Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake recently told the Indian Express that the meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Chief Minister for Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, occurred "in the context of this recent film, the Channel 4 documentary that's gotten a lot of attention around the world, including here in the United States." Too bad for both the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of State that the claims made in the Channel 4 documentary have been discredited by both the United Nations and a second documentary, Lies Agreed Upon, (now viral on YouTube), which provides background and evidence to refute every single claim made in it.
It is usually the case that America's foreign policy spokespeople are misinformed to say the least. Here's a little context as to why neither Clinton nor Blake (who is shown in Lies Agreed Upon meeting with a man who has lectured terrorist cadres on how to raise funds abroad for the procurement of weapons for the LTTE, an organization banned by the US government!), has a clear picture. It is called missing "the ground situation.'
At the Colombo International Airport in Sri Lanka, a Tamil woman about my late mother's age asks me to watch her bag outside the ladies' restroom. "We met before at the check-in counter," she assures me, though I have already nodded. We look at each other for a few silent moments, acknowledging what was not possible for thirty years and what now is: to ask a stranger, particularly a stranger from the "opposite" ethnicity, to watch a bag, parcel or any other "unaccompanied' item without fearing that it might contain a bomb.
In the streets of Trincomalee and Batticaloa, areas where the majority of the populace speaks, almost exclusively, only Tamil, I, who do not understand Tamil, am still able to recognize and communicate a sense of empathy with my fellow citizens. I ask for directions, food, medicine, they help me, both of us falling back on gestures rather than words, on smiles and, to signify further good-will, the stroking of a child's face, their sons or my daughters.
On the beaches of Nilaveli, a place I had been prohibited from visiting since I was a little girl, I meet a Tamil man on an early morning walk. He tells me in faltering Sinhalese: "Now that the war is over we can speak. Before this you would have been afraid of me, I would have been afraid of you. We could not travel, there were checkpoints everywhere. Now I am free."
On my travels I note the newly de-mined roads being re-paved. I notice massive reconstruction that includes the laying down -- for the first time in eighty years -- of a railway that will connect the South and the North along the pristine coast. I take note of the fact that everywhere I look, whether in predominantly Sinhalese areas that once withstood nightly raids and outright massacres from the Tiger terrorists or in predominantly Tamil areas that once were subject to forced recruitment of children and youth, the curtailment of movement and the assassination of moderate leaders, there are people building new homes for the first time in a quarter century, simple brick and mortar structures that, nonetheless, affirm hope.
While I am in Sri Lanka, a childhood friend of mine who had sworn that he would walk the length of the island if the war ever ended, stayed true to his word. Trail, an undertaking that involved more than 30,000 people of all ethnicities, social classes and political stripes, walked 670 kilometers over the course of 27 days from Dondra in the South to Point Pedro, the Northernmost part of an island shaped like a tear-drop. The walk raised money from a mostly Sinhalese population to build a pediatric cancer ward in the hospital in Jaffna which serves an overwhelmingly Tamil population, further acknowledging our similarities and the need for national reconciliation in the aftermath of tragedy and loss.
At the conclusion of the war in May 2009, there were approximately 293,600 IDPs in the Relief Villages set up in the Vanni. Today, only 3% of ordinary civilians are yet to return to their homes; though they are free to leave, they remain of their own volition until the de-mining/reconstruction work is completed, and the government of Sri Lanka continues to support them through its national welfare programs as well as through its relief organizations and by channeling funds from generous donors. Of some 11,000 former LTTE combatants, 595 child soldiers (100% of them), have been rehabilitated and united with their parents while 6,100 adult cadres were rehabilitated and released by June 2011. Most of the remaining cadres are undergoing further rehabilitation programs and will be reintegrated to society by the end of this year. Those culpable for atrocities at a higher level will be prosecuted through legal channels.
