Minister G L Peiris Refutes LTTE Propaganda in London
Onlanka News – By Janaka Alahapperuma
Delivering the Keynote Address of the first Dialogue between the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, the External Affairs Minister Professor G.L Peiris said that it is regrettable that groups close to the LTTE, knowing very well that they cannot unleash violence the way they did with impunity in the past, have now taken on an initiative of a different complexion, which has assumed the character of an economic onslaught against Sri Lanka. Their purpose now is to dissuade investors and tourists from coming to Sri Lanka and cut off access to western markets for Sri Lankan products.
Referring to a query from The Telegraph yesterday seeking the views of the Government of Sri Lanka on a number of photographs the suppliers of which had claimed to be taken in the North of Sri Lanka during the final phases of the conflict which ended in last May, the Minister said that the group which is close to the LTTE and had supplied the photographs to the newspapers themselves had admitted that they were not in a position to confirm the authenticity, place and the veracity of the material supplied by them. Citing this as an example to explain the nature of the misinformation campaign against Sri Lanka, the Minister added that when several photographs allegedly depicting war crimes were first published by Channel 4, the Government clearly established, by reference to technical considerations, that they were not genuine but fake. However, the same set of photographs continues to appear in a well planned, systematically orchestrated pattern, from time to time. He recalled that one week before the European Commission was scheduled to take a decision on the extension of GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka, they again surfaced.
A report, strongly adverse to Sri Lanka but phrased in the vaguest language, with reference to anonymous sources, without any attribution or identification, was launched with considerable fanfare by the International Crisis Group in London. The timing of this event had great significance: it took place, Minister Peiris pointed out, a week before the European Commission was due to make a decision having important repercussions for Sri Lanka. On the very next day, for good measure, Amnesty International followed suit, also in London with a similar charade, Professor Peiris continued.
Responding to a question raised by the Amnesty International representative on the Witness Protection Bill the Minister said that the draft bill is under consideration by Parliament but it will be decided by the Parliament according to the needs of Sri Lanka and not as dictated by any other party. The Minister stated that Amnesty International was acting on a political agenda at present, their postures determined by preconceived notions and prejudices, with scant respect for objectivity of judgement.
Commenting on the dedication of the government of Sri Lanka to pursue a political solution the Minister said that the solution has to be decided by the people of Sri Lanka. The Minister also said that whatever the Government would do about the future of the country in shaping its destiny has to be done in consonance with those who actually live and die in Sri Lanka. He added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had a series of meetings with legitimate representatives of the Tamil people, who necessarily carry for more credibility than self-appointed guardians who live thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, pursuing their own agendas with very little sensitivity to the genuine aspirations of the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. The Minister said that the government will, with its two thirds majority which provides it with the legal capability to change the Constitution, address he relevant issues through a due process.
The Keynote address also contained extensive reference to the present developments in Sri Lanka including the progress made with regard to resettlement of the displaced, major development drives aimed at restoration of infrastructure and livelihood of the people in the conflict affected areas, and the work done so far by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Minister Peiris referred to the firmly established relationship, nurtured by history and culture, between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. He went on to identify a variety of fields which offer abundant scope for fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the new era which has opened in Sri Lanka after the eradication of terrorism.
The Dialogue also featured three sessions on “Post Conflict Progress in Sri Lanka”, Sri Lanka – UK Bilateral Relations: Future Perspectives” and “Countering Terrorism & Transnational Terrorist Front Organizations”. This is scheduled to continue as an annual event between the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka.
19th October 2010
Sri Lanka High Commission
London
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Dear Mr Nicholas Dias,
Did you have a hand in drafting this speech? It sounds similar to the gibberish you come out with in Onlanka! The last kicks of dying horse.
I admire the prof for his intellect; sadly though it is directed in the wrong direction.
Professor G L Pieris is an intellectual who has gained degrees from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. His speech at the Insititute of Strategic Studies in London is neither “gibberish” nor “last kicks of a dying horse” as DC commented. Ofcourse, diehard LTTE supporters of Tamil nationalism like DC cannot bear to face the truth. He is actually a BLINKERED DONKEY who is utterly incapable of understanding and seeing the truth which ordinary Tamil Sri Lankan citizens at grass root levels comprehend better and are happy to embrace. They find their real aspirations of better quality of life for their children and families are really fulfilled in the realization of Mahinda Chinthanaya. Within the space of one year they have enjoyed such immense freedom to engage in thriving businesses and employments to reap rich dividends of a better quality of life which VP and the LTTE deprived them of for 30 long miserable years. They were robbed of their genuine aspirations by an uneducated evil fascist brute VP, who only knew to inflict violence from his youth, in pursuit of HIS pipe-dream of conquering SL to form a base for a ‘Tamil nation’ numbering less than 4 million in SL. It was hoped by him and Vaiko to be the beginning to create a Tamil empire with 70 million of Tamil Nadu, once it has gained autonomy from India. MR blew away his pipe dream. The ordinary Tamil Sri Lankan citizens at grass root level can now live in peace and harmony with the other non-Tamil citizens of SL to relize their common aspirations of a better quality of life and future for their families. People like DC are out-of-touch with these ordinary Tamils. DC is probably a diaspora Tamil, a blinkered donkey, having pipe-dreams. Dream on!
