Reconcilition South African Style Will Not Work in Sri Lanka

Visvanathan for Salem-News.com-Jan-12-2014 The mentality of the Sinhalese politicians since the date of independence in 1948, has involved makin promises and si nin treaties, one after another, and !reakin all of them.
Rajapaksa walking away after bidding farewell to former President Nelson Mandela lying in state at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa on 11 December 2013

"#$%&'()N$* - 'n 11 +ecem!er ,-1. So/th 0frica made a racio/s offer to assist Sri %anka in whatever way possi!le and share its e1periences on its reconciliation process, So/th 0frica2s 3i h 4ommissioner to Sri %anka 5eoff +oid e said. 3e said this d/rin a meetin held to e1press condolence on the death of former So/th 0frican 6resident Nelson #andela at the parliament comple1. The event was or anised !y the Sri %anka-So/th 0frica parliamentary 7riendship 0ssociation. The 3i h 4ommissioner, 5eoff +oid e s/ ested that if a Tr/th and )econciliation 4ommission "T)4* was set /p in Sri %anka it wo/ld facilitate and e1pedite the reconciliation process !etween the Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri %anka Sri %anka is considerin a So/th 0frican-style reconciliation commission nearly five years after the end of the war. 8nformation minister 9eheliya )am!/kwella said 6resident #ahinda )a:apakse, who attended a memorial service for former So/th 0frican president Nelson #andela in ;ohannes!/r , was tryin to replicate the late civil ri hts icon2s reconciliation !id. <=e are serio/sly lookin at the possi!ility of havin somethin like the "So/th 0frican* Tr/th and )econciliation 4ommission "T)4*,> )am!/kwella told reporters in 4olom!o after the first ca!inet meetin followin )a:apakse2s ret/rn from So/th 0frica. Sri %anka is /nder international press/re to pro!e alle ations that its troops killed more than ?-,--- Tamil civilians in the final months, endin #ay ,--9. <There is a disc/ssion oin on "inside the overnment* a!o/t a Tr/th and )econciliation 4ommission,> )am!/kwella said. <=e can also !/ild on the str/ct/res we already have.> 3e ave no f/rther details, !/t official so/rces said Sri %anka was already in talks with So/th 0frican a/thorities to sec/re their help for a T)4 alon the lines of the one So/th 0frica adopted after the end of apartheid. Sri %anka2s small !/t infl/ential 4atholic ch/rch warned that forei n intervention wo/ld !e inevita!le /nless 4olom!o addressed international concerns over acco/nta!ility for alle ed war

crimes. 8n a pastoral letter, the ch/rch warned that fail/re on the part of 4olom!o to ens/re acco/nta!ility co/ld tri er international investi ations that wo/ld !e a <serio/s threat to the soverei nty of the co/ntry.> The Sinhalese 4atholic 4h/rch still talks of Sri %ankan soverei nty, totally i norin the more than .--,--- Tamil lives claimed !etween 19?, and ,--9, :/st to feed Sinhalese cha/vinism. The So/th 0frican 3i h commissioner recalled #andela2s commitment to 6arliamentary democracy and his personal involvement in the parliamentary process. 6resident of the 0ssociation and =ater S/pply and +raina e #inister, +inesh 5/nawardena said #andela2s death was a loss to the entire world. @3e was reat leader of o/r time,@ he said. 8f he had tho/ ht #andela was a reat leader, he and his fellow Sinhalese leaders sho/ld have em/lated himA instead of which the whole an of th/ s made a mockery of parliamentary democracy. They co/ld have sorted o/t the ethnic pro!lem si1ty years earlier and saved the co/ntry all the death, rape, a!d/ction and destr/ction. Now they are sheddin crocodile tears for an honest, decent man. =ill any!ody from any part of the world other than the Sinhalese ever mo/rn the death of any of the Sinhalese leaders in Sri %ankaB +/tch coloniCation of So/th 0frica !e an in 1DE, when the +/tch $ast 8ndia 4ompany !ro/ ht farmers to the 4ape of 5ood 3ope. They raised food to s/pply the companyFs ships on the lon voya e to 8ndia. 0fter 1D8E the +/tch were :oined !y 3/ /enots who had fled reli io/s persec/tion in 7rance. The 3/ /enots adopted +/tch c/stoms and the +/tch lan /a e. 8n 181E the 4on ress of Vienna ave the 4ape to 5reat &ritain. &oer resentment of &ritish r/le and of &ritish coloniCation, which !e an in 18,-, was intensified when the &ritish a!olished slavery in 18.4. +/rin 18.EG.?, some 1-,--- &oer cattlemen, farmers, and their families left the 4ape in the Voortrek, or 5reat Trek, seekin new lands and freedom from &ritish a/thority. They mi rated north and east, fo/ndin the 'ran e 7ree State, Natal, and the Transvaal. 7riction !etween 5reat &ritain and the &oers over the ri hts of &ritish settlers in &oer territory led to the &oer =ar "1899G19-,*. 5reat &ritain anne1ed the &oer StatesHthe 'ran e 7ree State and the TransvaalHfollowin its victory in the war. "Natal had !een made a &ritish colony in 184..* 8n 191- they !ecame parts of the (nion of So/th 0frica "now the )ep/!lic of So/th 0frica*. Nelson #andela inherited a co/ntry of n/mero/s ethnic ro/ps, ?9I of whom were 0frican tri!es. The =hites of mainly +/tch ori in, 8ndians, #alays and mi1ed races made /p the rest. The +/tch ori in whites are called &oers, or 0frikaners, These So/th 0frican descendants are predominantly from the early +/tch colonists. #any &oers are also descended from 7rench 3/ /enot or 5erman settlers. &oer is the +/tch word for <farmer.> 0frikaans, one of the official lan /a es of the )ep/!lic of So/th 0frica, was developed !y 1?th-cent/ry +/tch. &oers form the ma:ority of the white pop/lation of So/th 0frica. These =hites had killed or oppressed 0frican tri!es from the date of their arrival in 1DE,. Nelson #andelaFs ma nanimity was s/ch that he co/ld for et the past and look forward towards the f/t/re. 3e knew that if he didnFt do that, he wo/ld have created another Sri %anka

