Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune
Washington, D.C. 14 May (Asiantribune.com): We produce here three statements made about the situation in Sri Lanka. When one goes through these statements one may arrive at the conclusion that to the West, Sri Lanka has become ‘Exhibit A’.
The following statement was made by the U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly Tuesday, 12 May at the daily press briefing.
Question: On Sri Lanka, there continues to be some serious incidents involving civilian deaths. I know that the U.S. put out a couple of statements yesterday. Is there anything going on so diplomatically beyond the rhetoric to try to deal with that situation?
Ian Kelly: This is a –we’re deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka. Secretary Clinton is talking to her colleagues about it. I think you saw the comments of Foreign Minister Kouchner and Foreign Minister Miliband yesterday. The Secretary had a meeting, of course, with Foreign Minister Kouchner yesterday, has another one today. And I think the Secretary is very concerned about this and very engaged in it.
Question: What could you do; you could do something in common with the British and the French, trilateral action? What do you envision?
Ian Kelly: Well, I think it’s – I think there’s two main channels here. One is a diplomatic effort and that’s taking place, of course, at the UN. It’s taking place, as I mentioned before, on a bilateral level. And that, of course, is to try and press the Government of Sri Lanka to adhere to international standards for the operations of camps, to press them to stop the use of heavy weapons, to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone. So that’s one track.
And of course, the other track is to help these people, to provide humanitarian assistance. And that would be best done, of course, in a coordinated fashion, both through the UN and with our allies. (End State Department statement)
The next one was when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeted the visiting British Foreign Secretary Miliband at the State Department on May 12.
Secretary Clinton: It’s wonderful to have David Miliband back. He and I have already forged a close working relationship on not only our bilateral issues but on so many of the global concerns that we both care greatly about.
We’re going to meet to catch up on a range of issues. In particular, we’ll be issuing a statement on Sri Lanka and our continuing insistence that more be done on a humanitarian basis in order to try to help the people who are trapped by this ongoing fighting get out safely.
But there is a lot on our agenda, from Afghanistan and Pakistan, to Iran and so much else. But it’s great to have you back, David.
Foreign Secretary Miliband: Madame Secretary, thank you very much for that welcome. I’m delighted to be back in Washington. I think it’s the third time we’ve got a chance to meet here since January the 20th. The leadership that you’ve offered to countries right around the world with real drive over the last three months, I think has set a very important tone and given us new substance as foreign ministers to engage with.
The agenda is indeed broad and deep, and I’m looking forward to our discussions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, of the Middle East, the wider Middle East, given the important visits that are coming through to Washington over the next few weeks, and also, of course, this humanitarian catastrophe that’s really playing out in the northeast of Sri Lanka, which has called the conscience of the world. And we’ve got a lot of business to do, so it’s good to be here.
The next was carried in Asian Tribune on May 7, a statement by Mike Owens the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.
Mr. Owens expressed this warning to the Government of Sri Lanka: "About consequences if the government of Sri Lanka does attack the safe zone and large numbers of civilians are killed: Certainly, there would be consequences, and we've made it very clear to the leadership of the government of Sri Lanka there would be strong consequences if that occurred. I would not want to sort of tie our hands in terms of specifying exactly what those consequences would be, but we would certainly hold the government of Sri Lanka responsible for the death of a lot of civilians, and we've made that very clear to the leadership."
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
The common denominator of
The common denominator of all three statements made by these Statesmen (women) is the emerging humanitarian crisis on the island. The lowest number of potential civilians exposed has been estimated at 30,000 - this by any measure a very large number. For the first time today, a US president made a 3-minute open statement about Sri Lanka warning both the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to cool-it and more significantly, pleading the warring parties to give highest priority to the lives of civilians. Daya Gamage who has firsthand experience working with American government officials knows more than most the value Americans place on protecting endangered lives. These are the same Americans who mobilized their Navy in the Gulf and dispatched then Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering to Colombo and New Delhi when 40,000 Sinhalese troops were trapped in the Jaffna Peninsula in 2000. Then too the Americans were determined to avert a potential humantarian disaster.
