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Thilanga to ICC: UNHRC probe in SL will tear communities apart
UPFA Colombo District MP Thilanga Sumathipala who recently made a presentation before International Criminal Court (ICC) President, Sang Hyun Song, in the Hague, had made a strong case against the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) spearheaded investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, where he warned, such an investigation would only lead to more dissension within the country and tear communities apart once more.
Mr. Sumathipala, an Executive Committee Member of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), was attending a PGA meeting in the Netherlands when he met the ICC President, as well as ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda and ICC Registrar, Herman Von Hebel.
Mr. Sumathipala told the Sunday Times that the ICC officials were keen to listen to his views, while the ICC President had empathised with Sri Lanka’s feelings on this matter.
Thilanga Sumathipala: ICC keen to listen to his view point. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
“One main point I made was the danger of going ahead with such an inquiry. If the UN is sincere about the future of this country and reconciliation, this approach is wrong. The good feeling being built up among the Tamil and Sinhala people will be destroyed once this process starts. An ex parte inquiry will only incite feelings of hatred,” he said.
The UPFA MP said that the recent vote in Parliament against the UN initiated inquiry, clearly showed that those who want an international inquiry are a tiny minority. “Out of the 225 Members of Parliament, only 10 voted in favour, which is only four per cent. This means 96 per cent of those who represent the 20 million people of this country are against it,” he said.
The UPFA MP who once headed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), cited the case of ace spinner Muttiah Muralidharan as an example to illustrate that it will be a long and uphill task for the country to prove it is right in resisting interference in its internal affairs.
“When Muralidharan was called in 1995 for chucking, many called him a cheat, and he was suspended, saying he was throwing the ball. We had to go before the International Cricket Council (ICC) and challenge this, file legal action and prove scientifically this was not so. We even had the rules of the ICC changed, but we did not give up, despite all the pressure and bad publicity,” he said.
Mr Sumathipala said all of that changed by 2003, when Muralidharan developed an action called the “doosra”, and he was recognized as a world class player breaking many records in world cricket.
“Ironically, now, the very same people who called him a chucker want him, and he has been invited to Australia to be the consultant coach of spin bowling for Australia. If we had given up, Sri Lankans would have been remembered as cheats, but we stood by what we believed and proved ourselves right. In the same way, I believe, in the end Sri Lanka will be vindicated, whatever inquiry is held against our will,” he said.
The MP added that, at least four more years were needed for the results of the programme the government has undertaken in postwar Sri Lanka, to start showing results. “There are some issues that can be resolved quicker than others, while others will take time. Our local systems are capable of handling affairs within our country,” he said.
Mr. Sumathipala said the Government needs to move forward more strategically than it has done in the past, on this matter. “If we had seen this situation coming, we could have averted some of this international pressure, but then the question remains how much a small country like Sri Lanka can do in the face of such pressure?,” he asked.
Mr. Sumathipala said it is regrettable that, after defeating a dangerous terrorist group that waged war on the country for 30 years, instead of praise and congratulations, the country and its people were being persecuted.
“We expected the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, but instead, the international community has thought it necessary to conduct an investigation,” he lamented.