Though I have now settled in Sri Lanka, I have lived most of my life in the UK and the USA, and in fact have lived in the UK longer than my total time spent in Sri Lanka, so I consider myself entitled to make the comments below, not with malice but with regret about the behavior which is tantamount to a betrayal of our democracy, where SL is still working hard to empower all its people on its principles. We can longer be guided by their examples or actions, and have to find other friends who are more respectful.
The attitude of the UK, and US as enunciated by their foreign ministers, as well as their European partners, and no doubt Canada, to the conflict that just concluded in Sri Lanka is at best condescending and at worst a brutal assault on freedom from terror. The dragging through the mud that Sri Lanka had to endure in its finest and proudest hour, at the UN HRC was a show of one-upmanship that completely failed. In fact it failed so miserably, that I believe it empowers more autocratic, dictatorial and down right criminal regimes to commit no end of crimes, knowing full well that the moral superiority has completely disappeared, with little hope of resurrection.
In short countries with worse Human Rights records will have no compunction but to continue with their activities. I lay the blame squarely on the incompetence and arrogance of these nations that completely failed to measure the real rights and wrongs, for the new order of terrorism. Using International Fora towards petty ends backfired with more venom.
Sri Lanka is one of the founding members of the Commonwealth, and it that secures a top spot with India in seniority. They have been very supportive of US & UK except in the case of Israel, which is a special case and should not be compared with in any other conflict, requiring a different set of criteria.
The incompetence of their foreign missions in Sri Lanka failed to measure the pulse of those who have endured daily insecurity. It is possibly due to over representation with pro LTTE staff, who did a disservice. The one-sided view of the Tamil Diaspora that funded LTTE make these countries party to the suffering of the Sri Lankans. To delay the end of hostilities and further to take the country to task on acts of war, where the other side is not amongst the living to answer to their egregious conduct, smacks of sour grapes, and vicarious pleasure at humbling a victor. I don’t like to use double standard as SL conflict stands on its own justification. BETRAYED
It is never late to admit one made an error of judgement, and patch up a relationship worth keeping
4 comments:
Agreed that other countries have worse HR records. Are you however suggesting that SL is above reproach?
Sri Lanka cannot be held against imaginary idealistic standards and reproached. It must be compared with what other countries have done in similar situations. For example, Pakistan being forced to kill its own citizens by Miliband and Hilary Clinton in the Swat valley.
the standards are not imaginary, they are those to which SL has signed up to:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Introduction.aspx
If we don't accept the standard then we need to withdraw from it.
Do you not realise who Sri Lanka lobbied to vote with them. Sudan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt... and the list goes on. one by one, countries with long histories of human rights abuses, and downright murder.
It is apt that the Sri Lankan government was overjoyed to get their support.
As I say to most people. If you have nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear. There is no media freedom in Sri Lanka, so why believe the press.
I for one refuse to believe a president who censors the press and has attempted to steal from the most vulnerable.
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