| A Statement Issued by the Tamil American Peace Initiative
(October 03, Washington DC, Sri Lanka Guardian) Recently, Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In his September 23rd speech, Mr. Rajapaksa devoted much time to highlighting the advancements of his government and defending their priorities. The President then noted, “All these developments have taken place within the brief space of 30 months - an achievement all the more significant because of our strong emphasis on reconciliation. Important as economic development is, we have attached the highest priority to fostering the spirit of inclusivity and removing any remnants of bitterness from the hearts and minds of all our people.”
“President Rajapaksa’s statement regarding reconciliation as being the highest priority for the Sri Lankan government is in stark contrast to the actual content of his speech,” said Dr. Karunyan Arulanantham, executive director of TAPI, “which was devoted entirely to his misconceived belief that economic development will wipe away all the memories of the atrocities that occurred during the civil war. This is clearly not the case.”
Notable in the context of the Sri Lankan President’s assertions of his commitment to reconciliation and inclusivity were his remarks in support of Palestinian statehood: “It is important to remind ourselves that every country cherishes the values and traditions, and deeply held religious convictions it has nurtured over the centuries. These cannot be diluted or distorted under the guise of human rights, by the imposition of attitudes or approaches which are characteristics of alien culture.” The Sri Lankan Government’s continued insistence on promoting Buddhism as the national religion, imposing the Sinhalese language on government services and statements that ‘there are no ethnic minorities anymore’ runs counter to the multi-ethnic, multi-religious society that has long existed and thrived in Sri Lanka before discriminatory policies against ethnic minorities were instituted.
“This statement in support of the Palestinians is in direct conflict with his declaration of ‘inclusivity’ for Tamils, which has emphasized assimilation,” said Dr. Arulanantham. “The Sri Lankan government’s actions in the past two years have demonstrated a clear lack of commitment to true and substantive reconciliation, and runs contrary to the position Mr. Rajapaksa takes toward peace and compromise between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”
President Rajapaksa’s speech also made no mention of the Sri Lankan Government’s ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission,’ which he has praised as the way forward to foster reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Although his remarks were filled with affirmations of progress and reconciliation, evidence gathered in the last two years by the US, European Union, a United Nations Panel of Experts, and leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, and Human Rights Watch, paints a completely different picture. During a recent trip to Sri Lanka U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake emphasized that “there needs to be a full, credible and independent accounting and accountability for those individuals who may have violated international humanitarian law.”
The Sri Lankan government continues to triumphantly celebrate the end of terrorism, and an end to violence in itself is a good thing, however they still appear unwilling to address the root causes of the war – marginalization and suppression of the minority communities by the government – and until they are willing to respect the views and rights of all Sri Lankans, President Rajapaksa cannot claim that his government has made inclusivity his country’s highest priority.
About TAPI : The Tamil American Peace Initiative was formed by a group of Tamil Americans to help bring lasting peace, justice, democracy, good governance and economic development to Sri Lanka; to focus attention on the destruction of Tamil communities and culture caused by almost three decades of war; and to demand an end to the continuing oppression of Tamils on the island.
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