The people of this country need not pay for the actions of a few politicians-Special Statement by UNP

(Lanka-e-News-13 eb!"1#$ %&3"pm' Sri Lanka is at a fire-(od and the )a*apaksa administration bears responsibility for ull our country+s current Pli(ht& ,fter years of insistin( that the Sri Lankan (o-ernment carryout a credible internal in-esti(ation into the alle(ed human ri(hts -iolations$ especially in the final phase of the war$ the international community seems poised to demand an international in-esti(ation& This is a situation which could ha-e been easily a-oided had the rulin( re(ime heeded the calls of the UNP and many others who ha-e been insistin( that the rulers respect the ri(hts of its citi.ens$ irrespecti-e of race reli(ion or place of ori(in and address the serious alle(ations le-elled a(ainst them in a manner that is acceptable to the people of this country& /nstead we ha-e witnessed further deterioration in the rule of law$ accountability and credibility of the Sri Lankan State& President )a*apaksa himself pled(ed to the UN Secretary 0eneral 1an 2i-moon in 3ay !""4 that he will under take an internal in-esti(ation to look into the alle(ed incidents in the last phase of the war& This pled(e has been repeated for the consumption of the international community& 5owe-er the international community is now realisin( a blatant truth that the people of this country knew for a lon( time6 the word of the )a*apaksa ,dministration means ne7t to nothin(& The present administration has done itself no fa-ours by erodin( the le(itimacy of the *udiciary$ weakenin( of democratic institutions$ repealin( the 18th ,mendment to the

constitution and increasin(ly houndin( the media and dissent& 1y the ille(al impeachment of 9hief :ustice Shirani 1andaranayake$ the rulin( re(ime has amply demonstrated to the people of Sri Lanka and to the international community that it is impossible for us to claim that there could be a credible internal in-esti(ation into the alle(ed crimes& The increasin( acts of -iolence a(ainst reli(ious and ethnic minorities which are clearly orchestrated by (roups with the backin( of the rulin( re(ime further casts doubts on the (enuine commitment to reconciliation& The continuin( abductions$ torture$ intimidation of the media$ militarisation of e-ery aspect of social and economic spaces$ blatant corruption$ nepotism and the (larin( impunity with which the rulin( elite flout the norms and laws of human ri(hts ha-e all contributed to brin( Sri Lanka to where we are sadly placed& ;nce a respected country amon( a community of ci-ilised nations today our (o-ernment is facin( increasin( isolation in the democratic world& /t has isolated itself to such a de(ree that it is compelled to seek company amon( <like minded= authoritarian re(imes& /t has been the position of the United National Party for years e-en at the cost of populist sentiment and irrespecti-e of what the re(ime pro*ects$ human ri(hts is not an alien concept for the people of this country& /t is in our collecti-e interest that our (o-ernment protects our inalienable ri(hts& The ri(ht to education$ ri(ht to di(nity$ ri(ht to *ustice and a fair trial are all human ri(hts *ust as the ri(ht to life and the ri(ht a(ainst torture and arbitrary arrest& The people of the South witnessed horrific scenes at >eliweriya$ when the rulin( re(ime unleashed the army on innocent people whose only crime was to demand safe drinkin( water& The cold blooded killin(s at >eliweriya was a wake-up call that demonstrated how e7cesses by a re(ime that (oes repeatedly unchecked could reach alarmin( proportions that cut across ethnicities and reli(ions& To this day$ the )a*apaksa re(ime has failed to hold a sin(le person accountable for the >eliweriya massacre& )ecently mass (ra-es ha-e been unearthed in 3atale and in 3annar& So far 1%# skeletons ha-e been e7humed in 3atale while the (ra-esite in 3annar has re-ealed remains of o-er %" indi-iduals& 5ow is it an act of treason to demand answers about which of our citi.ens are buried in those (ra-esites? /s it an unpatriotic act to ask the 0o-ernment who killed them? /s it a conspiracy to demand that those responsible for the mass killin(s are brou(ht to *ustice? The time has come to chan(e the discourse about human ri(hts& This discourse chan(ed instincti-ely in >eliweriya on ,u(ust !$ !"13& 1ut we do not need to see our countrymen bein( shot and killed before our eyes by forces entrusted to protect the citi.enry a(ain$ in order to realise that human ri(hts