and So/th 0frica wo/ld !e another !asket case with !oth the =hites and the &lacks in misery. )ape, m/rder, disappearances and destr/ction, as it is in Sri %anka, wo/ld !e the order of the day. 8nstead, So/th 0frica, /nlike Jim!a!we, commands the respect of the whole world and financially it is stron . 6lease remem!er he did this a ainst the wishes of most of the 0frican tri!es, who wanted to settle old scores. 3e only took over the lands from the =hites that was recently reK/isitioned from the 0fricans and 8ndians. 3e allowed the =hites to retain nearly most of the land they were holdin . 3is ar /ment was that there was eno/ h land for all in So/th 0frica and there was no necessity to confiscate lands !elon in to the =hites. 0s a res/lt there was peace and harmony amon the vario/s races. &oth the &lacks and the =hites !enefited and prospered from the peace Nelson #andela enerated. 3avin done a ood :o!, he is now one, commandin the respect of all. 8n Sri %anka from 1948, the year of independence, !oth the 8ndian and Sri %ankan Tamils saw nothin else !/t pain and s/fferin . The 8ndian Tamils were disfranchised in the very year of independence in 1948. The descendants are now livin in sK/alor in !oth Sri %anka and 8ndia. 7rom 19E- onward land ra! was proceedin on /na!ated in the North-east, even to this day. There is no reason for any Tamil to !elieve that coloniCation and confiscation of Tamil property will end that soon. =hile tryin to foist T)4 on the Tamils, land ra! is contin/in relentlessly. 8n So/th 0frica reconciliation was offered !y !y the victims of apartheid, to the oppressors. 8n Sri %anka the opposite is now recommended. The oppressor is r/d in ly offerin T)4 to oppressed Tamils to avoid international, independent investi ation, that is !o/nd to follow, if Sri %anka doesnFt initiate its own credi!le and independent investi ation. To circ/mvent this awkward sit/ation So/th 0frica and Sri %anka are tryin to replace independent international investi ation with T)4, which was also tried o/t in many 0frican and %atin 0merican co/ntries. (ntil now there is no report of s/ccess of T)4 in any of these co/ntries. 8t is a wild dream that it will ever s/cceed in Sri %anka. The T)4 cannot !e a replacement for independent, international investi ation, as T)4 worked on the !asis of restorative :/stice rather than p/nishin offenders of ross h/man ri hts violations and a!/ses. =hat the international comm/nity and the Tamils are demandin is :/stice for the cold-!looded killin of more that ?-,--- Tamil civilians d/rin the last months of the war in ,--9 and this co/ld amo/nt to enocide. 0t a 4ommonwealth s/mmit hosted !y 4olom!o last month, &ritain2s 6rime #inister +avid 4ameron warned that he wo/ld p/sh for an international inK/iry into Sri %anka2s alle ed war crimes /nder the a/spices of the (N /nless Sri %anka ens/res acco/nta!ility !y #arch ,-14. The overnment has already re:ected 4ameron2s deadline, !/t official so/rces said the overnment was also keen to esta!lish a new mechanism to address reconciliation and !/ild on a local investi ation that called for a wider pro!e. The 5overnment is considerin implementin a Tr/th and )econciliation 4ommission "T)4* ahead of the (nited Nations 3/man )i hts 4o/ncil Session in 5eneva in #arch, ,-14, 5overnment so/rces said.

