Thousands of people joined government-backed protests across Sri Lanka on Monday against a proposed U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on alleged rights abuses during the country’s civil war.
The protests coincided with the beginning of the council’s four-week session in Geneva.
Cabinet ministers urged citizens to join the demonstrations, which were planned in 150 cities and towns, according the government’s website.
A U.N. panel report earlier concluded there were credible allegations that both the government and the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels committed serious abuses that could amount to war crimes, especially during the last months of the conflict, which ended in May 2009.
The resolution urges Sri Lanka to investigate alleged abuses, but the government says it interferes in the country’s internal affairs.
In Colombo, thousands of people, including Cabinet ministers, lawmakers and government supporters, marched across the capital, blocking traffic on main roads for hours.
They shouted slogans, waved national flags and displayed placards that read “Defeat Geneva conspiracy,” “Hands off Sri Lanka,” Let’s not lose victory achieved by heroic forces” and “Save Sri Lanka from UNHRC watchdog.”
“People have gathered here to give a clear message that they are ready to safeguard this country from the vicious proposals and accusations of Western forces,” said Power and Energy Minister Patali Ranawaka.
Government minister Mervyn Silva warned that Westerners would “learn a good lesson in Sri Lanka if they try to do the same thing that they did to Iraq, Libya and Syria.”
Earlier on Monday, about 3,000 government supporters marched toward the U.S. Embassy but were halted by police. The United States has declared its support of the planned resolution.
Mahinda Kahandagamage, an organizer of the march, said they delivered a letter to the embassy condemning the U.S. support and asking that the resolution be withdrawn.
“The country has just been liberated from a (25-year) war. Our lives were in darkness,” he said. “But now there is no fear of bomb blasts, no sound of gunfire. But now America is trying to bring a proposal against our country in Geneva. We all must get together to defeat that effort.”
In Gampaha, hundreds of government lawmakers, politicians and supporters shouted slogans condemning the planned resolution.
The U.S. representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, said last week that if Sri Lanka continues to resist the resolution, all options would remain on the table, including calling for an outside investigation.
The U.N. panel report, which was published in 2010, said tens of thousands of civilians may have been killed during the civil war and called for an independent international investigation.
Sri Lanka rejected an international investigation and appointed its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, which cleared government troops of deliberately targeting civilians but proposed an inquiry into complaints of isolated violations. It also said the Tamil Tigers routinely violated international humanitarian laws.
Keywords: UNHRC, human rights violation, Eelam War, LTTE, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, ethnic conflict
Those countries who have sympathy for an ethinic minority which has been subjected to brutal political supression for long & have interests in giving justice to innocent victims of a war should support a UNHRC resolution against the state. This would send a message to ruthless world leaders. There were examples quite rightly eg: Serbian Leaders in Bosnia & Kosovo.
We need to establish one fact. It is crystal clear that the US does not care about Human Rights. They support all kinds of brutal individuals around the world, especially those who have oil. The leaders of the Western governments also have underlying racist tendencies (Obama is no racist, but he is surrounded by those who are). So, why do those who care very little about HR issues pursue this agenda? It has to be something else. That is what makes this whole thing very dangerous, not just for SL, but for all less powerful nations around the world. This is also why I think countries such as India will defend SL.
The Hindu has still not come out of its partisan behaviour. We have no complaints on "The Hindu" publishing this piece of story. But it also has the responsibility of a newspaper to bring out the related events happening across the world. Why is it not bothered to utter a single word on the 19th Session of UN Human Rights Council related to SriLanka's genocide?
The Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka call the shots from the time the Island nation become Independence.The minority Tamils were sidelined in all walks of life,and because of that discrimination's the Tamil youth took the arms when nothing happened in negotiations and peaceful
talks [ what ever may be the reasons the arms struggles won't be accepted by peace loving peoples ].Now the Tamil speaking general public should not be punished for the terrorist activities of LTTE or for that matter any armed group.Even after the Tamil minority have been cornered, the majority Sinhalese supported President Rajapakshe is not ready to help them to live normal life.
Since China and Pakistan fully support the deeds of President Rajapakshe,he is in no mood to come down
even after the International community fingered him for the war crimes.The International community has the only one choice of using force on the Sri Lankan Govt to bow to the UN Human Rights Council.
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