Col R Hariharan
Highlights
Aberrations
of governance: President
Rajapaksa appears to be losing grip his over government as indicated by
increasing acts of political violence, religious bigotry and mounting
corruption. This has affected rule of
law and the government’s knee jerk response is eroding public confidence in the
administration. This could affect Sri Lanka’s case when the issue of
accountability comes up in the UN Human Rights Commission
Follow-up
action UNHRC resolution: The UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights has presented her organisation plan for
sustaining the UN initiative on investigating human rights accountability in
Sri Lanka from 2014-17. Sri Lanka has announced it would not cooperate wither
in the investigation. The U.S. and the UK have been pursuing the issues raised in
the UNHRC resolution while the Tamil Diaspora in Canada has formed an umbrella
organisation to fight for Tamil cause.
Ban on Tamil
Diaspora organisations: Sri Lanka
has banned 16 Tamil Diaspora organisations and black listed 472 individuals
living abroad under the UN provision for listing of terrorist organisations.
This blanket ban would make it difficult for constructively using the Tamil
Diaspora’s influence with Tamil population and politics. The order came in the
wake of reports of possible revival of LTTE after security forces killed three
former LTTE cadres involved in revival activities.
Aberrations of governance
There are growing signs of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is losing his
grip on governance as indicated by increasing political violence, mounting
Buddhist vigilantism and extremism, deteriorating law and order and growing
differences within the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
Political violence reached a new high when five
opposition United National Party (UNP) members of parliament who were visiting
the newly constructed infrastructure facilities in Hambantota - the Mattala airport and Magampura Port - were
attacked on April 17, 2014. The MPs were on a fact finding mission to look into
allegations of bribery, corruption and financial malpractices in the
construction of the projects.
At the airport the MPs were
targeted by ruling party men led by Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando who was waving
a pistol. After that the MPs escaped attacking thugs when they visited the
port. However, Mayor Fernando has denied he was leading the mob. He said he
waved a toy pistol to drive away the mob as he was trying to protect the MPs.
Significantly, he added that he took the action after talking to the
President’s son Namal Rajapaksa. However Namal Rajapaksa quickly denied talking
to Fernando. The attack has exposed the impunity with which political violence
has grown to attack even elected members of parliament in the President’s own
home constituency.
Buddhist chauvinist
organizations like Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Sihala Ravaya and Ravana Balaya operating under the leadership of
monks have stepped up their attacks on Muslim cultural and religious
institutions, businesses as well as cultural and religious practices like
mosques, religious education schools, wearing of burkha, and producing and
selling of Halal meat. Churches have also come under such attacks.
Their activist agenda
has been encouraged by political parties like the Jathika Hela Ururmaya (JHU)
and the Sinhala Marxist outfit National Freedom Front (NFF), which are partners
of the ruling UPFA coalition. They have added their share of incendiary
statements to ginger up the anti-Islamic agenda of BBS, the most active of the
chauvinist brigade. This has perhaps helped the spread of BBS’
core belief among Sinhala Buddhists that their religion and identity were under
threat from Islam and Christianity. This is what probably prodded overzealous
officials to expel a visiting foreign tourist for sporting tattoo of Buddha
image!
However, the government
was moved into action of sorts after BBS’s sustained campaign against the
Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen culminated in a raid on his
ministerial office by a BBS mob
led by BBS general secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara. The
mob invaded the office shouting slogans against the Minister who was not in
office at that time. The raid was surprising as Bathiudeen, who leads the All
Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), has been a loyal supporter of President Rajapaksa.
The Minister of Justice Rauf Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
has also faced Sinhala wrath after he met the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Mrs Naveneetham Pillay and handed over details of Buddhist chauvinist attacks
on Muslims in Sri Lanka.
