Sri Lanka

“ After all, if the international community criticized the government, several Sri Lankans would be delighted, and probably a majority of those in Colombo who were the people who interacted most with internationals. ”

“ The Sri Lankan government recently invited the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Sri Lanka. The poor lady is now here, and has found herself the focus of a series of articles in which she is presented as the potential saviour of the Sri Lankan people. ”

“ Attaching utmost importance to nurturing, intensifying and strengthening the traditional friendship of Sri Lanka and India, and acknowledging the imperative need of resolving the ethnic problem of Sri Lanka, and the consequent violence, and for the safety, wellbeing and prosperity of people belonging to all communities of Sri Lanka. ”

“ Sri Lanka is an ethnically, linguistically and religiously diverse country of 21 million people, of which 74 per cent are Sinhalese, speak Sinhala and are overwhelmingly Buddhist; 18 per cent are Tamil, speak Tamil and are mostly Hindu (comprised of Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils, 13 per cent and 5 per cent respectively) ; 7 per cent are Muslim, comprised of Moors and Malays who practice Islam and are largely Tamil-speaking; and 1 per cent belong to small ethnic communities including the Burghers and Veddahs, among others. [1] Christians account for a small percentage of some communities. ”

“ In addition, my country has been influenced by the core Buddhist values of non-violence, loving kindness, compassion, equanimity and mindfulness. With this sense of direction, our Government has committed itself “Towards a new Sri Lanka”, guided by a vision of peace, where every Sri Lankan citizen may live with dignity and self-respect, in freedom and without fear, free of want, and where every child may enjoy childhood and grow up with hope and expectation. ”

“ Sri Lanka has been governed, since independence, by an elite group comprised of members of different ethnic communities, within a majoritarian Sinhala State, in which Sinhalese dominate. Strong indicators of democracy, including universal franchise, a multi-party system and a vibrant electoral process, combined with important human development achievements, such as high literacy rates both for men and women and low infant mortality, contrast sharply with Sri Lanka’s long history of war. ”

“ Certainly no government facing such power has as good a record as the Sri Lankan government and its armed forces, and the failure to appreciate the great regard shown for civilians, as compared with what occurs in conflicts elsewhere, it most regrettable. ”

“ Sri Lanka is a nation that respects the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international conventions and treaties. A main objective of the UN is to recognize, safeguard and promote human rights. Sri Lanka remains committed to fulfil this responsibility. In this respect, we intend implementing a new programme and plan of action in Sri Lanka to advance human rights. ”

“ Sri Lanka is currently identified as an economy with relatively high growth among emerging market economies. The country’s substantial growth in per capita terms in recent years is comparable to middle income economy levels. ”

“ As inheritors of this traditional knowledge and influenced by their ancient wisdom which will be adapted to meet the requirements of the modern era, Sri Lanka stands prepared to meet challenges successfully and march forward gloriously in the 21st century. ”

“ For India, despite its size and capacity to dominate, has on the whole behaved with admirable restraint as far as Sri Lanka is concerned. Her position has been very clear, that she is against the division of the country, but she would like entrenchment of rights for the Tamils. Those rights are generally such as any country anxious for the wellbeing and development of all its citizens should in any case affirm – devolved decision making as to social and economic aspects, protection for language and cultural identities, equal opportunities for participation in public life. ”

“ Our approach to governanceis founded upon the bedrock of Theravada Buddhism, which is part of our valued Asian heritage, where all our neighbours are treated with compassion as one’s own family. It is an inclusive approach,which embraces diversity and pluralism. Sri Lanka, as a maritime nation with natural geographical advantages, will work in tandem with friendly countries to maintain cooperation in the maritime sphere. ”

“ Members of the Tamil diaspora, through their unconditional support of the LTTE and their extreme Tamil nationalism, have effectively promoted divisions within the Sri Lankan Tamil community and, ironically, reinforced Sinhalese nationalism. A stable future in Sri Lanka demands that all of its ethnic communities, including those living abroad, recognize and respect the rights and interests of others with whom they share a common homeland. The diaspora, which is large, well educated and has considerable resources, has the potential to play a far more constructive role in Sri Lanka’s future. ”

“ We are eager to usher in a new political culture in Sri Lanka for the all communities, religions as well as political parties with divergent views could live in friendship, harmony and cooperation. We want the international community to take a new look at the new Sri Lanka. ”

“ The idea that freedom of expression is threatened in Sri Lanka is ridiculous, when international agencies actually provide funding to an online paper that talks about Sri Lanka as ‘a country at war and democracy that’s hostage to the whim and fancy of a President and his coterie of murderous brutes’. ”

“ Unfortunately, as we know even in Sri Lanka, a small minority that makes a big noise is often thought of as representative, simply because others have neither the energy nor the commitment to engage in matters about which they have little interest. With regard to Sri Lanka, we suffer from the fact that most Europeans are content to leave the running to Britain, and most British are content to leave the running to those who are deeply involved. ”

“ In the end, the West will play by rules, though given half a chance they will bend them as much as possible. Provided the Sri Lankan situation continues to improve, the international dimension as it is termed will not be a problem. ”

“ Urges the Government of Sri Lanka to continue strengthening its activities to ensure that there is no discrimination against ethnic minorities in the enjoyment of the full range of human rights;
8. Welcomes the continued cooperation between the Government of Sri Lanka, relevant United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations in the provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected people, and encourages them to continue to cooperate with the Government of Sri Lanka ”

“ Political, social and economic exclusion based on ethnicity, perceived or real, lies at the heart of the Sri Lanka conflict. Reconciliation in Sri Lanka requires recognition and acknowledgement of the rights of all communities, including Tamils and Muslims, as full citizens. Future policies must be inclusive to prevent the potential re-emergence of violence as a form for expressing grievances. ”

