Sarath draws RW’s attention to humiliation of military officers

Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, MP, has drawn the attention of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to the humiliation caused by travel restrictions imposed on senior serving and retired military officers and two former Presidents by the US, Australia and Canada.

In a letter dated 25 Oct., the former Public Security Minister has pointed out to the President that among the affected were Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and CDS General Shavendra Silva. None of them have been charged with any war crimes or pending “war crime charges” in local or foreign judicial courts.

Pointing out that Western countries have used UNHRC resolutions as an excuse to humiliate those who gave political and military leadership to defeat the LTTE, termed even by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation as the most ruthless terrorist organisation, MP Weerasekera alleged that successive governments failed pathetically to apprise the UNHRC properly regarding the war and the relevant Geneva conventions covering it.

Recently, the US denied visa to MP Weerasekera, a former Navy Chief of Staff, thereby denied him an opportunity to join a parliamentary delegation to Washington. However, close on the heels of the US denial, China invited the former minister to attend an international conference in Beijing.

MP Weerasekera alleged that some officers have been prevented from taking part in “peace missions” and their nominations were either delayed or refused on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes allegations.

Explaining how the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon went out of his way to trap war-winning Sri Lanka in war crimes investigation, the lawmaker questioned the red carpet welcome afforded to Ki-moon when he visited Sri Lanka several months ago.

The SLN veteran has pointed out that Sri Lanka should ask the international community to deal with accountability issues here as a ‘non-international armed conflict’ and certainly not as an ‘international armed conflict’

In spite of the UN appointed Panel of Experts (Darusman Report) and the report of the Office of Human Rights Commissioner (OISL) too recognizing the war against the LTTE was a ‘Non International Armed Conflict’ and the applicable law is ‘International Humanitarian Law’ and the same has been confirmed in the ruling of EU General Court which rejected an appeal to lift the ban on LTTE, Sri Lanka was being relentlessly targeted.