May 20, 2010

Right Hon. Lawrence Cannon

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Canada.

cc: Right Hon. Stephen Harper

Right Hon. Jason Kenny

Right Hon. Madam Beverley Oda

Right Hon. Brown

Right Hon. Flahety

Your Honor,

WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATION BY UNITED NATIONS - SRI LANKA.

I am a Citizen of Canada. I have sent you several requests by e-mails regarding the above subject. I earnestly request you to urge the United Nation Secretary General Hon. Ban-ki-Moon to step up his effort to start the Investigation into War Crimes committed by the Sri Lankan forces during the last days of the war in May 2009.

Now leading figures from the world international politics, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group [headed by Hon. Madam Louise Arbour- former Judge in Canada], Kindly read the article below.The Elders Org. [set up by Hon. Jimmy Carter, Hon. Koffi Annan, Hon. Nelson Mandela] are speaking out and urging the United Nations to act soon on this matter. I am at a loss to understand why Canada is silent on this matter. Tamils in Canada are eager to know Canada's stand on this matter. For more information regarding War Crimes please view the links below. Thank you.

Yours truly,

----------------

Un an après, quelle justice pour le Sri Lanka?

Louise Arbour, Le Monde | 20 May 2010

Pour être efficace, la justice pénale internationale ne peut être sélective. Alors que l'on célèbre le premier anniversaire de la fin de la guerre civile au Sri Lanka, la communauté internationale – en opposition totale avec sa ligne de conduite envers d'autres conflits – n'a pas encore pris les mesures nécessaires pour poursuivre les responsables des crimes de guerre commis au cours des

derniersmois du conflit.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/sri+lanka+option/3652687

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18760

http://www.hrw.org/en/news-filter/164

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/05/20/sri-lanka-new-evidence-wartime-abuses

http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/sri-lanka

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka.aspx

http://www.abc. net.au/news/ stories /2010/ 05/19/2903429. htm?section= world

=================================================

Mr. Robert Templer

Director of Asia Program

International Crisis Group

New York

May 19, 2010.

Dear Sir,

De-mining workers of Danish De-mining Group (DDG) have discovered a mass grave in Naachchikkudaa area in Mannaar containing 75 to 100 skeletal remains while engaged in de-mining in the area, informed sources in Mannaar told TamilNet Wednesday. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had not permitted resettlement in Naachchikkudaa earlier claiming that the area was infested with landmines and a great quantity of explosives lying buried at the height of the war had taken place in Naachchikkudaa. It is suspected that the skeletal remains discovered may have belonged to young men and women, the sources added.

The sources also revealed that the de-miners also found a lot of unexploded landmines and explosives in the area.

Though people have been permitted to resettle in many parts of Mannaar district Naachchikkuda is not one of them.

Even the de-mining activities are carried out under the strict supervision of the SLA in Naachchikkudaa.

SLA authorities have refused to release any information about the mass grave.

Meanwhile, on 08 October 2009, Parliamentary Group Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R. Sampathan said in Sri Lanka Parliament that, “The Sri Lanka government fears that, if the international community gets involved in the de-mining, they may stumble on to mass graves of Tamil victims killed during the last stages of fighting between the Sri Lanka military and the Tamil Tigers," accusing the Sri Lankan government of refusing to accept foreign assistance towards the de-mining.

Thanks,

source: http://tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=31785

==========================================================

Her Excellency Madam Catherine Ashton ( catherine.ashton@ec.europa.eu )

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

European Commission

BE-1049 Brussels

Belgium

May 14, 2010

Your Excellency:

Re: First Anniversary of the mass slaughter of 40,000 Tamils by Sri Lankan Armed Forces in Sri Lanka

On May 19th, Tamils commemorate the 1st anniversary of the mass slaughter of the 40,000 Tamil civilians including tens of thousands of children by the Sri Lankan armed forces in Vanni. The occasion constantly remind all of us the immense sacrifice those individuals made for the simple reason there were born as Tamils – the simple logic whereby the Tamils breathe all aspects of those Tamil heritage the Sinhala regime tries to bury deep down in Mullivaikal, yet couldn’t.

It gives an absolute resolute that the fortunate people like us who live and breath the civilized world have an obligation to voice for the voiceless Tamils of East and North, in them getting a just and sustainable political solution based on their rights to self - determination.