“ The third field I took as our main area of action, to target areas that needed particular attention if Tamils in particular were to feel confidence in the peace process. For this empowerment was essential, so that Tamils and all minorities could not only feel an integral part of the Sri Lankan state, but also participate actively in decision making as equal members of society. ”

“ The armed conflict in Sri Lanka was the violent reflection of deepening divides along political and ethnic lines. It played out as a struggle for the existence of the Sinhalese and Tamil peoples.
1. The rise of ethno-nationalism 28. After independence, political elites tended to prioritize short-term political gains, appealing to communal and ethnic sentiments, over long-term policies, which could have built an inclusive state that adequately represented the multicultural nature of the citizenry. ”

“ When the whole plan collapsed, and the silly Indian voters did the wrong thing and produced a stable government contrary to all our predictions and predilections, and the Sri Lankan forces destroyed the Tigers, we realised that all would be lost if we did not act soon. ”

“ English, Sinhala and Tamil Short Stories from Sri Lanka, National Book Trust of India, August 2007
The other book published in India this year is very different. It is a collection of stories that will I hope allow readers to explore varying responses to continuing social complexities. Understandably, given the current situation, many stories deal with violence and ethnic problems, but to me the book is symptomatic of the real hope we live with in Sri Lanka, inasmuch as people to people relations continue strong. ”

“ Coastline: 1,340 km
PEOPLE Population: 15,398,000 (July 1982) , average annual growth rate 1.8%
Nationality: noun—Sri Lankan (s) ; adjective—Sri Lankan
Ethnic divisions: 74% Sinhalese, 18% Tamil, 7% Moor, 1% other
Religion: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Christian, 8% Muslim, 0.1% other
Language: Sinhala official, Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages, Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population; Tamil spoken by about 18%; English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
Literacy: 82% (1970 est.)
Labor force: 4 million; 17% unemployed ”

“ The Sri Lanka Tamil diaspora, with a population of close to one million scattered across the globe, has grown since the 1980’s, as large numbers of Tamils sought refuge abroad from violence and repression by the State, while others sought better economic opportunities. The diaspora has played a crucial role throughout the war, with segments providing uncritical support to the LTTE, through crucial funding and advocacy, consistently denying any wrongdoing by the LTTE throughout the conflict. ”

“ As one of the first post-colonial democracies in the world that actively worked towards Asian-African solidarity, South-South cooperation and Non Alignment, Sri Lanka’s engagement with Asian solidarity and cooperation has a long and proud history. While we walk the middle path in our foreign policy, we also extend our hand of friendship to all nations, and renew our engagement with the international community. We will continue to nurture our special friendship with countries in our Asian neighbourhood. ”

“ Such a description of countries like China and India and Japan, who were enormously supportive of Sri Lanka, along with a plethora of nations from the Americas and the Middle East and Africa and Europe too, only emphasizes the myopic world in which some Sri Lankan critics of the government live.
I mentioned Europe last because, in the minds of both terrorists and morally if never financially bankrupt Sri Lanka politicians, it was Europe that was to lead the charge against Sri Lanka. There were confident assertions that the European Union would present a resolution against Sri Lanka. ”

“ This is the real picture of human rights in Sri Lanka. We are happy to receive and respond to criticism, but we do expect proper engagement and an attempt to understand the full picture. There is enormous promise for Sri Lanka over the decade ahead and we know that all Sri Lankans must benefit from sustained peace in our country after nearly three decades of terrorist threat. Organisations that seek to stoke division and not engage will not help us meet this goal. ”

“ Fine. OK. The point is, you’ve got to convince the United States and the United Nations and governments like Norway, who described this as more than solid evidence to accuse the Sri Lankan government. ”

“ That is another story, which only emerged later, but just before the September session of the Human Rights Council, at which the British ambassador endeavoured to activate the resolution against Sri Lanka, Rama Mani invited a once distinguished politician called Gareth Evans to deliver the Neelan Tiruchelvam Memorial Lecture. In her letter she encouraged him to make waves, and he certainly did so, in describing Sri Lanka as a situation that was ripe for the R2P doctrine. ”

“ I would prefer to use that time in promoting the benefits of peace to Sri Lankans in general, and in particular to minorities and those in the Eastern Province who now have an opportunity for rapid development of a sort that the periphery of Sri Lanka has not benefited from. ”

“ Every person who immediately prior to the commencement of the Constitution was a citizen of Sri Lanka, whether by descent or by virtue of registration in accordance with any law relating to citizenship, shall be entitled to the status and to the rights of a citizen of Sri Lanka as provided in the preceding provisions of this Article. ”

“ Like the proverbial pig sticking its snout into swill, Human Rights Watch has leapt with glee onto the recent declaration by the Sri Lankan government that its security forces ‘have been instructed to end the use of heavy weapons’. ”

“ Certainly it would seem that the United States has recognized the inevitable, and its support for India has now released us from the awful dichotomy of the eighties, when Sri Lanka made the wrong decision. At the same time, I believe India will not allow itself to become part of a different dichotomy, which is why we have had no problems in terms of the international community at large in maintaining positive relations with all our friends in Asia. ”

“ So if we can keep up the pressure on the Sri Lankan government, the diaspora will continue to fund Mr Pathmanathan, and he might find people in Sri Lanka to force poor young Tamils again into battle.
We will keep quiet about forced conscription, as we did before, and even convince our politicians who know no better that it is the Sri Lankan state that uses child soldiers, not our good terrorists. ”