All these changes -- both the physical and the cultural -- have taken place in little more than two years after the end of a 30-year war also punctuated by a devastating tsunami. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, we hear of the "whitening" of the citizenry, and the continued disenfranchisement and displacement of its former population. This, six years after a natural disaster that was minimal by comparison, in a nation far larger and far richer than Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, in Guantanamo, the United States continues to both torture and hold people without charge and we can all be reassured that none of those people being held there are being offered opportunities for education, technical training or the chance to sit for national exams, telephone, hospital and prayer facilities according to their faith and certainly no free visitation rights for their kith and kin as is the case in Sri Lanka.
Why then would Hillary Clinton take it upon herself to utter during her recent visit to India and her meeting with Jayalalitha, the pro-terrorist (LTTE) leader of Tamil Nadu: "The United States is looking at some innovative and creative ideas to break the impasse over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue"? Could it be because the LTTE, the terrorist organization amply funded and supported by Jayalalitha also contributed to Clinton's own campaign? Could it be the prospect of imports/exports between the US and India? One thing is certain, it had nothing to do with any real interest in Sri Lanka's own strides toward reconciliation.
On Hillary Clinton's watch, in a voice vote, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to ban all US government funding to Sri Lanka. This is heartening to those Americans who imagine that the United States enjoys a certain savoir faire regarding South Asia. To those outside the United States, and certainly to Sri Lankans, this is laughable. Sri Lanka ended its war at long last because its government finally refused to acquiesce to American threats to withdraw IMF loans and USAID grants. Instead, the government of Mahinda Rajapakse returned to its traditional friends and allies: Japan, China and Pakistan and, to some extent, India. Today, what the United States thinks it is "keeping" from Sri Lanka it gets freely from those same countries including, from China, the construction in Hambantota, of what will become the largest and most important port in the world as well as a the centerpiece of a booming capital city, a 2000 seat center for the arts. What the US plans to withhold is peanuts by comparison.
Word on the street in Sri Lanka goes something along the lines of these words from journalist Malinda Seneviratne:
If 'creativity' and 'innovation' is Hillary-speak for a re-enactment of 'Libya', 'Grenada', 'Haiti', 'Panama', 'Iraq', 'El Salvador', 'Nicaragua', 'Afghanisatan' etc etc (I pity these recipients of US largesse, by the way), not to mention poetic silence about Gaza, then she might as well spell it out. We are used to threat and are not unaware of global power imbalances. We know what we can do and what we need to resist. We know that nations get bulldozed by the powerful and that it is often done in the name of things like democracy and civilization. Hillary need not be cute about it, not least of all because we know how 'creative' and 'innovative' she was during her campaign for the US Presidency, when she talked of disembarking from a plane and having had to run for cover dodging a hail of bullets, her gaffes in Russia and about change one can Xerox (photocopy).
In other words, either Hillary Clinton is grossly misinformed, stupid or simply playing politics, uttering statements that have no ground in reality and designed merely to placate other people like herself who are equally disinterested in peace or real human progress. The sad thing is that Hillary Clinton will retire someday from office with a speaking gig that will pad her posterior and that of her progeny quite comfortably for the duration of her life. What happens to the ordinary American people who are left with a view of the world so warped and ignorant that their government becomes increasingly irrelevant to the course of human history? And who will be viewed in turn by the world as naive, ill-informed and powerless to resist the thuggery that is perpetrated in their name?
I don't expect any answers from Hillary Clinton, but I hope that Barack Obama decides sooner rather than later to reclaim the foreign policy mantle of his presidency. If he is expeditious, perhaps, he will still be able to advocate for a speaking part on the giant stage that is South Asia. That is if he, too, understands that the US won't be writing the script.
Follow Ru Freeman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RuFreeman
What I find interesting is.. If they were discriminated against in Sri Lanka, HOW did they manage to get such top-notch education in Sri Lanka??
ALSO interesting to note, is that they got this education FREE!
Tamil friends, pls take a moment, put aside your emotions and re-think.
Re-think what certain people have told you, what they may have drilled in to your minds. RE-THINK with your own intelligence. Are you seeing the REAL PICTURE or are you imagining a gruesome situation based on what some people have made you believe?
