WikiLeaks: We Can’t Take Our Troops To Court For Firing On Civilians’ In The Course Of Battle – Fonseka To Blake
By Colombo Telegraph -March 6, 2013
Sarath Fonseka
Sarath Fonseka
“Reiterating a message he shared with the Foreign Secretary, the Ambassador stressed to Army General Fonseka that when members of the security forces commit human rights abuses, ‘It is important that they be punished. It would be helpful if you could tell us about these measures, even privately. My government is concerned that it appears that people are never punished.’ He added that abductions and killings after curfew in Jaffna, which the public understandably ties to the security forces or protected paramilitaries, ‘erase the good will’ of the government’s efforts to provide food and supplies to civilians.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from theWikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “Confidential” and recounts a meeting the US Ambassador had with Army Commander Major GeneralSarath Fonseka on January 23 . The cable was written on January 24,2007 by the US Ambassador to Colombo,Robert O. Blake.
The Ambassador wrote; “Fonseka replied, ‘Everyone is concerned with human rights. The security forces have been warned and they know they have no choice’ but to comply with human rights guidelines. The SLA ‘tries not to interfere in police investigations. On a professional level, we have warned our troops, but we can’t take them to court for firing on civilians’ in the course of battle.”
Placing a comment Blake wrote; “Emboldened by yet another military victory, the military and the Foreign Secretary believe they can use war to entice the Tigers to accept a hypothetical political solution not yet on offer from a consensus of southern parties. It was encouraging that Fonseka and Kohona both implied that the GSL would not undertake a military offensive in the north now that Vakarai is over. General Fonseka and Foreign Secretary Kohona seem to have heard our human rights message and that of other members of the international community, a message we hope that they will bear in mind as they undoubtedly continue a military campaign against the LTTE.”
| Govt. has allowed UN to intervene – Ranil |
  by Umesh Moramudali-2013-03-07Leader of the United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe, yesterday claimed the United Nations is able to intervene into the affairs of Sri Lanka, based on allegations of human right violations, due to the behaviour of the government.
Addressing the media at Sirikota, Wickremesinghe said during his tenure as the Prime Minister (2002/2003), he refused to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), but the present government joined the ICC and let them intervene into human rights issues.
“The government has given permission to the UN, not the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) or any Non-Governmental Organization, to investigate human right violations in the country. Therefore, protesting against the UN simply has no meaning. Also, there is no point in blaming Navi Pillay or the UNHRC for interfering with Sri Lanka, since the government has given them the power to do so,” he said, pointing out that in 2009 the government agreed with the UN to implement the emergency law in accordance with international standards.
He also questioned why the government decided to join the ICC by changing the stance of the previous UNP Government.
“During my tenure as the premier of this country I did not join the ICC because I had plans for a political solution for the national problem”.”
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Posted by Thavam
