‘LLRC’ Palihakkara promotes pompous ceremony for genocidal ‘War Heroes’
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 June 2015, 23:20 GMT]
The office of the SL Governor to North, HMGS Palihakkara, who was one of the eight panellists earlier appointed by former SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the so-called Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), was an an official co-organiser to the pompous ceremony organised together with Ranaviru Seva Authority (RSA) of the occupying Sinhala military in Jaffna on Wednesday. ‘LLRC’ Palihakkara himself was the chief guest of the ceremony organised in remembrance of the ‘fallen war heroes of three forces and the Police’. Mr Palihakkara has forced a section of Tamil public servants in the North to accompany him to the military ceremony. Tamil journalists in Jaffna have boycotted the event. The NPC councillors said they were not informed of public servants associated with the NPC being taken to the event.
Commenting on the military ceremony, Kumaravadivel Guruparan of the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF), wondered how the practice of Palihakkara reconciled with what he had suggested in the LLRC report.
“One of the most important changes post-January 8, it is claimed, is the appointment of a civilian as the Governor of the Northern Province. It will be remembered that this civilian Governor was earlier Chairman of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission,” Mr Guruparan said adding: “In that report the commission recommended that a day be set aside to remember all war victims (Recommendation 9.285) - a recommendation that was used to help bolster the respectability of the report. Today his office along with the Ranaviru Authority and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces organized a 'pompous ceremony in remembrance of the fallen war heroes of three forces and the Police'. I wonder how this reconciles with what he suggested in the LLRC report. I also wonder whether the Tamil public servants who attended the event did so of their free will.”
* * *
The LLRC document was justifying the need for an independent domestic investigation with the argument that it was the obligation of the SL Government to “clear the good name and protect the honour and professional reputation of soldiers who defended the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and particularly the many thousands of soldiers who perished carrying out their combat duties cleanly and professionally against a widely condemned terrorist group who used most inhumane tactics in combat.” (LLRC 4.376)
The LLRC was seen as a blueprint for the structural genocide envisaged by Colombo for completion at 2020.
It was stating that “[n]o district or province should be categorized in terms of language” (LLRC 8.240)
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) categorically rejected the LLRC with a detailed report. However, the TNA later toned down its objection. The route taken by R. Sampanthan and M.A. Sumanthiran has ended up in taking part in the so-called ‘Independence Day’ celebrations, which have been boycotted by the Tamil leadership for decades. Mr Sampanthan also came under severe criticism for holding the Lion flag presented by Ranil Wickramasinghe.
Although the LLRC was widely criticised by the rights groups, it was adopted as the reference framework by the US-drafters of the resolutions presented in the Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva.
The LLRC was defending the SL ‘military strategy’ that was adopted to ‘secure the LTTE held areas’ as one that was ‘carefully conceived, in which the protection of the civilian population was given the highest priority’ (LLRC 4.262).
“For all of my country’s disagreements with the previous government in Sri Lanka over how it fought the LTTE, we clearly understood the necessity of ridding this country of a murderous terrorist group and the fear that it sowed,” claimed US Secretary of State John Kerry, in his address at Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo on 02 May 2015.
In his address Mr Kerry was also talking of ‘the best way to mount a credible domestic investigation into allegations of human rights abuses – an investigation that meets international standards,’ hinting a ‘domestic’ recipe.
The USA has been steering the course of the Geneva narrative by systematically shielding the crime of genocide from becoming the main subject of an international investigation. The form of investigation was also contained within the spheres of the OHCHR in order to influence the outcome without allowing it to materialise into an independent Commission of Inquiry (CoI). There was a ‘one time only’ postponement, but there was no independent mechanism to assure that there was a conclusion of the report and that it remained unchanged or got strengthened during the period subjected to postponement.
