Sandun A. Jayasekera
The initiative of a public litigation on alleged war crimes against Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent envoy to the UN, Major General Shavendra Silva can be turned into an opportunity to expose the extended misinformation campaign of the Tamil Diaspora, certain western countries and organizations, the government said yesterday.
Maj. Gen.l Silva has been served Subpoena on Friday to appear before a New York District Court to answer alleged war crime charges on the behest of American University Washington College of Law.
Ironically the plaintiffs are Wathsala Devi, widow of Thurairajasingham alias colonel Ramesh who was an LTTE frontliner responsible for many atrocities and human rights violations not only on other communities but on Tamils as well and one Seetharam Sivam.
“We have no doubt that considering Major General Silva’s capabilities he can handle this personally. But the government would give him any assistance possible including legal assistance if he requests,” SLFP General Secretary and Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.
Minister Sirisena said the government considered the law-suit an opportunity given to put Sri Lanka’s side of the story and exploit it to the best of its advantage.
The global community does not know what actually happened during and after the humanitarian operation but only the third party, half-baked or completely fabricated stories spread by the British Channel 4, Darusman Report and other interested parties and certain NGOs, he said.
The Tamil Diaspora is to set up a transnational Tamil Eelam and is hell-bent on doing as much damage as possible to Sri Lanka as they have an axe to grind after the eradication of terrorism from the soil of this country, he said.
The Darusman Report, Channel 4 picture and protests against Sri Lanka at international and UN forums are a part of this campaign. Therefore, the Sri Lanka government will make this an opportunity to counter all these allegations, Minister Sirisena stressed.
“The New York District Court will provide a good forum for this”.
The international community and detractors of Sri Lanka will have to accept Sri Lanka’s presentation at the New York High Court as it will be given under oath and no one can question the authenticity of the facts. Besides, the complainant is free to interrogate the plaintiff and clear any doubts,” Minister Sirisena stressed.
He added that Sri Lanka expected to provide a full report with facts and figures on how the LTTE started as a group of minor offenders fattened into the most ruthless and powerful terrorist outfit in the world by systematically killing anyone and everyone who crossed its line in a campaign of terror for nearly 30 years.
Sri Lanka will also submit to the court how the LTTE assassinated almost the entire Tamil democratic political leadership and other politicians in the south including more than a dozen of ministers, political leaders and a sitting President.
The New York High Court will also hear how the LTTE assassinated an Indian Prime Minister. It will also here how the LTTE killed in cold blood thousands of unarmed civilians in all parts of the country when they attended to their day to day work.
The global community and the New York High Court will also get a chance to learn from firsthand information from Major General Silva on how the LTTE crept into remote villages armed with knives and machetes in the dead of night and cut throats of sleeping women, expecting mothers, toddlers and old.
They will have to listen to the plaintiff and learn how the LTTE introduced human bombs to the world and killed thousands of innocent people, religious leaders and professional by placing bombs in public transport vehicles and how they killed Buddhist monks when they went on Pindapatha or begging food and the killings of devotees at places of religious observances such as Sri Maha Bodhi and the destruction of the most sacred place of worship of the Buddhist world, ‘the Temple of Tusker – Dalada Maligwa.
“The world is not aware of the inhuman atrocities of the LTTE violating human rights, fundamental rights and all human values and ethics that can be thought of. The world does not know how the LTTE collected funds in their countries for terror campaigns in Sri Lanka and built a fearsome naval arm and air wing.
But now with this litigation they will know the sacred truth they were denied for long,” Minister Sirisena stressed.
He added that the stage for such a campaign was set by President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he addressed the UN General Assembly on Friday. His speech was commended by many world leaders.
President Rajapaksa was also able to convince Sri Lanka’s case to many world leaders who met him in New York and they responded positively.