The following article appeared in a Human Rights journal in Geneva. It is reproduced here with the following clarifications by SCOPP Secretary General, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha.
a) As noted later in the article, the manner in which the TNA got so many seats in the North and East was explained to Isolda Agazzi during the telephone interview, and that monitors, including the European Union ones, had pointed out how flawed the election in those areas was. The manner in which Eastern representation was particularly flawed was also pointed out, and how the citizens of the East had, to some extent, compensated for that in electing as Mayoress of Batticaloa, the daughter of an Eastern Province politician killed by the LTTE, though he had been on the TNA slate, to be replaced by someone they could control.
b) I did not say Mr. Senathirajah was capable, though he doubtless is. The 'but' was because I said he was decent, but had to perform in certain ways under pressure.
c) The point about the ICRC staying on may not be clear. It was that obviously, in asking that agency to stay on, the government made it clear that secrecy or clandestine activity was not its aim.
d) Louise Arbour met plenty of people in Sri Lanka, ordinary people as well as the TNA and other opposition parliamentarians. The government had no problem about the Bishop of Jaffna arranging a meeting for her to meet ordinary people without government presence, and any restrictions were those decided on by the Bishop and his advisers on that occasion.
e) Eric Solheim has never been denigrated by the government, and continues to be involved in the Peace Process in which the government continues to use Norway as a facilitator, though the Norwegian government decided to replace him with Mr. Jon Hanssen Bauer as the lead figure in the process. The Norwegian Embassy, with more sensitivity to political developments than most, has now established contact also with Tamil democratic pluralist forces, whilst continuing with government approval to maintain its contacts with the LTTE.
f) The sub-heading 'Political Solutions blocked' is absurd, since it was explained to Ms. Agazzi that political discussions continued with democratic forces, and indeed it was hoped that the TNA too would soon be free of LTTE controls and be able to join in this process. Hence, satisfaction at the positive responses of the TNA with regard to informal discussions, though its inclusion in formal discussions might take time. The use of such headlines by journalists such as Ms. Agazzi on the basis of the UN Secretary General's statement is precisely why the Peace Secretariat thought it essential that he be briefed so as to be well aware that the Sri Lankan government was absolutely committed to a political solution. It was important however to register that negotiations with terrorists was not the only way to achieve a political solution, and that democratic pluralistic forces amongst Tamils had to be encouraged and given due recognition, instead of being subordinated to terrorists as in the past.
g) Mr. Senathirajah, whose democratic credentials go back a long way despite what seem current restrictions on his activities, would be an admirable element in a post-conflict democratic dispensation.
Displaced persons camp in Sri Lanka. 18 September 08
The government of Sri Lanka has told the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to leave the region of Vanni in the northeast part of the country. There may be concerns about guaranteeing safety but others see a push to uproot the Tamil Tigers once and for all.
Isolda Agazzi/InfoSud - In a letter dated September 5, the Sri Lankan government ordered NGOs to leave the region of Vanni, currently in the hands of the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) because it can no longer assure their safety. For its part, in a communiqué published on September 9, the office of the UN High Representative in Colombo announced he would be redeploying his activities in regions under governmental control.
Professor Rajiva Wijesinha, the representative from Colombo at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, explained the government's order in these terms: 'the Tamil Tigers have confiscated equipment from humanitarian agencies and on August 31, set off a bomb near one of their vehicles. They have moved some of their installations closer to these agencies and have tried to use civilians as human shields.'
But for Mavai Senathirajah, a deputy in the National Tamil Alliance (TNA), a coalition of five parties in the northeast that counts 22 representatives in the national parliament out of a total of 225. The reason is 'the government has ordered humanitarian workers to leave the northeast between now and September 19 because they don't want any witnesses to a genocidal attack against the 400,000 inhabitants of Vanni,' says Senathirajah. 'The conflict has redoubled in intensity over the course of the last four months and the UN is talking about 200,000 displaced persons.'
'Mavai Senathirajah may be a very capable person but he is subject to enormous pressure by the LTTE,' says Professor Wijesinha. He retorted “The proof is that the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) was allowed to stay. Also, we know that the departure of humanitarian workers will increase LTTE propaganda because UN agencies recognize that the army is very careful and rarely harms civilians.”
According to the French press agency AFP, the Sri Lankan head of state, Mahinda Rajapakse, has given assurances during recent weeks that his troops are on the point of crushing the Tamil Tigers and of dismantling the mini state under their de facto control in the north.
A humanitarian catastrophe
'The departure of humanitarian agencies will accentuate the catastrophe', says Senathirajah, the Tamil parliamentarian. 'The monsoon has begun and there is neither shelter for the displaced persons nor food, nor medicine.' According to him, ever since the beginning of the conflict at the end of the 1970s, the government used refugees, displaced persons and the economic embargo as a weapon of war. 'When Louise Arbour (former High Commissioner for Human Rights) visited Sri Lanka, she was prevented from meeting with ordinary people. When Erik Solheim, the Norwegian mediator, spoke in the name of the Tamils, he was treated like a terrorist. When Kofi Annan wanted to visit the Northeast after the tsunami, he did not get authorization.'
But a humanitarian catastrophe is not the only imminent threat. Amnesty International fears that the local personnel of humanitarian organizations who remain in place will be more vulnerable to attacks on human rights that might be committed by the Tamil Tigers. 'We have received credible information according to which the Tigers have prevented civilians from leaving the more secure places within the zones controlled by the government. According to a press release from Amnesty International, minors are actively recruited in camps for newly displaced persons.'
Political solutions blocked
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his 'profound concern over the intensification of hostilities in the north of Sri Lanka and the serious consequences for civilians.' He asked the two parties to allow the humanitarian agencies to do their work, while reaffirming the importance of finding a political solution to the crisis.
advocating full independence for Tamil Eelam, the Tamil state created in the northeast.
The TNA is seen as an 'ersatz' LTTE, according to Professor Wijesinha. They carried nearly all of the seats during the 2004 parliamentary elections but the European Commission found serious fault with the process. The TNA is perhaps beginning to modify its positions. Last week, Mavai Senathirajah agreed to an informal discussion of electoral reform. Senathirajah is a true democrat. If we manage to achieve an electoral system that is truly democratic, that will be one of the leaders of tomorrow.'
Translated from French by Pamela Taylor