Church Warns of 'Foreign Intervention' in Sri Lanka
The Catholic church Wednesday warned Sri Lanka's government of foreign intervention unless it worked towards reconciliation and addressed allegations of war crimes during the war against Tamil separatists.
Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said he was urging President Mahinda Rajapakse and the main ethnic Tamil party to hammer out a political settlement or risk an international probe.
"Foreigners should not tell us what to do... We are not a pack of fools," the cardinal said. "But if we do not resolve these issues, then we open ourselves to foreign intervention."
Sri Lanka has resisted international calls to investigate allegations that up to 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed by security forces in the final months of fighting in 2009.
At a Commonwealth summit hosted by Colombo last month, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron warned that he would push for an international inquiry under the auspices of the U.N. unless Sri Lanka ensures accountability by March.
In a pastoral letter, the church warned that failure on the part of Colombo to ensure accountability for alleged war crimes could trigger international investigations that will be a "serious threat to the sovereignty of the country".
Christians are a small minority in the mainly Buddhist country, but the Catholic church wields considerable influence over the government and Ranjith is regarded as close to Rajapakse.
Since the 37-year separatist war ended in May 2009, there have been no attacks blamed on the defeated Tamil Tiger guerrillas who fought for independence for the island's ethnic Tamil minority.
The cardinal said the majority Sinhalese and Tamils should ensure reconciliation and politicians on both sides should be flexible and hammer out a political power sharing deal.
In its 24-page letter, the church also asked the government to ensure accountability for politically-motivated killings going back four decades.
Up to 40,000 people were said to have been killed when the then government crushed a political uprising by mainly Sinhalese Marxists rebels in 1971. A second uprising by the Marxists between 1987 and 1990 is said to have claimed up to 60,000 lives.
The U.N. estimates that the Tamil conflict, which is unrelated to the two Sinhalese uprisings, had cost at least 100,000 lives between 1972 and 2009.
12 December 2013, 03:32
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The Srilankan Government is a democratically elected Government and they have a responsibility to ensure accountability for alleged war crimes. You can't keep saying that LTTE have not been blamed for crimes. They are not a government they were still under Srilankan Rule and Srilankan government have killed all the LTTE leaders but the security forces are all looked after very well by the Government for killing the innocent and incuding LTTE. So you have to face the Warcrimes tribunal.
12 December 2013, 18:11
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Why no one asking investigation of war crimes in Iraq and Afganistan? Has UN have a count of murdered civilians? Can ICC take Bush for those crimes. Anyone now can travel within the small Sri Lanka without fear. Those who helped LTTE by collecting big money want to continue their lucrative business. Those who helped LTTE and living outside Sri Lanka should be taken by ICC for crimes within SL for LTTE killings.
12 December 2013, 07:35
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Why is the church and the international community only worried about atrocities on the government side, who will investigate all heinous planning done along with Adel Balasingham, Norway etc in helping tigers to take on government forces. Thirty long years nobody lifted a finger when government forces were massacred by the tigers, they were all helping them and waiting for the tiger victory. I don't think Malclom Ranjith shoul speak like that, even now the church is with the tigers on so many fronts in the north.
12 December 2013, 11:00
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I forgot to tell not only the government forces died but thousands of innocents including children, old and lame of all ethnicities died in the bombs and suicide blasts trough out the country for 30 long years, the master planner Anton Balasingham lived in central London. Did they take any steps to stop the carnage, now the very people who aided and abetted want international investigations, Adel is still living. Will she be investigated, dig the past and get all in the bag. Srilanka government had the right to defend itself and citizens from the most brutal terror group. So who should be investigated.
12 December 2013, 20:59
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Thank you Banda,You forgot so many things,By the way,The western countries who asking for independent investigation/ international independent investigation, they have helped Sri Lanka to win the war in many ways.The SL president promise them as soon as war end he will bring political solution to ethnic Tamil problem. what happening now. so they are not going to close their eyes as you like.
13 December 2013, 13:29
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So that means there was a conspiracy and the west wants the ransom. What help did they give us, they helped the LTTE more. We know who helped us.
13 December 2013, 13:35
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As I have mentioned Adele and the gang too should be brought to justise, hope you are not one of them.
12 December 2013, 14:56
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The war went on for over 3 decades thanks to "foreign interventions"; this is nothing new! Same criminal politicians in certain countries are trying to play for their electorate where LTTE criminals appear to be the king makers. Western countries are interested in neither reconciliation nor human rights (they are serial violators) nor war crimes (they have a long history of war crimes). All they are doing is playing for their electorate to get short term cheap votes. Is it right to give into such forces?
We successfully ended the war once we were determined not to give in to those criminal foreign interventions that came in full force. Living in this world is like living in a town full of criminals. One cannot survive unless you side with somebody significantly strong. In our case, that "somebody significantly strong" is China.
12 December 2013, 14:57
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Back in 1978, JR Jayawardene tried to side with the USA, a country that "never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity". They allowed us to be bullied by India, and all western allies started supporting LTTE that was favourable in their local elections. Today, the world order is different; "Enter the Dragon!"
13 December 2013, 04:41
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Banda by arguing this way, you are equating an elected government to a banned organisation. In order to justify your argument, then the necessary step is to ban the Mahinda and his clown from the international arena as well by a war crime tribunal.
13 December 2013, 14:46
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Just because you belong to a banned terror out fit do not equate all the same. Mahinda is a democratically elected president and he did defend his country and citizens from terror war. The west and the cronies who aided the terrorists like you are not happy and wants the people elected government banned, just because of a tiny Tamil minority. People of srilanka will not agree. Only a dream my dear.