Guilt ridden and haunted by the ghosts of Rwanda, Western and American policy makers, especially those ex-Bill Clinton leftovers in the present Obama administration are gun-ho in ensuring that even a mini-Rwanda does not occur. It does not matter which side is right or wrong, what matters to them is to ensure that a catastrophe does not happen - as clearly delineated by President Obama today.
A very serious and sensitive situation - the plight of tens of thousands of innocent civilians - it has garnered the world's attention, and rapidly escalated over the last few days. It would be a grave mistake to under assess the resolve of the West-US to avert a potential humanitarian disaster. [It took only less than 3 days for Western powers to persuade the seemingly tough Russia, China, Libya and Vietnam to agree to a formal UN Security Council Meeting and issue a common press statement. GoSL should not bang on these 'friendly' countries to bail her out, especially now, since the issuance of the warning by the US President. Those who have experience know that it is sheer power that quickly influences international players to change minds. And anyone who underestimates the power of the American presidency is simply being naive.
GoSL must re-formulate its strategy and take great care not to hurry and trigger a rapid sequence of events that would result in sudden intervention. My two pence to GoSL is to favorably consider President Obama's suggestions and work with the West-US-UN to bring about systematic, yet cooperative resolution. Though this would drag the impasse, in the long run, such an approach will be the most beneficial.
Ironically, Sri Lanka’s future has now become dependent on the eventual disposition of these helpless civilians. A vast scale human catastrophe is bound to generate unprecedented worldwide sympathy and subsequent support for the separatist agenda and on the other hand, a co-operative strategy with the West-US-UN will win incremental credibility for the government. Discounting both scenarios lets hope the army will be able to rescue the civilians - very quickly.
Before any one says any
Before any one says any thing, just think, any of these people including Obama and Milliband, even knew where the Sri Lanka is located on the world map? Today, Sri Lanka has become the number on exhibit on their agenda. Can this be impulsive?
It’s not really justifiable to say that Tamils and LTTE sympathizes has deceived these so-called first world leaders. If so I’m sure the other parties also could do the same, which is not seems to be having any effect so far.
What we see today would be the next war that we have to fight tomorrow, after defeating LTTE 30 years later?
Why US and other first world try to isolate the legitimate government of Sri Lanka, after defeating the terrorist, instead of congratulating for some thing they couldn’t do?
These are not spontaneous, these are their long-term plans for Sri Lanka and it’s future.
We Sri Lankas, as a one nation should stand behind the government to support its tireless effort to eradicate terrorism and tell the world, DO NOT TOUCH SRI LANKA!
LTTE propergandists seem to
LTTE propergandists seem to be exagerating events everyday. They started with lies and continues to lie with words like "genocide" and call for parippu drops and international actions against Sri Lanka. These are all techniques used by LTTE and the terrorist Diaspora.
However, Sri Lanka is very much concerned about the civilians. Although some collateral damage is happening, it has been minimised where possible.
There is no need for Presiden Obama or any other party to give lectures to GOSL. I have respect for the GOSL and the capable soldiers. A humanitarian catastropic disaster is most unlikely to happen in Sri Lanka, unless one is caused by the LTTE terrorists. LTTE has killed so many Tamils and they can easily kill more.
Sarath The attitude of the
Sarath
The attitude of the so-called countries towards Sri Lankan issue changes from time to time as the weather does. Anybody can issue statements and recommend ways and means how such a grave issue should be dealt. But everybody including world leaders and statesmen (women) should understand how difficult a task like Sri Lankan armies are now engaged in on practical ground is. How many heads of states including the UN and how many times did they issue statements asking LTTE to release civilians who have been forcibly held. When they tried to escape, they were shot dead and LTTE easily credited the offence to the SL armies and the pro-LTTE international media shamelessly uses Tamil net news to tarnish the Sri Lankan image before the eyes of the international community. By now SL armies have saved the lives of 117,991 civilians as per 14 May, 2009 and still the process is going on. Sri Lankan government is not barbarous as the west thinks so as to kill innocent civilians as USA; US have done in Afghanistan and Iraq for the last few years. Sri Lanka is a country whose culture is very much based on Buddhism. Most of the Buddhists practice five precepts and no one will ever support killing although LTTE terrorists do not have any religion, humanity, respect for human lives or other human qualities that civilized human beings are thought to possess. Therefore, it is imperative that Hillary, Miliband and Ownes who have issued the said statements to SL government showing their role of world police should feel ashamed of themselves because they haven’t been able to get a single civilian released from the LTTE grip despite their hype.