The mass slaughter becomes so magnified given the fact the whole world simply looked away last May, when the Tamils were assaulted with heavy weaponry including internationally banned cluster bombs and chemical weapons by the Sri Lankan forces, on the narrow stretch where more than 300,000 of innocent civilians were herded into. Close to 300,000 civilians including tens of thousands of children were locked up in barbed wired, military guarded and poorly facilitated detention camps for more than seven months, still close to 100,000 remain in these camps. Another, 11,000 youngsters who were allegedly had connection with the Tamil rebels locked up in secret detention camps with regular tortures away from the independent media, rights groups, and aid workers. It was a complete darkness in the pages of Humanity.

The Sri Lankan military planners knew well in advance probably in consultation with their international backers, what catastrophe would engulf these unarmed civilians through this meaningless military operation that would only kill the masses in cold blood. As anticipated Mullivaikal became a mass graveyard - the bloody military onslaught by the Sri Lankan armed forces became the assault on every decent human being – the only crime being a repressed and voiceless minority in the Island.

Many countries including the regional powers, China, India, Pakistan, and Iran assisted Sri Lanka and became the accessories in staging the Tamils’ tragedy. Louise Arbour, who was the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and U.N. former Human Rights High Commissioner recently commented that, If the Sri Lanka model is now going to become the model for solving internal conflict, it's very troublesome because the model is "keep the world out, keep the U.N. out, keep humanitarian actors out, keep your borders very tight, and do what it takes at any cost. That’s not very good.”

She recently stated that she will examine these allegations [of war crimes in Sri Lanka] and make the case for an independent international inquiry as a necessary step in making Sri Lanka's tenuous and bitter peace more just and sustainable. She also will be participating in a conference on "War Crimes in Sri Lanka" on Monday at the premises of the event's joint sponsor, Chatham House, London.

The evidence of the May massacre simply littered all over through the recordings and evidences provided by many survivors. A Tamil civilian who survived the tragedy mentioned the final hours in the narrow strip in Mullivaikal, Vanni as a "human avalanche".

Makeshift hospitals in the small narrow strip in Mullivaikal, Vanni struggled to cope with thousands of dead civilians and injured besides they themselves being targeted by the Sri Lankan forces as a clear sign of violation on the Geneva Convention.

"We've had lots of dead bodies brought to the hospital, others are on the road," a health worker at the zone told a reporter for a world media at that time.

"Lots of the injured who are taken to the hospital die from blood loss - there is no blood-bank and a lot of people are anemic because there is no food. People were dying in droves."

“The Sri Lankan armed forces went to the extent of using internationally banned weapons such as, chemical gas, cluster bombs and massive heavy weapons to blow the tiny bodies of children and letting them bleed to death. They were accused of burying civilians alive, including women and children, in the civilian protection ditches in Mullivaikal.”

Tamils all over the world call upon the international community including the academics and political institutions especially in the West to open areas of studies on the suppression of Tamils from the Colonial times. They should find out the facts and the implications generated by the administrative amalgamation of the Tamil areas with the Sinhala areas, thus creating such catastrophe. The Tamil kingdoms existed at the time of Colonial conquer never returned to the same structure but artificially handed over to the majority Sinhala administration.

The International community at large, including the western academia and political think-tanks should brush away the agenda of Sinhala revisionists; rather rely on the independent media outlets, like The Times, U.K, The Guardian U.K., The Telegraph, U.K. Boston Globe, France24 News, Washington Post, New York Times, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Asian Human Rights Commission, media rights groups such as RSF, CPJ, and many other rights organizations around the world.

Though the human history is dotted with evilness hatched in the darker corners of human minds, the Tamil catastrophic tragedy opens a prickly awakening chapter in the modern times. The Tamils through their precious sacrifice has given an opportunity to the world to remind, that no government should be given a license to kill its own citizens en-mass under any circumstances.

In Sri Lanka, Tamils are continue to be subjected to deliberate hunger, sickness and deaths to fulfill the racist agendas of the Sinhala majoritism and hide the war crimes, crimes against humanity and rights abuses that were committed against the Tamil citizens of the country for very long time, especially early last year in Mullivaikal, Vanni.