* * *
Excerpts of what the LLRC recommendations actually aim on the annihilation of the identity of Eezham Tamils as a nation of its territory in the island:
On language identity of the nation of Eezham Tamils:
No district or province should be categorized in terms of language (LLRC 8.240)
The Commission also recommends that the government should have a pro-active of policy to encourage mixed schools serving children from different ethnic and religious background. In this regard the Government should develop a carefully conceived policy facilitating the admission of children from different ethnic and religious groups to these schools (LLRC: 8.250)
The Commission therefore welcomes the Government initiative for a trilingual nation by the year 2020 (LLRC: 8.239)
On power-sharing:
While the distribution of meaningful powers to the periphery is essential, there are powers which form the core responsibilities of the State and which cannot be so devolved, and need to be retained and exercised by the Government at the centre. It is also important to ensure that any power sharing arrangement has inbuilt mechanisms that would effectively address and discourage secessionist tendencies and safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the State. (LLRC: 8.224)
On land and homeland of Eezham Tamils:
The view was also expressed that no part of Sri Lanka belonged to any ethnic group. It was stated that due to terrorist activities, Sinhalese people from the North and East had been chased away, and that these people should be taken and resettled in the North (LLRC: 8.107)
The Commission is of view that the Government should expedite action on the establishment of a National Land Commission (NLC) in order to propose appropriate future national land policy guidelines (LLRC 6.104.12)
On the war and reputation of Sinhala Army:
In evaluating the Sri Lanka experience in the context of allegations of violations of IHL, the Commission is satisfied that the military strategy that was adopted to secure the LTTE held areas was one that was carefully conceived, in which the protection of the civilian population was given the highest priority (LLRC 4.262)
The Commission finds that there are troubling technical and forensic questions of a serious nature that cast significant doubts about the authenticity of this video and the credibility and reliability of its content. It is also observed that trauma evident on the bodies of victims does not appear to be consistent with the type of weapon used and the close range at which the firing is seen to have taken place (LLRC 4.374 e)
It is also the obligation of the Government to clear the good name and protect the honour and professional reputation of soldiers who defended the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and particularly the many thousands of soldiers who perished carrying out their combat duties cleanly and professionally against a widely condemned terrorist group who used most inhumane tactics in combat (LLRC 4.376)
The office of the SL Governor to North, HMGS Palihakkara, who was one of the eight panellists earlier appointed by former SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the so-called Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), was an an official co-organiser to the pompous ceremony organised together with Ranaviru Seva Authority (RSA) of the occupying Sinhala military in Jaffna on Wednesday. ‘LLRC’ Palihakkara himself was the chief guest of the ceremony organised in remembrance of the ‘fallen war heroes of three forces and the Police’. Mr Palihakkara has forced a section of Tamil public servants in the North to accompany him to the military ceremony. Tamil journalists in Jaffna have boycotted the event. The NPC councillors said they were not informed of public servants associated with the NPC being taken to the event.
Commenting on the military ceremony, Kumaravadivel Guruparan of the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF), wondered how the practice of Palihakkara reconciled with what he had suggested in the LLRC report.
“One of the most important changes post-January 8, it is claimed, is the appointment of a civilian as the Governor of the Northern Province. It will be remembered that this civilian Governor was earlier Chairman of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission,” Mr Guruparan said adding: “In that report the commission recommended that a day be set aside to remember all war victims (Recommendation 9.285) - a recommendation that was used to help bolster the respectability of the report. Today his office along with the Ranaviru Authority and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces organized a 'pompous ceremony in remembrance of the fallen war heroes of three forces and the Police'. I wonder how this reconciles with what he suggested in the LLRC report. I also wonder whether the Tamil public servants who attended the event did so of their free will.”
* * *
The LLRC document was justifying the need for an independent domestic investigation with the argument that it was the obligation of the SL Government to “clear the good name and protect the honour and professional reputation of soldiers who defended the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and particularly the many thousands of soldiers who perished carrying out their combat duties cleanly and professionally against a widely condemned terrorist group who used most inhumane tactics in combat.” (LLRC 4.376)
The LLRC was seen as a blueprint for the structural genocide envisaged by Colombo for completion at 2020.