Let the long-suffering ordinary Tamil Sri Lankan citizens dwell in peace without your interference in pursuit of your dreams. Let them pursue their aspirations. DC and other like-minded donkeys can go and jump in the sea for all we care.
Nicholas…..You Quoted
“The ordinary Tamil Sri Lankan citizens at grass root level can now live in peace and harmony with the other non-Tamil citizens of SL to relize their common aspirations of a better quality of life and future for their families. People like DC are out-of-touch with these ordinary Tamils. DC is probably a diaspora Tamil, a blinkered donkey, having pipe-dreams. Dream on”
Well said brother…
At times, I wonder, being a minority myself..what these people wants exactly…? Firtly, we must all begin to think as “Sri-Lankans” and then resolve our differences…
For all these years…as we have read thousands of Articles, each and every one of these so called intellects keeps talking about their concerns being “Tamils”…as if they are from another Planet…
If any one can point out a single Country that doesn’t discriminate…I would request him/her to just look around prior to complaining your own Motherland.
To me…it’s like eating their own flesh…when these idiots do that…
Thank God…I have no fear of applying Visa from “Colombo to Jafna”…anymore.
God bless my Country…..
Well said Kamal Nawaz!
You are a right-thinking honest person. We need more and more such honest people who do not fear to express their views to denounce petty, nationalist extremism of whatever race. I denounce Sinhalese nationalism just as much I denounce Tamil nationalism. As the Hon President has expressed time and again quite rightly, let us not polarize ourselves into different opposing camps according to race, religion and politics. That leads to bloodshed and anarchy. “A house divided cannot stand” said Jesus. We are intelligent human beings and not animals to scent-mark our territories and fight over them. Let us work together as one nation, SRI LANKAN NATION, with one objective of a better quality of life for all and a future for our children. Let us no longer depend on richer nations for small hand-outs, crumbs from the table, such as GSP+. We will then be forever a beggar-nation. Let us under the leadership of a true son of the soil, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is toiling so hard to bring the nation together with no language, racial, religious, cultural and political barriers but with only a shared common purpose, aspirations and goals, in order to make Sri Lanka a truly prosperous nation through our own skills and prowess. Our nation enjoy free education from primary school to University with free uniforms and books unlike most nations in the world. Not even British people enjoy such a privilege. Our nation will lead the world with an educated, skilled workforce to build the country economically. Education is an investment in any country’s future. In Britain today only the rich can afford a university education. Others have to take out a large loan which will take a lifetime of hard work to settle.
Let us make SL a success story of SE Asia to enjoy a strong economy. Today, the West is struggling with huge budget deficits, eg Britain has a budget deficit of £86 billion. In order to reduce the deficit, the new co-oalition government of Cameron-Clegg has drastically cut expenses in Defence, Health, Education, Social Services, Housing etc. It is the poor and the middle classes that are worst hit. There will be severe unemployment, ill-health and poverty. Crime rate will rise. There willl be civil unrest. A second credit crunch is predicted in the West. Fortunately under the prudent and just leadership of MR and his team of Ministers we will be able to weather the financial storms ahead with prudent measures to build our economy. Let us work together conscientiously as true patriots to realize this common objective to make SL prosperous for us all, a home where all can live happily as one family. The sky is the limit. The West will then learn from us, the Miracle of Asia, just as they are learning from us today the strategies of combatting terrorism effectively. Terrorismm can be defeated if the right strategies are adopted with the will to win.
I call on my fellow Sri Lankan citizens, from North to South and East to West, to give your best to your Motherland, so that we can be proud of our country as one nation, to enjoy a better future for us all. Our enemies are poverty, ignorance, disease, homelessness etc. Let us fight these instead of one another. I call on JVP to stop their anarchist policies of stirring-up youths and university students to create mayhem in the country to tear it apart, so that they can capture power somehow by a revolution. They tried twice and failed. Let the Hon President give the JVP the coup de grace this time to save our nation. They are funded by our enemies abroad, to sabotage and subvert the country from progressing. I call on the Hon President to cut this political funding by foreign saboteurs.
God bless our great multi-race multi-cultural nation!