Some expat Tamils are not prepared to even look at the positive signs.
Think of investments in roads, facilities, industries in the North-East; rehabilitation and technical training of former combatants; of the 300,000 displaced Tamil people were provided food and water and EDUCATION in camps; that cultural exchange tours done between South and North; the truck-loads of items sent by people of the South to the displaced people in the North.
Some people seem to be afraid to re-think because they might realize something different!
War is cruel. Innocent people suffered due to actions of both parties.
If the war didnt end, lot more people would have died.
Since the war people are looking ahead. Lets support those people.
It is very clear that certain external elements, including those in Tamilnadu, are trying to destabilize Sri Lanka. After a "failed-30-year war", give peace a chance. It seems that racist elements on both sides do not want peace. Try to help the innocent victims of this war and look forward to the future; people must learn to live together irrespective of their differences.
Further no free and unrestricted access to media, journalists, NGOs and Human rights groups to Tamils areas tells the world, why the Sri lankan regime is denying this basic fundamental rights.
When the international community wakes up and come to senses, they will take action against the criminals.
Are you and expert on International Law? The CH4 TV broadcast includes the evidences and photos provided by the Sinhala armed forces that were at the crime scene.
Only an international independent war crimes and human rights investigation can bring the truth as the Sri lankan regime is a party to the crime and will not investigate its own crimes.
India will take action and the poor Sinhalese may have to undergo the experience that the Tamils have undergone under the Rajapakse regime.
What you dowill come back to you!
In any court of law, videos without ownership, production dates, without knowing exact locations and identity of participants to the allegations cannot be submitted as credible evidence because in a court of law, the prosecutor has to prove the allegations without doubt. The video of the Channel 4 is produced using freely available propaganda clips of the LTTE. We have seen them in internet even before the film was telecasted.
First the Ch4 said the main clip was produced in January. They showed the same film after a few months later. Then they said it was filmed in May. If CH4 has received the clip from the original author, why they tell two dates? Clips were edited in reverse order. At the beginning CH4 refused to accept that they have edited it. When CH4 aired the same video second time, they showed additional frames. CH4 said it was the continuation of the same clip. But later it was proved that CH4 has digitally added a still photograph to the first clip to make it more dramatic. CH4 said the clip was taken from a mobile phone but it was proved that it was originated from a sophisticated video camera. It was the LTTE who used such cameras and filmed every operation to use them as propaganda material later. Therefore, it is not a reliable source.
However, the GOSL answered to allegations in CH 4 video in a new video called "Lies Agreed Upon".
Jayalalitha and Clinton are admirable stateswomen, though I mostly hope that the UN Secretary-General listens to the advice of his “experts” and that the Sri Lankan government also does the right thing in establishing an independent international mechanism to investigate.
And lastly, Amnesty on the importance of the film:“How important is a film like this in terms of pushing the human rights agenda?” They say: “The film reinforces the findings of the UN panel – namely that both sides committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. It contains very graphic footage in a long format documentary that lasts one hour and therefore has more impact on the public than a written report. The film has been hugely important, making it impossible for diplomats to ignore that gross human rights violations took place.
It's sad that you can't seem to look beyond Sri Lankan government excuses and that you use the example that you’re “friendly” with some Tamils to try and discredit Channel 4’s evidence to the contrary.
The truth is people who shout slogans demanding independent investigation and accountability have not donate a single sent to uplift the lives of war affected innocent Tamil people. Nor they really bother about actual pain and sorrow of Tamil people in Sri Lanka. What they really want is a new opening to realize the failed Tamil Elam project. They think if the LTTE front organizations can sustain the pressure on western governments someday those western governments will help to create a Tamil Elam in Sri Lanka. They are dreaming a situation like Kosovo, South Sudan or East Timor.
