Thursday, April 28, 2011

UN Report on Sri Lankan war crimes

On June 2010 UN secrteary Generl Ban Ki Moon appointed a panel to advise him about alleged violations of international humanitarian and human right laws druing the final stages of the armed conflict in SL.The three member committee from three countires namely US,Indonesia and South Afriica have given their report recently.The committee applied international human laws to both LTTE and the SL government .During the final stages of the war ,SL government said it pursued a rescue operation with a policy of 'zero civilian casualty '.But the panel has found both LTTE and the SL government have committed crimes against humanity .The report says between sept 2008 to May 19,2009 SL army used widespread shelling in Vanni area resulting in many civilian deaths.The worst allegations found credible by the panel is that the SL government encouraged innocent civilian population to concentrate on three 'No fire zones' ,and resorted to heavy shelling of these three no fire zones consecutively,while all the time publicly maintaining they would not use heavy weapons.The SL army even shelled UN hub,food distibution lines and Red cross ships coming to pickup wounded civilians .What else is this other than genocide. ? The report also says the SL army systemetically shelled hospitals on frontlines with mortars and artillery.The SL government systemetically deprived food and medical aid to those wounded by the shelling .This is really most shocking and inhuman.The panel aslo says the SL government deliberatley under estimated the civilians caught in the conflict zone. Screening of suspected LTTE activists were done without any external scrutiny and those identified were summarily executed,says the panel report.
The poor Tamil civilians were caught between devil and deep sea. The LTTE for their part refused permissions for civilians to leave the conflict zone and used them as hostages.From Feb 2009,the panel report says LTTE shot civilians at point blank who tried to escape the conflict zone.Apart from these,there were human rights violations by the SL government on media and critics.The panel report has indicted the SL government on this score also.The panel report has also said that UN's political organs and bodies have failed to protect the civilians during the final stages of the war.The UN report also appreciated the courage and resillience of the victims of the war and civil society of SL.The UN panel report has clearly indicted the SL government of war crimes and genocide.SL government requested UN not to make the panel report public as it would damage the reconciliation process.But UN said "The decision to release the report was made as a matter of transparency and in the broader public interest."

UN report has corroborated what every body said about the Sri Lankan war on Tamils as a genocide .Strangely Indian government is silent on the UN report . No official comment has come from the government so far.Rajapakshe wants Lankans to show their solidarity against UN report on May day Procession.Now India is a temporary member in UN security council.On requests from member nations only UN chairman Ban ki Moon appointed the panel to inquire war crimes against SL .The union government and the congress party are conspicuous by their silence on UN report on SL. I don't think India should observe diplomatic niceties and reserve its comments on UN reports on SL war crimes and be a party to Tamils genocide in SL.The government should condemn  unequivocally without mincing words,the war crimes committed by the SL government.It is an outrage against humanity, which no civilised nation would resort to,especially against her own ethnic minority.  Speaking against SL war crimes does not in any way mean approval of the actions of the LTTE . There was of course no justification for an armed violent struggle against SL government and in the process kill many innocents.UN report has indicted the LTTE also .The bloody war has ended . But the point is a genocide perpeterated by a government against its own ethnic race deserves to be conedmned by all right thnking people and the guilty should be brought to book and punished . Surely the SL genocide on Tamils will find a place among the greatest genocides of the world .

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