It was stating that “[n]o district or province should be categorized in terms of language” (LLRC 8.240)
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) categorically rejected the LLRC with a detailed report. However, the TNA later toned down its objection. The route taken by R. Sampanthan and M.A. Sumanthiran has ended up in taking part in the so-called ‘Independence Day’ celebrations, which have been boycotted by the Tamil leadership for decades. Mr Sampanthan also came under severe criticism for holding the Lion flag presented by Ranil Wickramasinghe.
Although the LLRC was widely criticised by the rights groups, it was adopted as the reference framework by the US-drafters of the resolutions presented in the Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva.
The LLRC was defending the SL ‘military strategy’ that was adopted to ‘secure the LTTE held areas’ as one that was ‘carefully conceived, in which the protection of the civilian population was given the highest priority’ (LLRC 4.262).
“For all of my country’s disagreements with the previous government in Sri Lanka over how it fought the LTTE, we clearly understood the necessity of ridding this country of a murderous terrorist group and the fear that it sowed,” claimed US Secretary of State John Kerry, in his address at Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo on 02 May 2015.
In his address Mr Kerry was also talking of ‘the best way to mount a credible domestic investigation into allegations of human rights abuses – an investigation that meets international standards,’ hinting a ‘domestic’ recipe.
The USA has been steering the course of the Geneva narrative by systematically shielding the crime of genocide from becoming the main subject of an international investigation. The form of investigation was also contained within the spheres of the OHCHR in order to influence the outcome without allowing it to materialise into an independent Commission of Inquiry (CoI). There was a ‘one time only’ postponement, but there was no independent mechanism to assure that there was a conclusion of the report and that it remained unchanged or got strengthened during the period subjected to postponement.
* * *
Excerpts of what the LLRC recommendations actually aim on the annihilation of the identity of Eezham Tamils as a nation of its territory in the island:
On language identity of the nation of Eezham Tamils:
No district or province should be categorized in terms of language (LLRC 8.240)
The Commission also recommends that the government should have a pro-active of policy to encourage mixed schools serving children from different ethnic and religious background. In this regard the Government should develop a carefully conceived policy facilitating the admission of children from different ethnic and religious groups to these schools (LLRC: 8.250)
The Commission therefore welcomes the Government initiative for a trilingual nation by the year 2020 (LLRC: 8.239)
On power-sharing:
While the distribution of meaningful powers to the periphery is essential, there are powers which form the core responsibilities of the State and which cannot be so devolved, and need to be retained and exercised by the Government at the centre. It is also important to ensure that any power sharing arrangement has inbuilt mechanisms that would effectively address and discourage secessionist tendencies and safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the State. (LLRC: 8.224)
On land and homeland of Eezham Tamils:
The view was also expressed that no part of Sri Lanka belonged to any ethnic group. It was stated that due to terrorist activities, Sinhalese people from the North and East had been chased away, and that these people should be taken and resettled in the North (LLRC: 8.107)
The Commission is of view that the Government should expedite action on the establishment of a National Land Commission (NLC) in order to propose appropriate future national land policy guidelines (LLRC 6.104.12)
On the war and reputation of Sinhala Army:
In evaluating the Sri Lanka experience in the context of allegations of violations of IHL, the Commission is satisfied that the military strategy that was adopted to secure the LTTE held areas was one that was carefully conceived, in which the protection of the civilian population was given the highest priority (LLRC 4.262)
The Commission finds that there are troubling technical and forensic questions of a serious nature that cast significant doubts about the authenticity of this video and the credibility and reliability of its content. It is also observed that trauma evident on the bodies of victims does not appear to be consistent with the type of weapon used and the close range at which the firing is seen to have taken place (LLRC 4.374 e)
It is also the obligation of the Government to clear the good name and protect the honour and professional reputation of soldiers who defended the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and particularly the many thousands of soldiers who perished carrying out their combat duties cleanly and professionally against a widely condemned terrorist group who used most inhumane tactics in combat (LLRC 4.376)
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