If the civilized world, especially the E.U. believe in what it profess in the lands of freedom are true, then the same civilized world must do more than enough to serve justice to the long victimized, tormented, most unfortunate, helpless, voiceless, and hapless Tamils in Sri Lanka by holding Sri Lanka accountable for its war crimes and violation of both international humanitarian and human rights laws against it Tamil citizens in Sri Lanka. There by the civilized world must force Sri Lanka to the concept of truth and reconciliation. There by the by the civilized world must use all its available tools to bring peaceful, long lasting and acceptable solution based on Tamils Right to Self – Determination.

Once again I thank you for your kind attention on this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Please see the link:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/09/2813824.htm

http://srilanka-videos.blogspot.com/2009/08/france-24-about-srilanka-detention.html

http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/03/video_tamils_on_probation.html

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/29/sri-lanka-end-indefinite-detention-tamil-tiger-suspects

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/sri+lanka+video+aposappears+authenticapos/3491637

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/sri+lanka+video+report+findings/3491642

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201004290212.html

Edited May 21, 201015 yr by akootha

to brussels@crisisgroup.org

Madam Louise Arbour

President, International Crisis Group

May 17, 2010

Dear Madam,

Re: Thank you for being in the forefront to serve justice to the brutally oppressed people in Sri Lanka.

Thank you for being in the forefront to serve justice to the brutally oppressed people in Sri Lanka. Your sincere and persistence call for the independent international investigation into the ‘war crimes’ committed in Sri Lanka by all the parties most certainly will give some relieves to the surviving Tamils in Sri Lanka.

These people have faced the worst atrocities from the Sri Lankan armed forces fully supported by the government of Sri Lanka. It’s with a heavy heart Tamils all over the world observe that the memories of the last year May massacre of at least 40,000 civilians and 50,000 maimed including tens of thousands of children just in the final days of the military onslaught by the Sinhala state army on the narrow strip of Mullivaikal, in Vanni, what then U.N. termed it as “Bloodbath on the Beach”.

Though the war on Tamil resistance is over for well over exactly a year ago, still more than 100,000 Tamil Internally Displaced People (IDPs) which includes thousands of children illegally held up in many Sri Lankan government run, in-adequately managed, poorly fed, military guarded, and over crowded detention camps. Recent BBC report reported that, “It is still extremely difficult for the BBC to visit the camps”.

The Sri Lankan government has denied detainees (There are still more than 11,000 sympathizers who were accused of connected with the Tamil rebels are under total inhumane conditions to the complete isolation from the rest of the world including outbound to independent media and aid workers) the right to be informed of specific reasons for their arrest, to challenge the lawfulness of the detention before an independent judicial authority, and to have access to legal counsel and family members, according to the US based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Amnesty International also joined you today and called on the United Nations to set up an immediate and independent investigation into the massive human rights violations committed by both government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam forces, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, during the country’s recent civil war.

Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Asia-Pacific, said:

“The UN never revealed what it knew about the final days of the conflict, acknowledged the scale of the abuse that took place, or pushed for accountability.

“At the end of the war, atrocities against civilians and enemy combatants appeared to be fueled by a sense that there would be no real international consequences for violating the law.”

Instead of investigating and prosecuting those suspected of violations during the war and providing reparations to victims, in the past 12 months the Sri Lankan government has jailed critics and clamped down on dissent, Madhu Malhotra added.

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18760

Thank you also for calling on investigation on the U.N.’s own behaviour during the final stage of the war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam last year.

Leading from the front, you embark on a noble mission to serve deserving justice to the long victimized, tormented, most unfortunate, helpless, voiceless, and hapless Tamils in Sri Lanka and their by bring genuine concept of truth and reconciliation in Sri Lanka between the communities which has high potential to lead to the peaceful, long lasting and acceptable solution to the victimized Tamils based on equality, freedom with dignity and self - rule.

Once again we thank you for taking time to read this e-mail.

Yours sincerely,

May 18, 2010

Senator-------------

Address

Dear (Senator/Congressman),

SRI LANKA: Call for Accountability and Political Solution

May 19, 2010 marks the one year anniversary of the Sri Lankan government’s victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who were seeking a separate state for Tamils, ending the 30 year war.