is about the ri(hts of e-ery citi.en of Sri Lanka to li-e free and with di(nity? /t is indeed ironic and tra(ically comical that recently a leadin( mouthpiece of the administration had asked for a further fi-e years to fully implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and )econciliation 9ommission (LL)9'& or a re(ime that had the ea(erness to repeal the 18th amendment and introduce the draconian 1@th amendment -irtually o-er ni(ht$ for a re(ime that impeached the 9hief :ustice throu(h a process that lasted less than two weeks and for a re(ime that (rants appro-al to any multi billion dollar deal o-er the counter it is nothin( short of ridiculous to ask for fi-e more years to implement recommendations that were made by a Sri Lankan commission tasked with lookin( into brin(in( about peace and reconciliation in our country& These absurdities once a(ain demonstrate the insincerity of the rulin( re(ime& /t is time to say we no lon(er belie-e the propa(anda and narrow racist narrati-es of the (o-ernment& >hether Tamils are buried in the 3annar mass (ra-e or Sinhalese at the 3atale site$ these are all Sri Lanka=s people& Those skeletons were someone=s brother sister$ son or dau(hter& Their families deser-e to know the truth& ,s a nation we deser-e to know the truth& The UNP stands ready to face any of its historic demons and learn from those mistakes$ for we belie-e we will all ha-e to confront our past in order to build our future& A-en at this -ery late hour the UNP calls on the rulin( re(ime to address the serious alle(ations le-elled a(ainst it& , mature state does not en(a(e in blanket denial when alle(ations and aspersions are cast at it& /t listens to those accusations$ reflects introspecti-ely$ and attempts to set the record ri(ht as much for its own people$ as for international consumption& The UNP calls on the )a*apaksa administration to stop seein( enemies and conspirators where there are none and learn$ e-en at this late sta(e to listen to what our friends in the international community are tellin( us& This country stands$ as ne-er before$ on a ra.or=s ed(e of de-astatin( international action& /t cannot afford to ha-e this challen(e led by a (roup of petulant schoolchildren who insist on pointin( fin(ers of blame and e-eryone else without once lookin( inward& Sri Lanka now more than e-er$ needs mature$ e-en-handed and truthful political leadership& The people of this country need not pay for the actions of a few politicians& ,s a responsible opposition$ the UNP stands willin($ to e7tend its fullest support to conduct a domestic in-esti(ation into the alle(ations about the final phase of the war& /t is our belief that an in-esti(ation should span not only the months from :anuary3ay !""4$ but (o deeper and in-esti(ate the atrocities committed by the LTTA& /f the

findin(s of such an in-esti(ation re-eal that (uilt can be attributed$ we call on the 0o-ernment to prosecute any persons who may ha-e been a member of the LTTA at a senior le-el and ensure they are held accountable for the crimes& The UNP stands prepared to support the regime to restore the systems and institutions of democratic governance, if it will pledge to restore the 17th Amendment and prioritise a return to civilised values and the rule of law. This is not a moment for partisanship. It is a moment of national crisis. The UNP elieves in a !ri "an#a that is unified, democratic and truly free. $e have no interest in seeing our nation relegated to the lunatic fringe of the international community, disrespected and loo#ed down upon ecause of our intracta ility and refusal to do what needs to e done. After %& years of rutal conflict, reparation must e made. That is the nature of peace uilding. $e did not need the international community to tell us that. It is something !ri "an#a should have realised for itself, as a nation that understands the rutality and ro#enness of conflict and the need for all its citi'ens, in the North and the !outh of this island, to heal those wounds.

Posted by Tha-am