The government’s only response to the anti-Muslim campaign so
far has been to create a special police unit under the Ministry of Buddha
Sasana and Religious Affairs to deal with religious violence. This would
indicate that the government would not treat criminal activities of chauvinist
organisations like BBS under normal laws of the land. So it was not surprising
the move was condemned by almost all political parties including the JHU. They
considered it unnecessary as the existing laws gave enough powers to deal with
such incidents. Muslims as a whole have dismissed the government action
branding it as “eyewash”. They considered it as another government ploy to
hoodwink Muslims and the country. Their concern is substantiated by the
government’s failure to prosecute extremists Sinhalese monks who have continued
to attack Muslims in the name of protecting Buddhism.
Law enforcement has also become tardy. According to police
spokesman there were 14 incidents of bank, financial companies and jewellery
shop robberies from December 26, 2013 to-date. So far only three of these cases
have been solved. President Rajapaksa at
a recent meeting with newspaper editors agreed that there was a “notable
increase” in robberies in Colombo. However, he attributed it to the removal of
check points that were in force earlier to prevent the movement of terrorists.
Follow-up
action UNHRC resolution
The Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has submitted its Management Plan 2014-17
to the UN. The plan reflects the
determination of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in sustained international
community’s engagement on “issues of impunity, accountability and
reconciliation for past and present human rights violations” in Sri Lanka till the
year 2017.
However, the government has so
far not changed its decision not to cooperate with the OCHR in the
international investigation as required by the Resolution. It has warned that
legal action would be taken on anyone testifying before the international
investigation committee as it would tantamount to treason. The President has
asked coalition partners to speak in one voice reflecting government policy on
the issue.
Media reports indicate Mrs Pillay
would complete the process of forming the investigation team by the middle of May.
Representatives of the US and UK governments have started meeting with the
various stakeholders on Sri Lanka accountability. Tamil Diaspora in Canada
organised a conclave to bring all Tamil cultural organisations under one
umbrella to take up the Tamil cause and ensure justice for them.
So far the government has not taken any
substantive action to answer specific issues raised by the Resolution. These
include implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC on human rights
violations and kick starting the stalled reconciliation process with Tamil
minority. How the government will
respond to these moves remains an open question.
Ban on Tamil
Diaspora organisations
The Sri Lanka Ministry of
Defence ordered the freezing of all funds, assets and economic resources
belonging to 16 Tamil Diaspora organisations
and 424 select individuals “believed…. to be committing, attempting to
commit, facilitating or participating, in the commission of acts of terrorism.”
In simple terms, it has banned them and under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
anyone dealing with any one of them can be prosecuted.
A Gazette Extraordinary
notification signed by the Defence Secretary, who is the Competent Authority,
on March 20, 2014 lists out designated “natural persons, groups and entities”
naming 16 organisations and 424 individuals in accordance with the
United Nations Regulations No. 1 of 2012 implemented by Sri Lanka. The list includes the LTTE
(factions led by Nediyawan and living abroad), and well known umbrella Tamil
organizations of the Diaspora like the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), British Tamil
Forum (BTF), Australian Tamil Congress (ATC)
The 472 “select individuals” list attached to the gazette notification
includes the names and identity and known details of residence abroad. It
includes some well known camp followers of the LTTE like Rudra Kumaran. Thirtytwo individuals said to be living in India
including a few living in Chennai suburbs and refugee camps in Tamil Nadu also
figure in the black list.
The action
against Tamil Diaspora came after the security forces eliminated three former
LTTE cadres who were suspected of trying to revive the LTTE in Northern
Province. Though at present the revival attempt appears to be in a nascent
stage and does not enjoy public support, these killings and arrests of LTTE
cadres reported in Tamil Nadu could affect the security interests of both India and Sri Lanka if left unchecked.
The Tamil National
Alliance has cautiously reacted to the news; P Sampanthan, the TNA leader, made
it clear that Tamils wanted a peaceful solution and would not support any
revival of separatist
insurgency. However, he condemned the ban on Diaspora organisations as it would
not help the reconciliation process.
Written on April 30, 2014
Written on April 30, 2014
Courtesy: South Asia Security Trends, Volume 8, No
4 May 2014
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