War crimes lawyers seek arrest of Sri Lankan president in Oxford
News Source: Guardian UK
Lawyers working for Tamil activists are attempting to obtain a war crimes arrest warrant against Sri Lanka’s president and senior member of his entourage who have arrived in Britain.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose government defeated the separatist Tamil Tigers last year amid humanitarian protests about the treatment of civilians trapped in the war zone, is due to speak at the Oxford Union on Thursday.
The visit comes as Tamil supporters claim to have acquired a video showing a former Tamil Tiger colonel being interrogated by Sri Lankan forces. His family allege he was killed after surrendering.
Rajapaksa is also expected to meet the defence secretary, Liam Fox. Last year the UK revoked a number of arms exports licences to Sri Lanka in response to the conflict.
The Sri Lankan head of state’s visit, postponed from last month, is likely to trigger mass protests. Tamil demonstrators were at Heathrow airport for his arrival on Monday evening; more are expected in Oxford later this week.
Last year thousands of Tamils blockaded Parliament Square in Westminster for several weeks to draw attention to the fighting in Sri Lanka. The freezing weather may reduce the numbers involved this time. There are estimated to be as many as 300,000 people of Tamil descent in the UK.
Sen Kandiah, founder of the British Tamil Forum, an umbrella group representing Tamils in the UK, told the Guardian: “We have been working on an arrest warrant for some time. We have instructed a prominent legal firm and have spoken to former lord chancellors.
“We know that at least 40,000 civilians were killed at the end of the war. This man was the commander in chief and he’s coming to speak to the Oxford Union. He should face a proper trial.”
Another Tamil activist, Suren Surendiran, said that if Rajapaksa had immunity as head of state then arrest warrants would be sought against military members of his entourage. Graham Williamson of the civil rights group Act Now has called for a boycott campaign of Sri Lankan goods.
The UK accepts universal jurisdiction for war crimes offences, meaning that those accused of atrocities can be arrested in Britain wherever the offence was allegedly committed. But the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, announced in the summer that the legislation would be amended so that any prosecutions would require the assent of the director of public prosecutions.
That would effectively stop the private actions brought against visiting foreign officials that have deterred visits by Israeli officials. A similar tactic was used when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister against the former Chilean president, General Augusto Pinochet. He was arrested and held under house arrest on charges of crimes against humanity, before being released on health grounds without being charged.
Last month David Cameron endorsed calls for an independent investigation into the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009. He told the Commons: “Everyone has read the papers and seen the TV footage, but we need an independent investigation” to work out whether there had been human rights abuses.
A spokesman for the public relations firm Bell Pottinger, which represents Rajapaksa, denied that he had cancelled his trip to the UK last month becuse of fears that he might face an arrest warrant.
“He had to give a keynote speech at the UN,” the spokesman said, “and visit Shanghai. He had a busy international schedule. He’s here now to speak to the Oxford Union.”
Rajapaksa last spoke at the Oxford Union in 2008. His second visit tomorrow, according to his spokesperson, will mean that he is the first serving head of state to address the union twice.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has established a three-man committee to investigate ways of dealing with the war crime allegations.
A spokesman for Fox said: “Dr Fox will be meeting President Rajapaksa in a private capacity. This reflects Dr Fox’s longstanding interest in Sri Lanka and his interest in, and commitment to peace and reconciliation there.”
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War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity were committed by VP and LTTE leaders. The imperial West, in not denouncing these crimes and ordering VP’s arrest through UN, tacitly supported LTTE. So their hands were just as much bloodied as a result. Norway openly supported LTTE financially, militarily, and politically. Hence Norway’s Eric Solheim and a few others are also war criminals. They openly declared LTTE as a ‘Separatist Organisation’. Anton Balasingham was a war criminal as well and plotted such heinous crimes with VP. He was granted British citizenship with his wife, Adele, another war criminal, and allowed to spend his last days in Britain for medical treatment. Britiain and USA handled VP and LTTE leaders with velvet gloves due to vested interests. Such was the magnitude of their cras hypocrisy!
Hon President Mahinda Rajapaksa is no war criminal nor has he committed crimes against humanity. He is infact a hero for totally erradicating the brutal terrorist LTTE regime for good from SL under 3 years, even though imperial West pundits tried to advise MR and even threaten him not to do so, due to their vested interests.
