Mushrooming Mass Graves And Mahindas Future

another nail in the coffin at UNHRC | by Pearl Thevanayagam ( March 02, 201 , !ra"for", U#, $ri %an&a '(ar"ian) !eneath the fa*a"e of a re+,len"ent an" +eren"ib i+le re-(venate" follo.ing the victory over %TT/ terrori+m there ari+e+ the m(r&y .orl" of ma++ grave+ +,ringing from it+ fo(r corner+ li&e m(+hroom+0 The van1(i+hing of the Tiger+ almo+t five year+ ago .a+ a boon an" a bane0 The ,olitical ,(n"it+ are im,arting their o,inion+ in a mighty h(rry on ho. the 2"e+ of March .o(l" bo"e for the government0

The nay+ayer+ .ho li&e $0%0 '(na+e&era, '0%0Peiri+, U"aya 'amman,ila not to mention 3ayan 4ayatille&a an" Ravinath 5rya+inghe are +en"ing o(t feeler+ an" +i"ing .ith the government that UNHRC ha+ a ho,e in hell in"icting it for .ar crime+0 Then there are tho+e .ho .ant $ri %an&a6+ .ar crime+ +.e,t (n"er the car,et an" move on .ith reconciliation, re7 "evelo,ment an" economic recovery0 5lmo+t five year+ have ela,+e" +ince the government +tam,e" o(t Tiger terrori+m0 !(t it al+o +tan"+ acc(+e" of .ar crime+ mo+tly again+t Tamil+ .ho ,laye" no ,art in terrori+m a+ i+ evi"ence" by emerging .ar7time acco(nt+ from victim+, +(rviving %TT/ ca"re+, government +ol"ier+ an" h(manitarian agencie+0

M+ Navi Pillay, the UNHRC high commi++ioner i+ revile" by the government for her +t(bborn +tance on bringing the government to acco(ntability for .ar crime+0 4(+t "ay+ to go an" $ri %an&a .ill +tan" in the UNHRC "oc&+ to face .ar crime+ trib(nal0 !y no. M+ Pillay .o(l" have tome+ of evi"ence not -(+t from $ri %an&a b(t from Tamil ref(gee+ abroa", immigration +olicitor+, h(man right+ agencie+ +(ch a+ 52 (5mne+ty 2nternational), C5T (cam,aign again+t tort(re), ,+ychologi+t+ engage" by foreign government+ to a++e++ a+yl(m +ee&er+ both male an" female of ra,e an" tort(re0 The li+t of tangible evi"ence o(t there i+ en"le++0 The bleating from former 8C of the Univer+ity of Colombo an" be"7ho,,ing foreign mini+ter '0%0Peiri+ that UNHRC i+ ho(n"ing $ri %an&an government reflect+ hi+ "evio(+ne++ an" ma+&+ hi+ o.n con+cience to the e9tent he +incerely an" tr(ly believe+ .ar crime+ .ere never committe" by the government0 He i+ +(ffering from +elective amne+ia not (nli&e 3ayan 4ayatille&a an" Ravinath 5riya+inghe0 '%P .o(l" tell that UNHRC ha+ no clo(t ,er +e an" the government .o(l" con"(ct it+ o.n inve+tigation an" if there i+ evi"ence of .ar time atrocitie+ it .ill "eal .ith them in it+ o.n .ay0 More than :; me"ia ,er+onnel &ille" an" not a +ingle +(+,ect a,,rehen"e" the government i+ a bit of a -o&e an" com,lacent to the ,oint of l(nacy0 The +o7calle" terrori+m e9,ert Rohan '(naratne +tan"+ acc(+e" of giving fal+e te+timony in Cana"ian co(rt+ regar"ing Tamil ref(gee+ they .ere %TT/ terrori+t+ an" ,enali+e"0 Thi+ come+ a+ no +(r,ri+e +ince from 3ay <ne .hen he +tarte" .riting boo&+ on %TT/ at the behe+t of Pre+i"ent Prema"a+a .ho ,ai" him han"+omely, he ha+ become a la(ghing +toc& for hi+ blatant lie+0 The above7mentione" are fine ma+ter+ of +,inning yarn+0 Their ta,e+trie+ con+i+t of a ti++(e of lie+ an" imagination an" they enhance them .ith fe. ob+c(re thir"7han" evi"ence0 None ha" been any.here in the .ar =one b(t they .o(l" ,ontificate an" +.ear by all "eitie+ .ar crime+ .ere only committe" by the %TT/ an" the government carrie" o(t h(manitarian re+c(e>>0 !(t to their cre"it they are goo" ,(blic orator+ not (nli&e ?3r@ Mervyn $ilva, the Pre+i"ent6+ gen(flector an" Aimal Aeera.an+a0 2f $ri %an&a .a+ $yria or !o+nia the government .o(l" have been to,,le" .ithin month+ b(t ala+, $ri %an&a ha+ no +trategic intere+t to the Ae+t in that it ha+ no oil or mineral+ an" it+ ,o,(lace are not fair7+&inne", bl(e eye" an" blon"0 The government tell+ (+ to move on an" forget the ,a+t0 Political ,(n"it+ .ho have never +ighte" the .ar =one are offering +agely a"vice on reconciliation an" re"evelo,ment0 There i+ nothing more Tamil victim+ of .ar .ant than a life of normalcy0 They have +(ffere" eno(gh in the han"+ of +(cce++ive government+ .hich (+e" +ome o,,ort(ni+tic Tamil+ to +erve their ,(r,o+e+ +(ch a+ %a&+hman #a"irgamar .ho even +ome blin" -o(rnali+t+ in the "ia+,ora hail a+ a +tate+man0

