Full text: PM Manmohan Singh writes to Lankan President Rajapaksa

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'No Coca-Cola, Pepsi': Sri Lankan protestors demand ban on American goods after UN resolution

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'India succumbs to US pressure': Sri Lankan dailies criticise UN vote

Colombo:  India's vote against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council grabbed the headlines here on Friday.

India on Thursday voted for a US-backed resolution urging Sri Lanka to probe rights abuses in the war on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka expressed outrage after the resolution won majority support at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. The UNHRC adopted the resolution with 24 votes in favour, 15 against and eight abstentions.

The Daily News said: "Only one vote majority for resolution; 24 say 'yes', 23 decline to support".

Calling it "misconceived, unwarranted and ill-timed resolution", the daily said, "Those who live in glass houses are best advised to exercise caution before throwing stones."

"Geneva: Lanka fails to beat the odds," was the headline at infolanka.com

Another website news.lk said that voting at HRC was "determined by strategic alliances and domestic issues".

"It is a matter of great satisfaction to us that 15 countries voted with Sri Lanka, despite the intensity of pressure, in a variety of forms, exerted on them all," it said.

It mentioned that the resolution amended again at India's behest to include key operative words, "in consultation with and with the concurrence of the government of Sri Lanka".

The report noted that although "India succumbed to US pressure to vote for the resolution, key Asian countries, including those representing SAARC and two UN Security Council members voted against it".

"Lanka defiant despite losing vote," said the Sunday Leader.

It said that the Sri Lankan government remained defiant despite losing a key vote at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

External Affairs Minister GL Peiris said that most countries which voted with Sri Lanka were acutely conscious of the danger of setting a precedent which enables ad hoc intervention by powerful countries in the internal affairs of other nations.

"The most distressing feature of this experience is the obvious reality that voting at the Human Rights Council is now determined not by the merits of a particular issue but by strategic alliances and domestic political issues in other countries which have nothing to do with the subject matter of a resolution or the best interests of the country to which the resolution relates.

"This is a cynical negation of the purposes for which the Human Rights Council was established," he said in a statement.

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Sri Lankan envoy apologises to MPs for LTTE remark

New Delhi:  The Sri Lankan High Commissioner has apologised for  recent remarks which suggested that MPs from Tamil Nadu had been lobbied by members of the LTTE to object to the alleged war crimes of the Sri Lankan government. "If they are sympathetic to the LTTE cause, the Indian authorities should investigate into the matter," he had said in an interview. 

Prasad Kariyawasam issued his apology after he was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to explain his interview.
Mr Kariyawasam said the Indian foreign ministry official who met him "expressed very clearly the concerns of the Indian government" over his reported remarks. "I would like to apologise to the MPs of Tamil Nadu if I have caused any discontent or concern or distress in their minds," the High Commissioner said. "What I meant was LTTE lobby groups, abroad and elsewhere in the region as well, are carrying on a campaign of mis-information ."
In the Rajya Sabha, Mr Kariyawasam's remarks created a storm today.  D Raja of the Left along with members of  the AIADM K and DMK said that the envoy had violated diplomatic norms.  Trichy Siva of the DMK moved a privilege motion against him which basically means that the High Commissioner has disregarded the rights and immunities of MPs and could be held punishable by law.
MPs of parties from Tamil Nadu have been demanding that India vote against Sri Lanka at a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

America, Norway and France have moved the resolution which asks for a detailed investigation into alleged war crimes and human rights violations by the Sri Lankan government against  the island 's Tamils, as well as LTTE members.

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Sri Lankan High Commissioner on Channel 4 documentary

New Delhi:  A new documentary to air on Channel 4 this week has created an international human rights controversy - the film purportedly shows the 12-year-old son of LTTE leader Prabhkaran lying dead with five bullets in his chest. Sri Lanka has said the allegations in the film about war crime are malicious. The High Commissioner, Prasad Kariyawasam, talked to NDTV's Nitin Gokhale.