During the final days of the War of Liberation the LTTE was corralled in a strip of the beach. He held more than 300,000 own Tamil civilians as hostages, as a human shield, to protect himself and the LTTE hardcore cadres from the advancing heroic SL troops. This in itself is a war crime. But the imperial West and Norway did not denounce it. Instead they were hell-bent on trying to save the LTTE leaders and the hardcore cadres. US ship from the 7th fleet was diverted to SL to rescue them on the pretext it was to rescue the civilians. Britain and Norway called for the rescue of the LTTE in the face of certain death, in order for them to fight another day, to uphold US and imperial West’s vested interests.
Hon President issued orders, as Commander-in-Chief not to use heavy weapons but to defeat the LTTE through strategem and close combat. This prolonged the final push and cost the lives of heroic SL ground forces. But is was the price Hon President and SL paid in order to save the lives of the innocent Tamil civilians held hostage by the brutal LTTE as a human shield. Hon President also order regular supplies of dry rations, food and water which were transported to the trapped civilians under the auspices of the Inernational Red Cross. However, the LTTE robbed their own Tamil civilians of even this food and water also. They were famished as they fled to the SL army side in their thousands, men, women and children, through the lagoon. The scenes shown of this flight of the hostages was harrowing. The SL soldiers welcomes and protected them and provided them with food, water and medical treatment and shelter. This was on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, Hon President. So how can he be denounced as a war criminal? The diaspora LTTE supporters are smarting at the toal rout and utter defeat of the LTTE, with the death of VP and other LTTE leaders. Hence they want in revenge the head of President MR and Defence Secretary GR in return along with other heroic military generals.
well said sir….
+Srilanka President Newe Demala minisunwa Prana Epakaruwan vidiyata tiya gena hitiye. Temil tiger Praba nohot Loke gena Wagak nethi Moda takatiru Paselen hora penala gihin Walwedunu Takatiru Hiwalai, Demala Minisunwa Prana epakaruwan vidiyata tiya gena Indala Antima Mohote Pana Bera gena Yana Aya Mara demuwe. Oya Nadu Yannna Kemathi Aya Amarikawe ha Englandwala Inna LTTE Trastawadeenta virudawa Nadu giyata Kamak neha. England , Emarika maha lokuwata Trasthawadaya vinasa karanna katha karanawa. ewunata LTTe eka Poschanaya karanawa,Eyala Elipita. Me Ratawal wala ayata Kabarunta wage Diwa dekak tiyenawa. LTTE eka Maha Loku Sadarana Vidiyata Pitaratawalata Gihin Boru Kiyanawa . Hebai Lankawe Karema Balu Asamadghathi Thirisan Weda . Podi Lamai Maha Sanghaya weni Ahinsaka Minisunwa Dahas gane meruwa Hitak Papuwak Nethiwa . Ehenam ewata Katha Nokaranne Mokada Oya kiyana Sadarana Ratawal. Eyalage Malu Awussana Api Giye Nehe , Ewa kunu gada gahana ewa Wahala Ape Rate Nethi weradi Hoyanawa. Deviyan Balathwa Meweni Asadaranakam gena.
Dear Nicholas,
If you and your female followers wish to remain the proverbial “ostrich with its head in the sand”, so be it.
The noose, my dear Nicholas, is tightening. The Dharaneeshwara Kalyani went in through the back doors at Heathrow and will probably have to be smuggled out of the UK strapped to the underside of a truck across the Channel!
Oxford Union closed its doors and SL’s mate, Liam, will get a cold and cancel all his appointments, shortly, my dear Nicholas.
What’s more important is that SL does not have a single sinhala leader, including Hon RW, who can stand up to the world now. There are two leaders who are sort of acceptable (Dr VBK and Hon MS) but they are of no consequence.
I am waiting for your response to this, my dear Nicholas, and it will be a tirade on Western imperialism! And what else, I wonder, dear Nicholas.
It will be worthwhile educating the masses in the benefits of substituting western oriented wheat based food with Chinese noodles. Because, my dear Nicholas, that’s all the population will have in the near future.
A little bird tells me that Hon WW is about to commence a fast to death in front of the British HC demanding the disbanding of the Oxford Union.
Fun and games, dear Nicholas, we live in exciting times.
DC is a UK based Tamil extremist nationalist, a LTTE supporter. He is sputing out the usual diatribe against our heroic Hon President. It is not worthy of a reply because DC’s comments are rabid and unfounded.