%# .a+ a ,a.n in the government of C!# a+ m(ch a+ 5,,eal Co(rt 4("ge Pala&i"nar in +i"ing .ith C!# in the overt(rning of vote+ in her favo(r in the APC election+ in 1BB 0 Pala&i"nar .a+ richly re.ar"e" .ith a ,l(m ,ro,erty in 3ehi.ela .orth million+0 !(t UNHRC i+ a +erio(+ international organi+ation an" it +ho.+ no &nee7-er& re+,on+e0 2t+ man"ate +tretche+ far beyon" government ,ro,agan"a an" it+ e9,ert+ gather evi"ence, con"(ct their o.n re+earch an" inve+tigation "evoi" of r(mo(r+ an" hear+ay0 Ahether .ar victim+ .ill get -(+tice an" reach clo+(re or remain+ .ith the Ae+t an" $o(th 5+ian neighbo(r+ .ho +(,,orte" the .ar again+t minority Tamil+ "irectly by +(,,lying arm+ an" amm(nition an" intelligence to the $ri %an&an government0 Ahite7.a+hing .ar crime+ .ith economic recovery or re"evelo,ing the nation .ill not c(t m(ch ice if Tamil+ are not com,en+ate" in f(ll0 That i+, re"eeming their lan"+ an" ,ro,erty, "emilitari+ing their =one+, +to,,ing $inhala coloni+ation an" allocating ai" given by international "onor+ to the North an" /a+t ethnic minoritie+ in+tea" of +hifting $inhala b(+ine++e+ there to ,rofit an" com,en+ating their lo++e+0 Thi+ i+ the lea+t the government can "o if it .ant+ to +ave it+ face0 (The .riter ha+ been a -o(rnali+t for 2C year+ an" .or&e" in national ne.+,a,er+ a+ +(b7e"itor, ne.+ re,orter an" ne.+ e"itor0 $he .a+ Colombo Corre+,on"ent for Time+ of 2n"ia an" ha+ contrib(te" to Aall $treet 4o(rnal .here +he .a+ on .or& e9,erience from The 'ra"(ate $chool of 4o(rnali+m, UC !er&eley, California0 C(rrently re+i"ing in U# +he i+ al+o co7fo(n"er of /4N (/9ile" 4o(rnali+t+ Net.or&) U# in 200C the member+hi, of .hich i+ 200 from 0 co(ntrie+0 $he can be reache" at ,earlthevaDhotmail0com)