PNM warns of revolt against UN offices here

The Patriotic National Movement (PNM) backed by JVP frontliner Wimal Weerawansa warned yesterday that the day was not far off when patriotic people in Sri Lanka would close down UN agencies. It warned this would happen if representatives of the UN such as UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour attempted to put pressure on the government to prevent it from carrying out its legitimate task of destroying the worst terrorist group in the world.

“We ask all responsible personnel in the UN to stop making provocative statements on Sri Lanka, aimed at instilling fear in the country’s political and military leadership, by at least taking into consideration the safety of the employees of UN offices in Colombo as well as their properties,” the PNM said in a statement issued yesterday. The statement was signed by its President Gunadasa Amarasekera and Secretary Wimal Weerawansa.

The PNM statement came inresponse to remarks made by UN Human Rights Commissioner Arbour last Tuesday. She said international law required all parties to protect civilians without discrimination and included prohibitions against the arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detention, forced displacement, enforced disappearances, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Ms. Arbour warned that violations of these rules by any party could entail individual criminal responsibility under international criminal law, including by those in positions of command.

Her statement was made to express concern regarding the Government’s decision to withdraw from the Ceasefire Agreement. The Government too reacted strongly to Ms. Arbour’s statement saying her warnings on ‘individual criminal responsibility’ were untimely, inappropriate and unacceptable.

The PNM said that officials like Ms. Arbour would not be allowed to instill fear by quoting so-called international laws and turn back the fight that had been launched to bring the entire country under the law of Sri Lanka.

The PNM also accused Ms. Arbour of trying to fulfill the aspirations of western imperialists by stopping the liberation of the Wanni and Kilinochchi. It said she was ussing so called human rights violations as a weapon to tarnish the name of the country.

”The internal problems of the country will be solved according to the wishes of the majority of the people of this country. Thelegally elected government is bound to ensure that its writ runs in every area of this country. Its duty is to destroy the world’s most dangerous terrorist group which has become a hurdle to enforcing the laws of the land. No international organization or country has the right to challenge that right,” the PNM statement said.