News
‘War crimes’: Not only individuals but also entire fighting divisions ‘blacklisted’ – Foreign Minister
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, PC, yesterday (05) said entire fighting divisions which had been deployed on the Vanni front during Eelam War IV (2006-2009) had been ‘blacklisted’ on the basis of findings made by the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Minister Sabry called it a move to tarnish Sri Lanka’s image. He said so when The Island asked him how President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government intended to counter an attempt by a section of the international community to adopt punitive measures against senior military personnel such as Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, MP, Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva, and Maj. Gen. (retd.), Chagie Gallage, on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations.
The issue came up at a media briefing called by the Foreign Ministry to explain the current state of affairs with the focus on staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with regard to USD 2.9 bn loan facility and the forthcoming Geneva sessions.
Minister Sabry will lead the delegation for the 51 sessions next week. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC will be among the delegates.
Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane, a retired member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, too, responded to some of the issues raised by the media.
Minister Sabry said that in addition to the individuals mentioned, the entire Divisions had been targeted. The President’s Counsel also made reference to obstacles faced by the military in undertaking missions under UN command due to unsubstantiated allegations directed at them.
When The Island questioned the reluctance on the part of the Foreign Ministry to properly defend the war winning armed forces, particularly the inordinate delay in exploiting disclosures made by Lord Naseby in the UK House of Lords, Minister Sabry emphasized that the ministry hadn’t been hesitant. The Minister explained that they had addressed this issue at different levels.
An explanation was also sought as to why UN accusations pertaining to the massacre of as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians on the Vanni east front couldn’t be countered on the basis of exposed classified UK diplomatic dispatches.
Lord Naseby made the shocking disclosure in the House of Lords in Oct 2017.
Asked whether the US denied visa to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over his role as the wartime Defence Secretary, Minister Sabry said that he was not aware of such a situation.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to seek shelter in Male in mid-July before flying to Thailand after the US refused to issue him a visa. Responding to another query, Minister Sabry said that he didn’t inquire from the former President about the circumstances he was denied the visa.
Responding to other print and electronic media, the former Justice Minister stressed that Sri Lanka was ready to form a Truth Seeking Commission to address the grievances of those who suffered during the conflict. The President’s Counsel said there was a responsibility on the part of the government to ensure that the armed forces, too, get an opportunity to answer accusations directed at them.
Minister Sabry reiterated the stand taken by his predecessor Prof. G. L. Peiris that whatever the solution that couldn’t be outside the Constitution under any circumstances. The minister stressed that President Wickremesinghe’s government was prepared to set up a domestic mechanism (Truth Seeking Commission) in line with the Constitution.
Minister Sabry said that an external mechanism established to gather evidence pertaining to alleged war crimes was not acceptable to Sri Lanka.
At the onset of the briefing, Minister Sabry explained that the staff level agreement with the IMF entirely depended on the success in working out debt restructuring plan with Sri Lanka’s creditors. Referring to President Wickremesinghe policy statement and the interim budget, Minister Sabry explained measures taken by the government to improve the ground situation.
The Foreign Minister strongly defended measures taken by President Wickremesinghe to restore law and order. Acknowledging that those who had been struggling to make ends meet launched street protests, Minister Sabry alleged that certain elements exploited the situation. The failure to take countermeasures would have plunged the country into a vicious circle of violence, Minister Sabry said, alleging a section of the foreign media of giving only one sided story.
Minister Sabry said that if the anarchic situation was allowed to continue we would have ended up like Libya, Iraq or Venezuela. In spite of them having quite extensive natural resources, they still couldn’t recover as their institutions had been destroyed, the minister said.
The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday demanded an immediate termination of what it called a “secretive and dangerous” defence agreement signed between Sri Lanka and India, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 05 April visit.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Nugegoda, FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda described the agreement as a “betrayal of the nation” and a “crime against the people,” urging the government to invoke Article 12 of the deal and exit it with the required three months’ notice.
Jagoda said the document, which surfaced on social media after being published by a news portal, appears to be the actual agreement signed between the two countries. “The government has not denied its authenticity. That silence is telling,” he said.
Jagoda added that the agreement bears the signatures of Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry Secretary Sampath Thuiyakontha and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha.
“What’s most troubling,” Jagoda warned, “is that both governments attempted to keep the agreement under wraps. Unlike the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, which was made public with all annexures, this agreement was hidden from the people, and even now, we don’t know how many other agreements exist between India and Sri Lanka.”
Jagoda said that a Right to Information request made on 04 April was met with a reply from the President’s Office stating that it had no copies of the agreement—raising serious concerns about transparency, even at the highest level. “One could question whether the President has seen it because his office does not have it,” Jagoda said.
The 12-clause of agreement reportedly covers areas such as exchange and training of military personnel, defence industry collaboration, classified information protection, and military medical services, including battlefield healthcare and telemedicine.
Jagoda said the definition of “classified information” in Clause 7 was alarmingly broad. “It allows India to label virtually anything as secret. Even weapons or military assets transferred under this agreement cannot be revealed—not even after the agreement ends,” he said, citing Clause 7.3.
Clause 10 prohibits either country from taking disputes to international courts or involving third-party mediators. “It’s like asking a rabbit to negotiate with a tiger,” Jagoda quipped, drawing parallels to the complications of the 1987 accord, which eventually saw Indian peacekeeping troops refusing to leave until a change in the Indian government.
Jagoda accused the NPP-led government of hypocrisy, pointing out that the JVP, the main component of the current regime, had vehemently opposed Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987. “Now they’ve gone and signed an even more dangerous deal,” he said.
Citing Clause 12, which allows either party to withdraw with three months’ notice, the FSP called on the government to act immediately to exit the pact. “We urge the people to unite and defeat these underhanded, sovereignty-eroding deals. The FSP stands ready to lead that fight,” Jagoda said.
The police yesterday arrested a group of students, including the Convener of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF), Madushan Chandradith, during a protest held by the Allied Health Science Graduates’ Union in front of the Health Ministry yesterday.
The police obtained an order from Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court, earlier in the day, to prevent protesters from invading the Colombo Hospital Square and the Health Ministry.
Inspector General of Police T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon is set to face formal questioning on Monday (19 May) over serious allegations of misconduct and abuse of power, parliamentary sources said yesterday.
A special Committee appointed to investigate the claims will commence formal proceedings next week, following several rounds of preliminary discussions held within the parliamentary complex in recent weeks.
The IGP has been officially notified to appear before the Committee and is expected to face the inquiry for the first time at 2:00 PM in Committee Room No. 8.
The Committee, which met again on Thursday (15) to finalise arrangements, is investigating allegations that Tennakoon misused his official powers in a manner deemed severe and improper.
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