Whole the West want to
Whole the West want to protect the LTTE who feed them. Not they want protect civilians. As well they want leader here who dancing only their own music.
The whole country want get rid of the misery the Westerners forcibly put on us. All the Sri Lankan suffering from this misery will curse to whom they put such a hell of whole the country. Our exact effort not harm for others and protect our own people from this severe suffering.
Only the true will win!
Dhammo hawe rakkhathi dhammachaari!
Surely everyone knew this
Surely everyone knew this was coming for months now...this was going to be the end game and the LTTE was known to be garnering up its "human shield" of "civilians".
Many of these civilians are in fact loyal supporters, devoted to a cause that has at its core a death wish and a "suicide if caught" pledge. These are not your ordinary civilians, although there are some innocents who are the wives and children of the hard core cadres who may not willingly wish to leave the family member behind and flee to safety, or may even be forced to stay on. But these are but a few. Those who dared to leave/escape have left already. The world has to think of the group left in the NFZ as a vast rebel military unit that is facing the Sri Lankan military in final battle.
Every person killed in the LTTE-occupied sliver of land is touted by the LTTE as a "civilian". Except for the top leaders, all others are "civilians" according to the LTTE. But all these people have taken the oath that they are ready to die for their leader. So it is high time that fact was recognized and the word "civilian" be eliminated from usage with regard to these people now. The "human shield" is part of the LTTE military apparatus. It is extremely sad, but it will be utterly incompetent if the world does not deal with this in clear and rational fashion that will allow the ruthless LTTE to be brought to its end.
The world has been accomplice to letting the LTTE that was born (in India) to thrive and grow with many Western nations ably assisting, by tacitly if not overtly encouraging the LTTE diaspora's efforts to arm it with armaments brought from the world's arms dealers, a major part of the world economy. There is a price to be paid for the military/industrial economies we are insidiously part of. We are seeing the fundamental nature of that killer system peaking out and Sri Lanka is the first disaster; a minor one in comparison to major catastrophe that is in store in Pakistan/Afghanistan.
The worst that could happen is for the LTTE to be able to regroup and rearm again for another round, for we have seen how each round has brought increasing ruthlessness and increasing capability to destroy, which has to be met with even better capability in order to rout it. And in the interim, its tentacles will spread far and wide and give birth to more. This simply cannot be allowed to happen. The world was complicit in creating this monster, and the world must stand together as it is brought to an end.
It is In the name of humanitarianism that this war must be allowed to end quickly just as in WWII, the end was brought with a finality and through rational recognition that the alternative would be much more disastrous.
The Sri Lankan military has been as competent as never before seen in modern conflicts, in what it has accomplished as sparingly as possible of civilian deaths. But even as the UN and other world authorities cogitate and hem and haw about the humanitarian horrors of the war's end in Sri Lanka, and attempt to pull the reins in misguided sympathy, let not the Medusa head be allowed to regenerate.
AML
Sri Lanka has become Exhibit
Sri Lanka has become Exhibit "A" because of the GoSL's continuing disregard for the plight of innocent civilians.
The international media reports that even countries such as Russia, China, Libya, and Vietnam that had previously called the deepening crisis an internal matter are now taking a different view follwing the continuing credible reports of the unfolding tragedy.
Also, according to the international media, Human Rights Watch has concluded that recent satellite images buttress witness accounts that the GoSL is continuing to use heavy artillery in the densely poulated zone.
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