During the final months of the war the Sri Lankan forces indiscriminately bombed and shelled civilian areas including areas designated as safe havens and hospitals, despite the appeals made by President Obama, Secretary Clinton and other world leaders, killing thousands of Tamil civilians including the elderly, women and children. The then UN spokesman in Colombo, Mr. Gordon Weiss, recently stated that thirty to forty thousand civilians were killed.

More than 300,000 survivors of the final assault were held in ‘concentration-like’ camps against their will for several months in total violation of international norms. A year after more than 80,000 civilians are still in camps; more than 10,000 suspected former militants including many children detained without charges. Those released from the camps, not allowed to return to their homes, are living in temporary shelters or with relatives and are unable to return to their livelihood.

Despite the repeated promises by the SL president Mahinda Rajapakse for a political solution for Tamil grievances and reconciliation with the Tamil community, the government of Sri Lanka has hitherto failed to take any meaningful steps towards either. UN bodies, human rights organizations, and several western governments including ours have accused both sides of the conflict for humanitarian law violations and called for war crime investigations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillai, the Human Rights Watch, and the Amnesty International have all called for independent international investigations. "Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch on May 7th. "Ban (UN Secretary General) should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka's war."

We respectfully request you to ensure that our Government joins the ranks of the human rights organizations and call for an independent international investigation into war crimes perpetrated on the Tamil civilians. Further, the US Government should work with allies to push for a political solution to secure equal rights for the Tamils to live in peace and security along with other ethnic groups in the island nation.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

(your name, address)

Dear Ambassador,

It is widely reported that the EU is disquiet about Sri Lanka turning towards China and Iran. If the criteria; for reversing EU’s suspension of GSP facilities to coerce Sri Lanka towards the West, is a watered down requirements for the three UN human rights conventions, then it would create a reprehensible precedence for other GSP recipient countries, to demand similar concessions and compromise EU’s high standards.

Another media reports that the European Union office in Sri Lanka had not given the island's government a 'list of conditions' to meet to renew a trade deal is worrying and disturbing despite EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht’s emphasis that Sri Lanka would agree upon a ‘set of measures’ that will result in rapid, demonstrable and sustainable progress in relation to the human rights shortcomings.

Yet, the EU Delegation Chief Bernard Savage continue to show concerns about Sri Lanka continuing with the emergency regulations and the detaining of Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader retired General Sarath Fonseka. These statements create an air of confusion which does not augur well for the integrity of the EU.

I hope the EU will consider other matters as well that concern the ordinary man or woman on the street. On the ICCPR alone SL acknowledges that they still hold 80,000 innocent civilians in camps and 18,000 suspected rebels in secret camps.

Suresh Premachandran, Jaffna district parliamentarian, accused Sri Lanka Government for purposely encouraging crimes in Jaffna peninsula such as abduction and killing for ransom, robbery, sexual abuse of lonely women so that it could continue to hold the peninsula in its authority. He further blamed the government for having abandoned the resettled civilians in Mullaiththeevu district who had been uprooted and detained during the war on Vanni.

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=31731

The government refused to endorse the 2010 Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP), for 2010 saying that it was no longer necessary. In Sri Lanka, the CHAP is developed under the leadership of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The government’s contention is that humanitarian and other assistance for the North and East should be channelled through the task force and line ministries rather than via the OCHA.

Here we must remind ourselves how nearly half a billion dollars in tsunami aid for Sri Lanka was unaccounted for and over 600 million dollars was spent on projects unrelated to the disaster according to Transparency International. In all these it is the IDP; created not by natural disaster but by a brutal action by the government, who continue to suffer most.

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=30884

Journalists continue to be intimidated. Sandun Jayasekera, a senior journalist of the English Daily Mirror was assaulted by security officers at the Maharagama Cancer hospital. Prageeth Eknaligoda of Lanka e-News who reported the election irregularities has gone missing for the last 100 days. A popular TV station MTV came under attack by an armed group led by Deputy Minister Mervin Silva

http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/news/9774.html

Clearly Sri Lanka has a long way to go to meet the conventions. Since a delegation from SL is going to Brussels on May 20th I am writing to ask you to ask your Government to oppose any attempt to allow SL to avoid their obligations and to ensure the GSP+ concession is withdrawn as planned until such time it is proven beyond any doubt that Sri Lanka sustains its obligation.

