Sri Lanka in the Crosshairs of Canadian Parliament

(SALEM, Ore.) - Our readers are very familiar with the trials and tribulations of the Sri Lankan government in regard to war crimes that took place in this island country just over two years ago.

The Sinhalese Buddhist government chose to militarily attack the minority Tamil population in the north, comprised of mostly Hindus but also Christians.

A resistance group that has been in existence fighting the government over equal rights for several decades, the Tamil Tigers or LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), were at the center of the government's notion for the attacks.

The problem is that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) did not discriminate between militants and non-combatants.

Allegations of terrible sex crimes against Tamil women are extensive and almost all ended in murder. There is video footage recorded by SLA soldiers that shows the corpses of women being thrown into the back of a truck for disposal, as if they were logs.

The worst problem in relation to that is not the way the soldiers kicked, degraded and insulted (or perversely sexually complimented) the bodies of the abused women, it is the fact that some are clearly still alive, though surely not for long, but still...

The government of Sri Lanka, under the direction of President Majinda Rajapaksa, initially denied all war crime charges and perhaps lost their bid for sympathy, credibility and also their semblance to decency with those repeated denials.

It isn't that they simply denied the charges, but the government tried to lambaste Great Britain's Channel 4 news by claiming that the grisly video sequences of the SLA butchering, raping and executing Tamil people, were 'faked' which was then and is now, a preposterous claim. In one interview after another, Sri Lankan officials scoffed at the extremely serious charges and evidence, dismissing the compelling images entirely.

Over and over, in different ways, even going so far as to produce a documentary intended to counter the charges, Sri Lanka fully denied the crimes, in spite of the obvious fact that they did take place. Channel 4 was accused of using actors, coaching witnesses, and they were faulted repeatedly by Sri Lanka for not properly identifying witnesses who quite obviously feared for their lives.

The reason the government forces of Sri Lanka were able to get away with this genocidal madness, is the elimination of media in Sri Lanka that was either factual, or simply friendly toward the Tamil cause. I covered this in great detail in a previous article, and the numbers of journalists who were murdered and disappeared is staggering.

I can not think of too many things that are more disturbing than eradicating the media, it is an effective cold blooded way to control the flow of information. It is video shot and released by members of the SLA itself that offer the most damning evidence.

United Nations observers were present in the Tamil regions just before this mass extermination of people, and they were directed to leave by the Sri Lankan government 'for their own safety.'

Though Tamils begged them to stay and watch over them, the observers left as directed and later several expressed regret for not staying, and it seems clear that their absence allowed the Genocide to take place. Today members of the Tamil population live in facilities described as 'concentration camps' and they still live in fear.

That is a loose narrative of the background in this critical story. The government of Sri Lanka seemed as if it was going to be able to deny this nightmare for some time, and with friends like the United States backing their government, it seemed more than possible.

The following statements were made Thursday 29 September 2011, in the Canadian Parliament:

'Depression' by Agron Belica - produced by Salem-News.com, from the album 'Newsic'

Politicians from the Great White North have taken a seat at the chess board of justice and Sri Lanka sits across the table, and they are nervous; reluctant to discover what lies in store for them later this month in the UN when they square off with Canada, and fearful that Sri Lanka might experience the ultimate national shame, and that is being tossed out of the United Nations and losing member status.

That creates a tough deal for a country that relies on international tourism, and it is too bad for the Tamils that Rajapaksa didn't consider the economic impacts of savage butchery and Genocide.

It looks like this president who runs a country with his brothers gangster style, truly set his population up for a fall, all to make Sri Lanka a Sinhalese Buddhist nation with a single language and culture.

They are perhaps discovering that no country can have a single religion without Genocide and massive human rights deprivations, which are all illegal under international law.

Canadian Parliament is standing up as a legitimate government and Sri Lanka is finding no favors. MP's were 'treated' to a viewing of the Channel 4 documentary, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields and it takes little more to convince a person that the SLA is responsible for one of the world's most terrible events took place in the summer of 2009.

Sadly and ironically, it comes at a time when other crimes of rape and sexual misconduct that the Sri Lanka Army is accused of while attached to the UN, are under investigation.

