Category Archives: reconciliation

December 21, 2011 · 7:01 am

Rajiva’s Unit of National Reconciliation presents Mission Statement

under the tite The Nitty Gritty of ‘Moving On’: National Reconciliation Unit in http://www.nation.lk/2011/12/18/na2_4.htm

Even as the world focused on what the LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) would produce after months of hearings, President Mahinda Rajapaksa set up a ‘National Reconciliation Unit’ to facilitate the work of his Adviser on Reconciliation. All these in addition to the natural processes of reconciliation that the end of conflict engenders, boosted of course by concrete policies to put in place necessary infrastructure, resettle the displaced, clear landmines and reinvigorate economic activity, not to mention the rehabilitation and reintegration of thousands of ex-combatants – a practice unheard of in many parts of the world when it comes to people affiliated with terrorist organisations. The Advisor’s terms of reference included monitoring and reporting to the President on progress with regard to the Interim Recommendations of the LLRC, and promoting appropriate activities for this purpose through the relevant Ministries.

‘The Nation’ spoke with Pushpi Weerakoon, Coordinator of the Unit, on the mandate, work and challenges of this body.
Q: Could you elaborate on the power, authority and capacity of the unit?
The Office has no powers or executive authority. Apart from two minor staff, it has only an IT officer. MP’s secretary and office aide also contribute. However, much support is provided by members of the Reconciliation Youth Forum that comprises committed youngsters worked in the North and East in related activity developing initiatives and record achievements.

In addition to the Reconciliation website, http://www.peaceinsrilanka.org, we have started a blog – http://www.reconciliationyouthforum.org – and a You Tube channel – http://www.youtube.com/reconcilesri Lanka. You can also follow us on twitter @rcncilesrilanka and on Facebook on Sri Lankan Reconciliation Youth Forum.

Other initiatives include Civil Society Partners for Reconciliation which brings together relevant government organisations with civil society and ambassadors and non-governmental organisations (Rotary, Save the Children etc) to suggest initiatives. This has led to a project in sustainable agriculture to support ex-combatants. We hope that Japanwould support it through IOM. In addition, a proposal for vocational training in Mullaitivu with socialisation and soft skills on the lines of the programmes Aide et Action is now being materialised in Vavuniya.
We have also set up a body called Religion, Education and Pluralism to develop educational initiatives as suggested when the Adviser was appointed, and feel this is particularly important in view of the vision advanced by the President in his budget speech. Based on recommendations of some of these groups, we have set up District Reconciliation Committees in three Northern Districts and hope to do the same in the other two as well. We had productive input from the local officials who attended about problems and possible solutions with the police. Some committed social workers also actively contribute. Continue reading →

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December 19, 2011 · 8:02 pm

Deceiving Consumers: Impressions count when it comes to misleading consumers

Stephen King, courtesy of http://www.monash.edu.au/news/show/impressions-count-when-it-comes-to-misleading-consumers … with some extensions in the web-links from this Editor.

Christmas is coming, which means consumers are out looking for great deals to fill stockings and feed the family. And for retailers and manufacturers, the temptation to add “spin” to their marketing is high. However, these businesses must be careful not to step over the legal line when trying to boost their sales. Under Australia’s competition and consumer laws, a business must not engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive, or that is likely to mislead or deceive. Of course, the devil is in the detail. When does marketing hype turn into illegal behaviour?

A current matter before the courts provides a good example of the issues. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking legal action against a number of poultry companies. At the heart of this matter is the term “free to roam”. Specifically, have the poultry producers engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by claiming that their chickens have been raised in barns where they are “free to roam,” despite those chickens each having only about 500 square centimetres of space?

This case has brought a variety of responses from experts in animal welfare. Two examples are here and here. However, these experts miss the point. The law does not simply highlight claims that are incorrect from a scientific perspective. Rather, the law considers if the claims made by a producer are likely to mislead or deceive consumers. Continue reading →

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December 19, 2011 · 12:39 am

AI, HRW and Other Rights Watchdogs slam LLRC report

BBC Sinhala Service, http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/12/111217_hrw_amnesty_llrc.shtml

Slamming the government war panel report as a ‘whitewash,’ international human rights watchdogs have re-iterated their call for an international inquiry into the alleged war crimes inSri Lanka. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) in its report has concluded that the security forces did not deliberately target civilians in the last stages of the war against the Tamil Tigers. The report has, however, accused the LTTE of gross human rights violations.

Although the report acknowledges serious human rights problems in Sri Lanka, said Amnesty International (AI), it “falls short of fully addressing the war crimes and crimes against humanity.” Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director said the report has reaffirmed watchdogs’ long-held view that the war panel is “biased” and it’s report has failed to address violations of international law.