Thank you

Yours respectfully

------------------------------------------------------------------

Culture@austria.org.uk, london@diplobel.fed.be, info@bulgarianembassy.org.uk ,

lonamb@um.dk, london@mfa.ee, sanomat.lon@formin.fi , info@german-embassy.org.uk,

Presse.LONDRES-AMBA@diplomatie.gouv.fr, political@greekembassy.org.uk,

office.lon@kum.hu, ambasciata.londra@esteri.it, embassy.uk@mfa.gov.lv, amb.uk@urm.lt, londres.amb@mae.etat.lu, info.mfa@gov.mt, london@netherlands-embassy.org.uk, london@msz.gov.pl, london@portembassy.co.uk, roemb@roemb.co.uk,

vlo(at)gov.si, mail@slovakembassy.co.uk, cog.londres@maec.es,

ambassaden.london@foreign.ministry.se, eplondon@europarl.europa.eu, epedinburgh@europarl.eu.int

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/292208

The Editor,

Globe and Mail

Dissent is of no value if the basis has no substance.

Anthony Reinhart, in his piece in the Wednesday's Globe and Mail quotes

Wesley Wark, the UFT Professor's comments on the ICG report : "war crimes investigation now is premature and could deepen the rift between Sri Lankans and the Tamil minority, thus prolonging Canada's role as a platform for Tamil grievance"

At the outset let me point out that Prof. Wark is not far wrong in assuming that the Tamils do not belong to Sri Lanka!

Well, if it is premature now when does he think it is opportune ? Is it after the world forgets the whole thing, prescribed by time ?

He further says that "it will deepen the rift between Sri Lankans and the Tamil minority". Can the rift be any deeper than what it is now.?

He further expresses consternation that Canada's role will get prolonged !

Well, the Professor has to be reminded that Canada has played no role thus far and neither has it made any effort to really understand the problems of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

He further states that when the UN looked into alleged Israeli crimes in Gaza it devolved " into a political fight and an exchange of mutual, propagandist views, with the truth getting more obscured at the end of the day".

It will not be productive to try and draw parallels to encourage inaction. It behoves on the UN to appreciate the stark differences objectively to bring to book the perpetrators of the dastardly crimes against civilians, not to mention the non combatants summarily put to death at the command of higher ups in the Sri Lankan Establishment. These do no longer remain just accusations, to be denied all and sundry as characteristic of this regime. The crimes have been adequately documented and the evidence is damning for anyone to see, despite the semantics resorted to by the likes of Palitha Kohana, the Sri Lankan Permanent Representative in the UN who is paid to bat for the wrong side.

Madam Louis Arbor's global perspective on the issue, namely, that absence of consequences would result in the adoption of the Sri Lankan option of dealing with insurgencies by States facing similar situations, is indeed valid. It would, however, be a luxury for the Tamils to think on those global terms. The Tamils, on the other hand, want justice. It would be well for Prof. Wark to put himself in the shoes of the traumatized Tamils for a moment before pontificating on the negatives in what is being propounded by the ICG.

"The Sri Lankan government is not going to be able to put a lid on this; ultimately these stories are going to come out;but the work is going to have to be done from within, and it's only going to be successful if it's done in a changing kind of political environment in Sri Lanka itself.", says Prof.Wark

These stories are already out and does Prof. Wark advocate the International community waiting till the perpetrators of the crimes come on to the world podium and pronounce the obvious " yes, we are guilty as charged"!

Therefore this perspective has no substance, examining it in context. The Sri Lankan Government is engaged in nothing short of genocide and "the change in the political environment in Sri Lanka" will never be conducive for redressing grievances of the Tamils. For that matter, there will be no Tamils left in Sri Lanka for grievances to be addressed or redressed. Whether the world wants to see or not this is exactly what the Singhalese State is working towards. Should anyone need proof thereof let them take the trouble to read contemporary Sri Lankan political History.

It is indeed time that the ICG report is acted upon. HRW and Amnesty International should redouble efforts to move the UN to do what it has been created for at the end of World War II, protection of the vulnerable, the victims and not the oppressors.

Sincerely,