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The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has fired a strong salvo at the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after the OHCHR report accused them of committing war crimes.

The TNA called upon the Tamil people to “use this moment of introspection into our own community’s failures and the unspeakable crimes committed in our name.” It said that the alliance would “accept and undertake to carry out our responsibility to lead the Tamil people in reflecting on the past” and “to create an enabling culture and atmosphere in which we could live with dignity and self-respect, as equal citizens of Sri Lanka.

The statement came as most of the hardline polity of the Tamil community were absent at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva which began Monday. That included even the TNA firebrand Ananthi Sasheetharan, wife of slain LTTE Trincomalee political wing leader.

The TNA statement added: “The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) welcomes the report of the investigation conducted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OISL) and its recommendations. The most important recommendation of the report calls on Sri Lanka to establish a special hybrid court to try perpetrators of international crimes during a nine year period with the participation of international judges, prosecutors and investigators; and incorporating into domestic law war crimes and crimes against humanity so that these prosecutions can take place. The TNA has consistently called for these steps to be taken and welcomes the inclusion of these critical recommendations in the OISL report. We further welcome the entire gamut of recommendations of the OISL report, including those that relate to broader Transitional Justice and human rights concerns.

“We appeal to all parties, and particularly to the Government of Sri Lanka to accept this report. The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka assured the Human Rights Council on Monday that there is a new Sri Lanka and that things will henceforth be different. He admitted Sri Lanka’s history of broken promises and pledged to enter a new era. As an expression of this change, the Government of Sri Lanka must now be willing to have the courage to accept this report and work with the world community. To this end, we ask the member states of the Human Rights Council to adopt all the recommendations in the OISL report in the resolution to be presented later at this session. We ask the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate fully with the TNA and the international community in dealing with the past in a manner that will assuage the feelings of the victims of all communities, and to move forward to establish a brighter future for all of Sri Lanka’s peoples.

“We also accept and undertake to carry out our responsibility to lead the Tamil people in reflecting on the past, and use this moment as a moment of introspection into our own community’s failures and the unspeakable crimes committed in our name, so as to create an enabling culture and atmosphere in which we could live with dignity and self-respect, as equal citizens of Sri Lanka.”

Minister apologises for inconvenience
Media Minister Gayantha Karunatilleke has apologised if any inconvenience was caused to the public by the erection of a pandal and crowds turning up outside his Ministry when he assumed office.

Our report said, “a big crowd of his supporters too had arrived at the ministry to welcome him. Some came in buses and others in vans leading to a major traffic block in the busy area.”

The Media Minister’s private secretary said in a letter that “….I am regretful that this occasion caused residents of the area any inconvenience. It is unfortunate that what was intended by the people to be celebration of the dawn of an era of good governance and accountable practices, resulted in any inconvenience…..”

The large crowd that gathered were the Minister’s supporters from the Galle District, he says and adds “….it was with regret I noted that the writer had stated it was irrelevant whether the funds utilised were state or personal origin…. While utilisation of state funds for private purposes may have been the norm of the past — it is most certainly not the case now”. No State funds were used for the function, he adds.

The Sunday Times did not say how the funds came. All it said was that the tamasha caused great inconvenience to the public. The private secretary apologises to the residents of the area on behalf of the Minister.

Chamara being sworn in as Chief Minister

Poorgram seller now Uva Chief Minister
It’s a rags to riches sort of story for Chamara Dasanayaka who was appointed Chief Minister of the Uva Province by President Maithripala Sirisena this week.

Chamara as he is known to many in the area lost his mother due to cancer when he was only six and was raised by an aunt along with four cousins on a tea estate in Demodara where his aunt worked as a tea plucker.

Poverty meant that Chamara had to give up his education at a young age and on hard days he even had to sell kadala (gram) on the train to help his aunt make ends meet.

Now that he has attained high political office, Chamara, who was elected to Parliament from the Badulla District but has decided to forego the seat to take up the post of Chief Minister, says his objective is to serve the people who have placed their trust in him and voted for him.

“I hope the people will continue to address me as Chamara and not as Maha Amathithuma (Chief Minister), he says.

British style Serious Frauds Office for Lanka
Legislation to set up a Serious Frauds Office (SFO), on the lines of the one in Britain, will be introduced in Parliament.
This will replace the existing Financial Crimes Investigation Divisions (FCID). Some Police officers are expected to travel to Britain to study the workings of its SFO ahead of the introduction of legislation.

New Defence Secretary outspoken on India’s poaching
Just three days after he began work as the new Defence Secretary, Karunasena Hettiaratchchi has dropped a bombshell.
This week, he accused Indian fishermen of carrying out “economic terrorism” in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
Mr. Hettiaratchci’s remarks came when he called on the Malwatte Mahanayake, the Most Venerable Thibottuwawe Sri Siddharatha Sumangala Thera, last Sunday. After the meeting, the new Defence Secretary answered questions from the media. Here is the relevant Q & A:

Q: You mentioned that silence sometime has some meaning and everything cannot be taken as a rosy picture. What does it mean?
A: Usually when a thief breaks into the house and few days later we tend to lose attention thinking that he will not break in again. But we do not work in that manner and we work assuming that there can be a threat. Security does not mean issues arising from terrorism alone. It can be even from the sea. The Navy and the Air Force protect these areas. We use new technology.

For instance, the Indian fishermen stay until 6 p.m. in their waters and cross over to our waters thereafter to catch our fish and return. This is economic terrorism. There are other areas such as drugs and smuggling contraband into the country. Most of these have either to come across the sea or the airport. Therefore, security in all these areas should be taken care of.

It is not only fighting the terrorists. It is a broad area. What I meant is when there is silence we can assume that some groups are organising themselves. Therefore, we should be vigilant and be ahead. These days there is talk of local and international investigations. That’s why we say we have to be alert.

Notwithstanding the Defence Secretary’s assertions, during talks in New Delhi, both Premier Wickremesinghe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have decided that the issue should be resolved by the fishermen of the two countries. That, of course is a neat Indian rope-trick not to have the issue resolved. The Indian PM had said that it was an issue that concerned “livelihoods”. Of those of which country was the question.

Mr. Hettiaratchci who hails from Polonnaruwa was a student of the Madya Maha Vidyalaya there. This school, which has now been re-named Royal College, was the alma mater of President Maithripala Sirisena. He later graduated from the University of Peradeniya in 1977 as a Civil Engineer with an honours degree. His first appointment in the State sector was Irrigation Engineer in Polonnaruwa. He later became the Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) before being named as the Chairman of the National Water Supply & Drainage Board.

Two MPs draw President’s ire 

President Maithripala Sirisena has severely criticised the conduct of two Parliamentarians, one from the UNFGG and the other from the UPFA. Both had made strong public remarks criticising the appointment on the National List of candidates who were defeated at the September 17 Parliamentary elections and thereafter to ministerial positions. Mr. Sirisena said that action should be taken against them.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admonished the UNFGG Parliamentarian. He told him that he should either withdraw his remarks or quit as MP. He said party discipline was most important.

Sirisena among glitterati at Clinton event
President Maithripala Sirisena will be among a host of international political leaders, Nobel Prize laureates and celebrities who will join former US President Bill Clinton and Clinton Foundation vice Chair Chelsea Clinton when they host the 11th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting later this month in New York City.

Among those who will be attending the CGI are Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Australia’s former Prime Minister of Julia Gillard and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The event will coincide with the United Nations’ 2015 Sustainable Development Summit which will be attended by more than 150 world leaders from September 25-27. It is to formally adopt an ambitious new sustainable development agenda.