Sri %anka has so/ ht advice and assistance from the So/th 0frican overnment on T)4 and a dele ation is sched/led to visit So/th 0frica ne1t month. The So/th 0frican overnment, which appointed a hi hly s/ccessf/l T)4 as a co/rt-like !ody of restorative :/stice after the apartheid era came to an end, has responded favo/ra!ly to Sri %anka2s reK/est. Speakin to The S/nday %eader, a (670 National %ist 6arliamentarian said the T)4 co/ld !e constr/ed as part of implementin %%)4 recommendations. <%essons %earnt and )econciliation 4ommission is s/ estive of a !roader mechanism of this nat/re and this is in line with implementin %%)4 recommendations. The T)4 foc/ses more on pro!lems concernin the people on the ro/nd and providin them with sol/tions. That is one of the most important aspects of reconciliation. 'ne sho/ld /nderstand the fact that the %%)4, the 6arliamentary Select 4ommittee "6S4* and T)4 have their own am!its. 0nd they don2t clash with each other,> the 6arliamentarian said. =hen asked a!o/t his s/ estions for potential heads who co/ld spearhead this task, (670 6arliamentarian 6rofessor )a:iva =i:esinha said, retired S/preme 4o/rt ;/stice 4 5 =eeramantry was the o!vio/s choice. <3e is a le al l/minary and from the standpoint of the international comm/nity he is a person who has reat credi!ility. 0part from him, 8 think ;/stice (dala ama is a ood point. The (dala ama 4ommission report was a hi hly credi!le report and he is someone who can ive credi!ility to this entire process.@ 'n +ec ,8 ,-1. Sri %ankaFs main Tamil party, Tamil National 0lliance "TN0* has said that it will not accept T)4. 8t will p/sh for an independent international pro!e into alle ed war crimes committed !y the overnment d/rin the final phase of the civil war a ainst the Tamil Ti er or aniCation %i!eration Ti ers of Tamil $elam "%TT$*. T)4, wo/ldnFt !rin :/stice to the Tamils and no Tamil will accept it. 4rimes committed !y the Sinhalese a ainst the Tamils are totally inh/manA not even 3itler co/ld have conceived s/ch methods. The international investi ation sho/ld !e comprehensive, even stretchin !eyond &lack ;/ly 198.. Tamil party parliamentarian S/resh 6remachandran has told media that a TN0 dele ation will o to 5eneva to present their case at the (N 3/man )i hts 4o/ncil session in #arch ne1t year. The TN0 will !rief the diplomatic comm/nities ahead of the (N3)4 session on the sit/ation in Sri %anka and the need to cond/ct an independent investi ation. 0ccordin to 6remachandran the party at its ann/al convention held in Vav/niya the previo/s week had decided to step /p their efforts at the (N3)4 this time to call for an international investi ation. The overnment anticipates the western overnments to force the (N3)4 to adopt another resol/tion on Sri %ankan callin for an independent international investi ation into the war crime alle ations at the #arch ,-14 session in 5eneva where the (N 3/man )i hts 3i h 4ommissioner Navanetham 6illay will present the formal report on her 0/ /st ,-1. visit to Sri %anka. $1ternal 0ffairs #inister 6rof. 5.%. 6eiris recently said that the international press/re to achieve the tasks recommended !y the %essons %earnt and )econciliation 4ommission "%%)4* to achieve reconciliation is not prod/ctive. 3e said that threats and the international press/re

are not the path for Sri %anka to o forward and asked the international comm/nity to ive Sri %anka a vote of tr/st, @!eca/se the Sri %ankan overnment has the reatest will to do thin s ri ht and is dedicatin reat reso/rces to reconciliation and reconstr/ction.@ 5.% 6eiris had almost E years to !rin the ethnic pro!lem to a close. (p to date there is no chan e on the ro/nd and he says press/re will not work in Sri %anka and he wants a new Fvote of tr/stF. 7or D4 years no chan e was fo/nd on the ro/ndA only death and violence ens/ed. Now, the Tamils sho/ld insist on a final sol/tion to the pro!lem. This is the mentality of the Sinhalese politicians since the date of independence in 1948. They made so many promises and si ned treaties after treaties and !roke all of them. They always looked for opport/nities when the oin ot diffic/lt. =hen the Tamils decided to take /p arms as a last resort, the Twin-tower attack !y 0l Laeda came as a !oon to them. The &/shFs F=ar on TerrorF came to their aid and helped them to destroy the %TT$. 4o/pled with 8ndiaFs worry of Tamil Nad/ !reakin off from the rest of 8ndia, they had a hay-day to defeat the Tamils which they otherwise co/ld not have done. Now their options seemed to have r/n o/t, they are lookin for new opport/nities.