Sri Lanka

Hon. John Baird (Minister of Foreign Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I can say that the Prime Minister has spoken out loudly and clearly on this very important issue of human rights. I have certainly relayed the Government of Canada's position to both the high commissioner and directly to my counterpart, the minister of foreign affairs of Sri Lanka, to express our concerns on the lack of accountability for the serious allegations of war crimes, the lack of reconciliation with the Tamil community and with events that have taken place since the end of the civil war. Canada will continue to speak loudly and clearly on behalf of human rights around the world, especially in Sri Lanka.

Foreign Affairs

Hon. John Baird (Minister of Foreign Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we did not sit idly by at the United Nations on Monday where I brought the plight of human rights violations to the floor of the General Assembly. The Prime Minister did not sit idly by when he expressed grave concern about attending a future summit of the Commonwealth in Colombo. We did not sit idly by when we spoke with the high commissioner to Sri Lanka and raised our concerns. I did not sit idly by last week when I met with the foreign minister of Sri Lanka to express our significant concerns. We have not sat idly by. We will continue to stand up, do the right thing and fight for human rights around the world, especially in Sri Lanka.

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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true sri lankan February 21, 2012 3:53 am (Pacific time)

the 1st image showing 2 troops pointing guns at the civilians are not sri lankan troops, the camo suit has never been used by any of SL forces and this proves u r doing nothing but an act

Nalin January 19, 2012 4:40 am (Pacific time)

Editor seems to be a LTTE sympathizer as many Westerners who fed them with money, weapons and ammunitions. He try to be a good guy without realizing how much destruction US marines has done to the mankind! As others questioned why always one sided stories? It looks LTTE was playing marbles when SLA attacked them. What about having heavy Weapons in No fire zone? Largest human shield in entire history? Forcible abduction and recruitment?
It was more than clear that Tamils were used as apolitical weapon in many countries (Clearly evident in UK – Tony Blair’s statement, Canada and USA – Tamils for Clinton and funds raised by Tamil businessman Rajarathnam) who becomes a deciding factor in “Party change”.
How much ever you try, I can prove with evidence that US has committed most of the war crimes in the world and that’s why they dodged the ICC proceedings on illegal invasion of Iraq. They kill not only civilians, but peace, harmony, cultures, societies and countries for getting some cheap oil. See what freedom you gave to Iraqis, Egyptians and Libyans? These are just few examples. All three countries in “Half Cooked” situations and NATO simply kept locals busy fighting while they rob all the oil out. Look what they did in Afghanistan. Who created Al-Qaida? Why did US funded and equipped militants in Afghanistan to fight Soviets?
Some media, like some NGOs prefer to have problems going and re-ignite them if dying down..just to get “Hot News” going or to become “Heroes”.
One final note from me..Yes, I strongly believe that Sri Lanka should face the ICC…but only after US complete its pending one.

Editor: Nalin, I make no excuses for American terrorism, or Sri Lankan terrorism I just know the current regime(s) are negative and highly suspect..

periya lingam October 2, 2011 7:20 am (Pacific time)

go to srilanka and find out. Life expectancy of a Srilankan tamil is 78. A canadian tamil is 56.

Rohitha Rathnaweera October 2, 2011 12:36 am (Pacific time)

Photos attached are not related to any genocide in Sri Lanka. 1st photo is a Sinhalese family weeping over their dead ones. 2nd photo is in Sumatra and not in any part of Sri Lanka. Why the article failed to admit that LTTE took their own people as hostages and used heavy weapons from civilians positions? Attached are links for real genocides and Killing fields.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqdW2auRlo4

Editor: This is super interesting, because the first clip you sent is the most staged piece of film I have ever seen. You see, when you shoot in a combat zone, you don't get the Hollywood perspective. That is Sri Hollywood if anything ever was. Also, you are blowing smoke about the photographs, none are what you say. ALL are Tamils being killed and harassed by the SLA and there is nothing you can do, nothing you can say, because people know well beyond my reports that a terrible thing happened in 2009. As far as the LTTE goes, yes they made some mistakes, but people get testy when their government strips them of rights and tries to eradicate their language. You guys hurt the Tamils badly, now the hurt is coming home. So much for tourism in Sri Lanka, nobody wants to visit a place so stained with blood. Perhaps Rajapaksa and his brothers should have thought about that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocxm8ucdPbAandfeature=related

