03 July 2023

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

 

LANKA’S LLRC & NSW’S ICAC

 

I recently wrote ‘Opposition is an essential part of Democracy. The reason, to my mind is to eliminate the vertical hierarchy in Autocracy so the democratic energy flows laterally. Equal status allocated to Opposition, facilitates ‘Freedom of Expression’. To be effective, Opposition needs to be belief-based. The reason for this is the exponentiality of Truth. Belief is truth in the form given by us. Often Opposition is expressed in relative form.

 

Today, I was referred to the article ‘Lanka warned of Extraterritorial jurisdiction’ by the Island newspaper.

When reading, I felt the need to take Opposition position on the basis of my own truth. This I believe would facilitate the global sharing of energies.

As per the Island article ‘One of Sri Lanka’s celebrated career diplomats, the late Jayantha Dhanapala, discussed the issue of accountability when he addressed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), headed by one-time Attorney General, the late C. R. de Silva, on 25 August, 2010.’

The LLRC, like the NSW ICAC and the Australian Human Rights Commission, have the mandate to Educate. This requires them to be conscious of Research without any judgment. Once they ‘judge’ in their own thoughts, they have the duty to recuse themselves from the inquiry.

As per the outcomes, at public level, we are not able to identify with any lessons learnt through the LLRC. If the Government had learnt, the Constitutional crisis of 2018 and the Presidential resignation of 2022 would have been prevented.

 

The article continues to report as follows:

‘ Dhanapala, in his submissions, said: “Now I think it is important for us to expand that concept to bring in the culpability of those members of the international community who have subscribed to the situation that has caused injury to the civilians of a nation. I talk about the way in which terrorist groups are given sanctuary; harboured; and supplied with arms and training by some countries with regard to their neighbours or with regard to other countries. We know that in our case this has happened, and I don’t want to name countries, but even countries which have allowed their financial procedures and systems to be abused in such a way that money can flow from their countries in order to buy arms and ammunition that cause deaths, maiming and destruction of property in Sri Lanka are to blame and there is therefore a responsibility to protect our civilians and the civilians of other nations from that kind of behaviour on the part of members of the international community. And I think this is something that will echo within many countries in the Non-Aligned Movement, where Sri Lanka has a much respected position and where I hope we will be able to raise this issue.”

As per my investment in the subject matter, Dr Dhanapala was referring to India’s training of militants. Concluding that the LTTE were Terrorists is in breach of the fundamental Rights to express one’s Belief.

Sri Lankan Parliament introduced ‘Buddhism foremost’ article in the 1972 constitution. This is now in article 9. As per article 10 of the 1978 Constitution :

‘10. Every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.’

14. (1) Every citizen is entitled to –

(e) the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or in private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching

 

As per the above, India is a Natural Elder for Hindus. As per the Hindu bible – the Baghawath Geetha,  one is entitled to fight against one’s own government to protect one’s own sovereignty and one’s own homeland. This homeland is as per one’s belief. If the LTTE was believed to be fighting for their homeland, India as the birthplace  of the Baghawath Geetha, had the moral authority to train the LTTE.

Dr Dhanapala seems to have little about this umbilical cord connection between Hindus of Sri Lanka with their Hindu Elders in India. Also, seems to have forgotten that he had his book ‘China and the Third World’, was published not in China but in New Delhi, in 1985.

But Truth had already surfaced anyway, leaving a trail of ‘facts’ in its pathway. Some published by Wikipedia are:

The Hambantota International Port

The Hambantota International Port is a deep water port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, which has been leased to China on a 99-year lease. Opened in 2010, it is Sri Lanka's second largest port, after Colombo.

The plan to build the port was revived by Mahinda Rajapaksa, a native of Hambantota, after he was elected president in 2005

The first phase of the port was inaugurated on 18 November 2010 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom the port was named after

In modern times, the port is expected to become part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" (the maritime part of China's Belt and Road Initiative) that runs from the Chinese coast via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, …..

 

Given that India & China are each other’s natural Opposition. One is entitled to conclude that India was training its heirs to  defend their own Hindu heritage in Sri Lanka, starting with Kathirgamam area where Hambantota is.