Nitin Gokhale: Nearly three years after the Sri Lankan forces decimated the LTTE militarily, fresh human rights violations allegations have resurfaced in the West against the Sri Lankan forces. How does Sri Lanka intend to tackle these allegations and how does it intend to take resolution that is being sought to be moved by the United States in the UNHRC at Geneva  later this month alleging human right violations in Sri Lanka. To answer those questions we are fortunate to have with us, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam.
Sri Lanka is once again facing these allegations how does Sri Lanka intend to tackle these fresh allegations about human rights violation.
Prasad Kariyawasam: Well, it is very surprising why such things are coming up because after defeating this abominable terrorist group three years ago, we want a path of reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation and for that purpose we were looking at what we call restorative justice not retributive justice. Retribution is not in our grain and for that purpose we set up for what we call Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, an independent commission with lot of good credentials to come up with ideas to search for all the solutions as well as address the context of the conflict and to come up with the recommendations. And as we expected, they have now come with the report which has lot of good elements commended by international community themselves and we want time to work on those matters. And in time like that international non-governmental and some governments in the west seek to intervene and try to force of hand in Sri Lanka is something to my mind is misplaced and ill-judged. It does not help in our path of step by step reconciliation.
Nitin Gokhale: What do you think of these new allegations that Prabhakaran's 12-year old son was killed in cold blood by the Sri Lankan forces?
Prasad Kariyawasam: That is by Channel 4, this is the second time channel 4 in UK has come up with such allegations. Like the first set of productions, this is also unsubstantiated, uncorroborated and not been checked by any authority and we think is concoction. And we would not welcome it because that part of the war was unclear, it was incomplete and to that purpose to set up some examination of what happened, Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission has made some recommendations and government and our parliament is now in the process of looking at those things and take step by step measures as they are recommended and we want home grown solutions. We are a democracy for the last sixty years. We are responsible government, and our government leaders have to be elected, so they will take this thing step by step like other democracies like say India. And we don't need this extra regional intervention in our region. We can very well work with India and other friendly nations. We will find solutions, this is what uncalled for.
Nitin Gokhale: What about the UNHRC resolution that is being moved by the United states against Sri Lanka. What do you think is going to happen there and what is going to be Sri Lankan stand there?
Prasad Kariyawasam: Sri Lanka does not welcome UN involvement in our reconciliation process at this point. I think we are on a right path, we think we have to come up with a home grown solution. We need to talk to our own political parties, own people and have to come up with a understanding that will serve us for the future. UN by trying to force or hand, or US trying to use force to speed up the process is counter-productive. We want to do it at our own pace, we need time and space, that is all we are asking. LLRC has recommended some things, the government is in the process of looking at it and come up with an idea as to how to.... already some recommendations have been implemented. We have been looking at other things as well, and to our mind, this whole effort is to satisfy a particular lobby and that lobby is Tamil expatriate lobby who used to support LTTE  who are stunned by the defeat of the LTTE and are now using western electoral power at their hand to force our hand.

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Indian fishermen attacked, allegedly by Sri Lankan navy

Chennai:  Five Indian fishermen were attacked in the seas allegedly by Lankan navy  in the Indian water last night.
The Lankan naval personnel yesterday attacked the fishermen with wooden logs, stones and bottles, resulting in bone fracture of a 25-year-old youth and serious injuries to others, they said.
One of the injured fishermen has been admitted to in a hospital in Ramanathapuram. Several other fishermen, whose back were swollen with weals and bruises, were being treated at private hospitals, police said.
The youth said it was a "brutal" attack by the Lankan navalmen who surrounded 25 boats of the fishermen. "They damaged the boats, snapped the fishing nets and lashed out at us with logs and pelted stones," he said.
The Ministry of External Affairs has asked Colombo to take up reports  of attack on Indian fishermen with the concerned Sri Lankan authorities.
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