“Whitewash’: He has urged Sri Lanka to address issues raised in LLRC report and report to the UN Human Rights Council at its next session. “The LLRC has admitted its own inability to establish the facts about the conduct of the fighting, and points out legal complexities beyond its abilities. This is why the international community must now follow up with an investigation, bringing to bear the full resources and assistance of the UN and the international community,” Sam Zarifi said.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW), which refused to appear before the LLRC together with the AI and International Crisis Group (ICG), agrees.

The long awaited report has provided “little new information” on accountability, it said. “Governments and UN bodies have held back for the past 18 months to allow the Sri Lankan commission to make progress on accountability,” said Brad Adams,Asia director at Human Rights Watch. The HRW added that the “failure” of the LLRC to investigate and prosecute wartime perpetrators shows the “dire need” for an international investigation. However, Mr Adams said it is important that the LLRC has dismissed the government’s “bizarre claims” that no civilian casualties were caused by the security forces. “It is clear that justice for conflict-related abuses is not going to happen within Sri Lanka’s domestic institutions,” Adams said. Continue reading →

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December 18, 2011 · 2:01 pm

Indi’s Evaluation of the LLRC Report

Indi Samarajiva, in the Sunday Island, 18 December 2011, under a different title: “Highlights of the LLRC Report”

It was basically a strategic necessity, but near the end of the war the LTTE’s actions were to herd civilians around them and essentially play chicken with the Sri Lankan military, hoping that the international community would bail them out. This is the strategy their international wing(s) are continuing now, using the deaths they effectively caused to put pressure on the GoSL. It is extremely cynical and evil even. If anything was a war crime, this was it. A civilian who had been displaced with his family since August 2006 stated that the LTTE always mingled with the people even in the NFZs. Civilians therefore had tried to escape and move out of the NFZs into safe areas during the night. He further explained that when this happened, the LTTE fired and then the Army returned fire to the place where the LTTE firing came from.

While it is important to remember that the LTTE were the bad guys, it is also important to remember that ‘proportionality’ means nothing if you are the one being bombed. “We cannot digest and we cannot forget the untold sufferings that we have experienced during the last stages. The Government announced Continue reading →

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December 18, 2011 · 1:33 pm

Sinhala Citizen G affirms that Tamils are brethren

 Courtesy of Sunday Island, 18 December 2011, with title “Winning the hearts and minds of our Tamil brethren

Sinhalese ladies in the 19th century–from Skeen

As DEW Gunasekera once stated “They are also our people” we need to reach out to them. The ordinary Tamil citizen has gone through real hell since the LTTE and other militant groups started their campaign in the 70s. The Tamil people were not an aggressive people they were a God fearing passive people but Tamil youth who were deprived of opportunity by the Sinhala Only Act and later by Standardization which limited their opportunity to enter University which was a dream of every Tamil youth. We threw Dr. Naganathan and other Tamil leaders in to the Beira Lake when they protested against the Sinhala Only Bill, we attacked them in 1958, 1960, 1977 and then came the burning of the Jaffna Library in 1982 ( by persons who were expected, because of their religion, to place the highest value on learning and the development of the mind) that was followed by the horrific attack of 1983 July by UNP thugs led by Minister Matthew.**

Continue reading →

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December 14, 2011 · 4:03 pm

Rajapaksas inch towards a census of the war dead

Namini Wijedasa, courtesy of LakbimaNews,  27 November 2011

It has been a slow journey but the government is finally accepting that civilians might have died as a result of military action during the final stages of its war with the LTTE. This change in position is attributable in no small measure to the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, which is due to be released shortly. Although its contents are not officially known, it is reported that the LLRC has recommended further investigation of certain incidents that witnesses say happened. The LLRC process has shown that information about the battle–how it was conducted, who did what, when and where–is widely available among people in the North and East. Thirty months after the end of the war, it is no longer viable to maintain a tenuous position of ‘zero civilian casualty.’ Indeed, it  would be foolhardy and dishonest to do so. Speaking at the ‘Inaugural National Conference on Reconciliation’ at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies in Colombo, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa spoke in more detail about civilian casualties than he has possibly ever done in public.   It was not the first time the government took a tentative step towards admitting to civilian casualties. Earlier this year, its publication Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis (produced in response to the devastating report of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s panel of experts) admitted: “Despite the clear intent of the Government of Sri Lanka and the numerous precautions taken, it was impossible in a battle of this magnitude, against a ruthless opponent actively endangering civilians, for civilian casualties to be avoided.” But this was all it dared to say on that subject. Last week, the defence establishment edged a bit further. Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said the government has made a proper assessment of the number of civilians killed and missing during the last stages of the conflict. Arbitrary figures of between 10,000 and 40,000, he insisted, had “no basis in reality.” The assessment was done by the Department of Census and Statistics through Tamil public officials in the relevant districts of the North and East. The questionnaire specifically addressed the issue of people who died or went missing during the ‘humanitarian operation.’ The government has identified by name all such persons, Rajapaksa said. The results of the census will be released in the near future. Continue reading →

