Following his recent successful visit to Britain in February, on March 18 NSSP leader Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratna was interviewed by the Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka’s largest circulation English language newspaper. Socialist Resistance has added explanatory comments in brackets to make the discussion accessible to a non-specialist audience).
Q: Many NGOs and INGOs blame that Sri Lankan human rights record is being depleted. What is your analysis?
W.K: Actually the situation has gone from bad to worse due to the escalation of the war. Both parties are trying to kill each other.
The Government has taken measures in Sinhala areas particularly in Colombo to arrest LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also know as Tamil Tigers) suspects. But violation of the existing laws and human rights has occurred in that process.
Tamils are subjected to political abductions. Such abductions are taking place not according to the Emergency Regulations. The PTA and Emergency Regulations have stipulated certain guidelines to follow when arresting suspects. But the Government has gone beyond that with disappearing suspects. We cannot expect people to believe that Prabahakaran (the leader of the LTTE) is abducting people in broad daylight in front of the Pettah railway station (in Colombo).
Q: The Government is in the process of cracking down the LTTE operatives. Don’t you think that minor incidents are exceptional in such a situation?
W.K: You are saying that the war is illegal. Obviously, they are doing illegal operations and claim that its part of the war against the LTTE. The point is that, if the Government is fighting to safeguard democracy, the Government cannot work as the LTTE.
The LTTErs are insurgents working against the Constitution. All their operations are illegal and criminal according to the law. The Government cannot follow their footsteps.
Should the Government behave like insurgents? If there is an insurrection, there should be a political action side by side to minimise military operations. All military leaders, specially the late Kobbekaduwa (former head of the Sri Lankan army, killed in 1992, the army say by the LTTE) said this is not a military matter. If the Government is not considering such ideas, I don’t think that they can ever solve this problem.
Q: Can any Government assure hundred per cent Human Rights when cracking down an insurrection? Best examples are Kalistan, Chechnya, Shining Path in Peru, Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone, etc.
W.K: That is why we are saying the Government is violating human rights. If the Government says that we are fighting a war and unable to protect human rights and under hand operations have to be done, well, that mean they violate human rights.
Then we are urged to stop the war because none of these struggles you mentioned were suppressed by military methods. Eventually certain autonomy had to be given to insurgents.
Q: The LTTE front NGOs and individuals are accusing the Government for the violation of Human Rights. But why are they dumb over the LTTE atrocities like Kebethigollawa? (an incident in June 2006 in which 64 people were killed by the LTTE)
W.K: The LTTE is not a Government or a state but an insurrection and guerrilla organisation. That is what guerrilla organisation is for. That is what Balasingham said that they are killing people to violate the law and make an issue.
If you say the LTTE is a governing body and Kilinochchi is the Capital and been recognised by UN, then of course the UN will investigate the human rights violations of the LTTE.
At the moment they have not recognised as a state. It is an organisation aspiring to be a state. So we can’t apply human rights condition to the LTTE.
On the other hand, UN law recognise a national insurrection. Even with the LTTE we can question why they kill people. The LTTE can be questioned if dissenting voices and women and children have been killed. But killing of political and military persons who are in the operation can’t be questioned because they are in the insurrection to attack Government and the state.
Q: The US Government introduced Patriotic Act to deal with terrorism. Don’t you think that even Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government was forced to tackle this situation with stringent laws?
W.K: The problem is that a group of people are fighting for a national liberation and many have recognised their efforts. Without recognising them you can’t compare here to America.
Even in America black people have fought for equal rights. All Acts enacted at that time were attacked by human rights campaigners blaming that draconian laws have been enacted against their own people.
But after September 11, Americans are hunting attackers abroad. They are involved in Iraq and Middle East issues adding another unsolved problem to the world.
Here there is no outside force or Al Queda attacks but Tamils are fighting for their rights. If you want to see similarity you have to equate with the black people issue but not Al Queda
Q: Why are many NGOs are talking about human rights suddenly? Is it because the LTTE was defeated in the East and fearing another military operation in the North?
W.K: They may be talking about human rights to stop military operations or to put the Government in disarray. That may be the purpose. But we talk of human rights for the benefit of the voiceless people. My stand is that the Government violates human rights not only againstTamils but against all communities.
The Government operations against the Tamils are illegitimate and unnecessary.
A majority of Americans are against Bush policy on security arrangement. They believe Americans are insecure in the whole world and have started a struggle against Muslims claiming that every Muslim is a terrorist.
In that sense, it is similar to Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka all dead Tamils are ‘terrorists’. Anybody who speaks for Tamil liberation or human rights are ‘terrorists’. Those who do not support the Bush policies are considered ‘terrorists’’.
All Muslims are checked. It has become a racial issue in US. This Government has also fallen into that category.
Q: Abduction allegations are levelled against the Government. Is this another ploy of the LTTE to discredit the reputation of Sri Lanka?
W.K: If the Government is using the law to crackdown any activity means the Government is answerable to the Court of law or some other authority. But conducting covert operations are not answerable to any authority.
The Government is maintaining paramilitaries and some other Tamil organisations for its benefit. They need money and I don’t think that the Government can give them money. But money has to be accumulated for their survival.
That is why they collect ransom. Minister Radhakrishnan said that Tamil businessmen have been asked to give ransom. The Government is allowing Para military organisations to make money to build up their organisations.
In last month’s Socialist Resistance we reported on the launch of a new campaign on the question of Sri Lanka, Solidarity for Peace. The campaign organised an impressive picket at the Foreign Office on April 2 (left) attended by more than 50 people under the slogans:
- Stop Fighting and stop talking
- Stop the humanitarian disaster
- Provide food, shelter and protection
- Stop the violation of human rights
- Support peace building.
The group has also launched a petition to be sent to Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett asking the British government to raise these issues.
As
the situation of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka seems to becoming more
precarious every day, it is important that the left in Britain joins with
people from the Sri Lankan diaspora – Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala
– to highlight these crucial questions. For further information
contact: sfpsl@aol.com