Unfortunately the ground reality cannot be compared to those instances. Even though any western government wants to create such Tamil Elam, a mono-ethnic country, the geopolitical reality is that India will not allow such unfortunate incident to happen. Delhi government knows clearly that, in such a scenario, a new separation movement will start in TN. In fact the first separation movements started in Tamil Nadu in 1940s. The central government of India demolished such hopes of prominent Tamil leaders like Ramasami ("Periyar") and Annadurai who said that it was necessary to divide India racially to prevent "violent revolutions" in future.
However, my humble request to those who agitate for such, we cannot shed more blood for such irrational dream. Sri Lanka is not such a big country divide to small pieces according to whims of extreme leaders. Please join the hands to develop Sri Lanka as one country.
Situation like Kosova is in the making in Lanka,people who refuse to see that will obviously deny that!Talks with TNA has broken down,GOSL will never garnt police and land powers,Sinhalese will not allow that and Tamils cannot continue to live like this so what next??
The whole world should stand by that as it is a fair and democratic demand to deliver fair justice!
More than 300 military members from the U.S. Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Sri Lankan Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force gathered together, Aug. 22, for the start of Pacific Airlift Rally 2011, a US Pacific Air Force sponsored, biennial multilateral tactical military airlift symposium held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The US Air Force send three C-130 planes to this miltary exercise. So can anybody who tries to show the vist of Hilary Clintan is something against SL explain this military coparation with the US and other main players in the world?
Thanks for your writings and let the Western people know about Sinhala mockery and Apartheid mindset.
Sinhala regimes and its forces have been committing crimes against Tamils since independence in 1948.
The Sinhala understands only VIOLENCE!!!!
Unless the US and other Western nations take action against Sri Lanka like the way President Bush took against serbia and brought Slodoban Milosevic to the ICC, Rajapakse will not allow anyone to conduct an independent investigation in Sri lanka , as he has committed crimes against huamnity.
Yesterday spokeswoman for US State Department said International Community WILL INTERVENE if gosl continues to violate human rights(attack on Uthayan editor) and not probe into war crimes allegations!
I am not saying Prabakaran was born in Malaysia. He was born in SL(VVT). But Prabhakaran’s father Thiruvengadam was born in Malaysia in 10-01-1931. It is well known fact. It is a great irony for such people to propose a Tamil Homeland in SL. It was possible during British time a lot of Malaysians came to SL. Even Chelvanayakam was born in Malaysia. You can find it from the book written by his son in law, AJ Wilson. I am not surprised it. For instance we had such Professor called, Mahalingam at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya.
Whether Tamils are majority in the Indian Ocean or not does not have any relevance to us. Sri Lanka is an independent and sovereign country where Sinhalese are the majority (75%). We elect members of parliament by using very reasonable approach where there is one Member of Parliament for every 80000 people. This figure is about 60000 per member for TamilS. In that sense, there is no injustice to any community in SL. They can raise their voice very efficiently on behalf of the community they represents.
Your argument regarding the visit of Madam Hilary Clinton does not valid and there is no influence to SL. TN asks for economic sanctions to SL but the Indian central government pressurise the GOSL to get its sign on to the CEPA trade agreement. That shows that the TN has no say in this matter or does not understand economics.
Like George Bush took action against Serbia, Sri Lanka must be attacked by the International community to bring the criminals to the ICC. This is the only solution as this alleged war criminal Rajapakse regime will never accept responsibility or allow independent investigators into sri lanka to do an independent and an objective investigation.
Yes, innocent people died during the final war. Its sad and unfortunate.
But were people deliberately targeted? No.
Why do you think 300,000 people were left?
The government provided EDUCATION, counselling, training and recreation to these people because they are citizens of Sri Lanka.
True that a lot of shells were used to drive back the tigers. Some innocent people would have died due to this. But now people can live free.
The govt forces held religious observances in memory of soldiers and civillians who lost their lives.
Jeya who is just a head minister of a state is invited as a guest by Madame Hillary,but Mahinda who is the president of Soverign and Independent country was chased in UK.!
its a pity u didn't read the 'report'.if u read you will see that there is no convincing
allegation made .the 40000' casuality figure was first made by mr.gorden weiss but
didnot explain how he came to that figure.