think a Transnational Government will be an impediment rather than a constructive effort to build bridges between communities in Sri Lanka?
A. No. It was done to influence the thinking and perceptions of Western governments and peoples.
Q. Once again the UN Special Rapporteur urged the Government of Sri Lanka to allow international access to investigate War Crimes during the final battle between the government forces and the Tamil Tigers rebels. But in his reply to Prof. Philip Alston, the Attorney General of Sri Lanka says, the allegations are baseless and issues raised are strictly the internal matters of Sri Lanka. It is alleged that Prof. Alton is tarnishing the image of Sri Lanka internationally. What is your opinion on Sri Lanka opening its door for an international inquiry into war crimes? Do you think Sri Lanka can continue to halt the process to investigate war crimes?
A. The Sri Lankan Government has tarnished its own image, without help from anyone else. Not opening the door to an international UN backed investigation relating to war crimes is a significant statement in itself. Through the movement of segments of its population around the world the issues relating to the murder of prisoners of war, rape and killing of non combatants have become issues of international concern. They are not internal matters, just as the issue of widespread corruption in government and other institutions impacts upon the ability to conduct international trade.
Q. What is your opinion of Tamil political parties and their role in the conflict? How can they involve themselves to achieve a sustainable solution?
A. Sincere and honest discussion, negotiation and other positive interactions, of which we have seen no sign of from the government.
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