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December 1, 2011 · 5:23 am

Four Works on the Malaiyaha and Muslim Communities in Sri Lanka

* A. LAWRENCE, Malaiyaha Tamils. Power Sharing and Local Democracy in Sri Lanka, Colombo, Social Scientists’ Association, 2011, 90 pp ISBN 978=955=1772-96-3

* A. P.  KANAPATHYPILLAI, The Epic of Tea. Politics in the Plantations of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Social Scientists’ Association, 2011, 90 pp ISBN978=955=1772-97-0

* LATHEEF FAROOK, Nobody’s People. The forgotten plight of Sri Lanka’s Muslims, Colombo, South Asian News agency, 2009, 495 pp, ISBN 978=955-99502-1-9

* Citizens’ Commission, The Quest for Redemption. The Story of the Northern Muslims, Final report of the Citizens’ commission on the expulsion of the Muslims from the Northern Province by the LTTE in October 1990, Colombo, Law and Scoiety Trust, 2011 …. Email = info@citizens-commission.org

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December 1, 2011 · 5:15 am

Noel Nadesan confronts his people: “Tamil Media and the future of Tamils in Sri Lanka”

SEE http://noelnadesan.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/tamil-media-and-the-future-of-tamils-in-sri-lanka/

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December 1, 2011 · 4:56 am

Dayan Jayatilleka has dialogue with Sorbonne law students

Press Notice from the SL Embassy in Paris

On 29th November 2011, Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka met with Sorbonne University students to discuss post-war Sri Lanka. The conference was organized by the International Law Students Association (EDI, Etudiants de Droit International) of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, which comprises students from both the Master of International Law and the Master of International Economic Law.

 The EDI association was created in 2006 in order to enhance debates between international law students and to exchange solidarity between French and foreign students. After a short presentation about his career as an academic and a diplomat, Ambassador Jayatilleka spoke on the post-war situation in Sri Lanka. He answered many questions from the students on multilateral diplomacy, international relations, the movements for change in the Arab world, and on Sri Lanka, including the Darusman report, the resettlement of IDPs, the Diaspora and accountability issues pertaining to the last stages of the war. “Every society makes its own decision as to when and how it deals with trauma. And in many societies, the decision is that if you move too fast, you polarize the society further […] every society retains, as part of its sovereign rights, the decision as to what is the right time for these issues to be looked at” he said.

 Giving a distinctive Asian perspective embedded within an overall view from the Global south, he also addressed the students on several international issues such as the overlap and distinctions between international law and international politics, questions of universality, popular sovereignty, citizens rights, national sovereignty and Just War. In answer to a question on the Palestinian vote that took place recently at UNESCO, (Paris), he reminded the students of the quote from Jawaharlal Nehru displayed at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris which says “UNESCO is the conscience of the world community.”  Ambassador Jayatilleka said: “If UNESCO is to be the conscience of the world community, then it could not make decisions based on crude financial threats.[…] Now both sides of the deadlocked conflict see what international public opinion is”.

 

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December 1, 2011 · 4:21 am

IOM clarifies role in reintegrating Tigers into society

Shamindra Ferdinando, courtesy of the Island, 1 December 2011

 A former Tiger with an IOM official

A project, spearheaded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to rehabilitate those who had fought for the LTTE is nearing completion, with Japan, too, throwing its weight behind the programme. The IOM launched the project in the East in early 2009 and subsequently expanded it to the Northern Province, the home for the majority of ex-LTTE combatants and support personnel. IOM Chief of Mission Richard Danziger said that the Northern project got underway in 2010 following the conclusion of the conflict. [The LTTE was crushed on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon on May 19, 2009].

In a brief interview with The Island, Danziger said that Japan had recently provided 1.5 mn USD (more than Rs. 150 mn) for the ongoing project aimed at reintegrating former LTTE personnel to the civil society and reconciliation efforts.  Danziger said that there hadn’t been any previous contributions by Japan towards this particular project, which received initial backing from the Netherlands, US, UK and Norway. Continue reading →

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