Editor: Things took place in the 1980's that were terrible, but with regard to the above link to the Kattankudy Mosque Genocide in1990, the Wikipedia page entry states this: "The attack is widely attributed to LTTE, who denied their involvement in the massacre, and have never retracted that denial " In other words, there is absolutely no proof that the LTTE did this, and they certainly didn't claim it - if they did. Research shows me that there was great harmony between Tamil Hindus and Muslims and that the government orchestrated the disintegration of that relationship intentionally, and deceitfully. I find it interesting that all entries on YouTube about the Mosque slaying have been added since Sri Lanka came under fire for war crimes against the LTTE. I do not endorse violence of any type however I understand why people who are oppressed resort to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1HlOeZ5Q7wandfeature=related

Editor: Again, there is no proof that this terrible act was committed by the LTTE and even the Wikipedia page which hangs all types of unfounded crimes on the LTTE doesn't indict them on this one. Readers, there was a cease fire in place for many years that the LTTE adhered to. It was the election of Rajapaksa in 2005 that opened the gates to the genocide that would take place less than four years later. It seems like the president had every intention of committing this egregious act which involved a violent, flagrant disregard for international law. Even if the allegations based on this historic video footage are true, the number pales in comparison to what happened to the Tamils in '09 at the hands of a terrorist government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-BoVSNQ8F0andfeature=related

Editor: This video appears to have been recorded in March 2009. Now what was taking place at that time? Tamils were dying in the north, that is what. They were on the defensive, not the offensive. Also, the group attacking them was not Muslim, it was as always the Sinhalese Buddhist government, so why on earth would LTTE commit this act? I know that the Tamil Tigers over the years not only used the suicide bomb vest, they practically invented it. That is what resistance movements do against highly funded and militarily equipped governments, sure that does not really need to be explained. Now I think Buddhists are great people, and I think the same of Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians. I don't care where or how a person worships, and I believe that needs to be the way the entire matter is regarded. It is true that a terrible Diaspora began when the LTTE turned on the Muslim population in the 1980's and many Muslims in Sri Lanka were forced to flee. I in no way try to represent that as anything but terrible, and I will add that a large number of my close friends are Muslim. The only country I know of that is religious and also has rules to watch over people of other faiths beyond the main one, is Iran, where laws specifically protect the country's Jewish population.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ_X5gk1K0E

Editor: There is nothing to say except that this is a tragedy and it is terrible that 30 years of Gandhi style peaceful resistance was not allowed to have credence and did not bring the desired results. Go read the history, you will see that it was not until many years after the country was formed in 1948, well into the 1970's, that any violence was carried out on the part of Tamils hoping to establish Tamil Eelam, which was a good idea from day one and should simply have been allowed to avoid all of these years of violence, but ego and religion make a bad combination, as evidenced by the Sri Lanka government. .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ESKVe-EaFA

Editor: Again, as I have said before with the Palestinians, when people are pushed to a certain point they turn in a bad direction but they don't do it out of willful greed or a desire to oppress, they act purely out of desperation and their tools are limited, their support small, mostly due to the label of 'terrorist' which is at times deserved by many groups but not always or exclusively. We all know the Tamils simply wanted to be left alone and they wanted autonomy. It is funny how those who have this sometimes rare position fail to note how infuriating it would be to have to live without it.

Think twice before commenting!

Editor: Give it up! Prosecute war criminals! You do realize that the courts are not a sentence, and that innocent parties have nothing to fear, however the guilty ones do.

Ranjan Daniels October 1, 2011 4:09 pm (Pacific time)

I'm confused.... Now where are the brutal images of innocent civilians slaughtered by the "Resistance" group Tamil Tigers? Why are we seeing only the defeated Tiger relatives? So we did not have any civilians killed during WW II ? or for that matter any other war? War is never pretty. There's a winner and a loser. So to all those who are crying foul..let-it-go already. Go get a life! We all know how every Sri Lankan (living in Sri Lanka)suffered. I lost my neighbors, 5 of them, to your "resistance" I can post the pictures of dead meat I have of them taken hours after a "resistance" bomb slaughtered them!

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