வெள்ளி, 27 ஜூன், 2014

Navi Pillai asserts investigation undeterred by non-cooperation

Navi Pillai asserts investigation undeterred by non-cooperation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2014, 23:49 GMT]
Reiterating her encouragement to “government and people of Sri Lanka” to cooperate with the OHCHR investigation, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanetham Pillai added that the investigation would still go ahead undeterred if such cooperation was not forthcoming, reported UN Human Rights News Release on Wednesday. There are two facets to the sabotage of any investigation of truth. One is the freedom given to the Colombo government to engage in all sorts of intimidation, and the latest is the use of PTA, as revealed by a London meet on Tuesday. But the other, and the more precarious one, is certain powers grooming the genocidal Sinhala military into a neo-lascarin force for imperialist agenda in the region, commented Tamil activists for alternative politics in the island.

Further comments from the activists:

To keep the Sinhala nation silent on the transformation of its military into lascarins of imperialism, the military is indefinitely allowed on the genocidal occupation of the country of Eezham Tamils.

The national question, even without identifying the affected nation, is twisted into a question of religions by the UNHRC resolution itself, and from the latest events in the island one could see how trends and deviations are set.

How to get justice through the track of this investigation when the fundamentals are not acknowledged and the main accused are the main benefactors of the agenda of imperialism? More than the State and the government in the island, the military is the one that is dear to all the global engineers.

Perhaps, Ms. Navi Pillai in her time has done the best she could do. But it is the duty of the affected people seeking justice, and humanity in general beyond the Establishments, to be vigilant in steering the struggle for universal causes, undeterred by detractions and manipulations, the Tamil activists in the island said.

* * *

Ms. Navi Pillai on Wednesday has announced the names of three experts to advise the investigation team of 12.

The experts are:

Mr Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who has also served as a UN diplomat and mediator and is renowned for his international peace work;

Ms Silvia Cartwright, former Governor-General and High Court judge of New Zealand, and judge of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia, as well as former member of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women;

Ms Asma Jahangir, former President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association and of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, previous holder of several Human Rights Council mandates and member of a recent fact-finding body into Israeli settlements.

* * *

According to a Wikileaks document, dated 06-11-2006, the then US Ambassador in Colombo, Robert O. Blake, reporting in a priority cum confidential cable to the US Secretary of State on a Co-Chairs meet on Sri Lanka, has stated the following as the advice given by him to the Co-Chairs:

“The Co-Chairs could ask an experienced mediator such as Martti Ahtissari (who is probably busy) to work with the Norwegians to assume a more active mediation role to help the parties narrow their differences. This would of course require the consent of both parties.”

Blake has further advised:

“If the government did not have a game plan, the Co-Chairs could certainly ask an internationally recognized NGO such as the Public Interest Law and Policy Group or the Berghof Foundation to help them develop one. We could do the same for the LTTE.”

According to Blake, “Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar thought these were useful suggestions and said similar Track II proposals had been made during the rounds of negotiations in 2002 and 2003.”

“Ambassador Blake asked if the Government of Norway would be prepared to lead discussion on this proposed agenda item, summarising previous ideas and surfacing new ones. Brattskar said he thought they would and would alert Oslo,” the WikiLeaks cable of 2006 revealed.

* * *

Failed Norwegian Peace Facilitator Erik Solheim on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of the panel of advisors.

“UN appoints excellent and high profile panel to investigate Sri Lanka abuses,” Mr. Solheim tweeted.

Earlier this month, Associated Press reported Solheim saying that he would be a witness on the war in the island.

“The war was won at a tremendous cost and I will witness before any recognised international tribunal investigating Sri Lanka,” Solheim told a Colombo media and confirmed it to the Associated Press.”

Mr. Solheim also plans to release of book in January on the LTTE, Colombo government and the peace facilitation.

* * *
Frances Harrison in TwitLonger: UN Human Rights Chief announces details of Sri Lanka conflict investigation
livemint.com: Norwegian envoy ready to testify to Sri Lanka war crimes

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