G.L. Pieris' Wars for Peace

by Murugesu Paramanathan, June 24, 2007

Sri Lanka Government’s propagandist, G. L. Peiris’ “War for Peace with the Tamils” from 1995 – 2001 and his “War for Peace Deal with the Tamils” from 2006 to the Future

Every time there is a move by the International community to bring about a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese extremists and their leaders find new catch phrases to glorify their atrocities against the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

I am outraged to learn that Mr. G.L Peiris has gone to Washington to 'prepare' the U.S. Administration prior to their departure to Oslo to attend the Co-Chair meeting. This time around the Rajapakse brothers have realized that their foreign minister, the chairman of the peace secretariat and the foreign secretary all with little credibility with the international community, have chosen Mr. G.L. Peries (the Prof. of Lies) to go to Washington with his familiar load of misleading stories. At a time when the Sri Lankan armed forces and their machineries are continuing to commit horrendous Human Rights violations against the Tamils, including killings, kidnappings, disappearances, forced deportation of civilians from Colombo, forced movements of IDPs and continued aerial bombardment of Tamils in the LTTE-controlled areas, Mr. G. L. Peiris has gone to tell the U.S. administration that the current war and violence by the Sri Lankan armed forces are “to militarily defeat the Liberation Tigers to encourage the majority Sinhalese to accept a peace deal with the Tamils”.

This idea is just as Orwellian as the phrase Mr. Pieris coined during the last phase of the war, the 'War for Peace.'

I wouldn’t be surprised if some the key players in the international community buy into this false propaganda by the Prof. of Lies. It is important to note that this Prof. of Lies, who lead the Government peace delegation during the 2004 – 2005 period, misled the world and the Tamils by agreeing to many things at the conference table and implemented nothing. He was able to convince the LTTE for about three years that the UNP Government was sincere about peace. Now I understand why the LTTE did not trust the UNP during the last presidential election. I hope, the international community and Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe,  too, would realize why the Tamils did not vote for the UNP during the last election.

After losing confidence and trust in their Sinhalese political leaders, the Tamils in Sri Lanka have placed too much faith and trust on the international community to achieve peace with justice to see and end to their five decades of misery. But, they are still waiting for that day, and the international community is being manipulated by the Sri Lankan Government with master liars like Prof. Peiris.

When any member of the international community tries to mediate between the warring parties, if that person, organisation or Government does not take the Sri Lankan Government’s line on the way the Tamils should be treated, then that person or party is called an LTTE agent or sympathizer. Only people who are anti-Tamil and biased against Tamils are seen as impartial in the eyes of the Sri Lankan Government. For example, Norway tried its best to be honest and impartial, at times kept silent about some of the Sri Lankan Government’s involvement in the Human Rights abuses against the Tamils, because they did not want to be picked on by the extremist as biased. Even so, the Sinhalese extremists branded the Norwegian government as biased towards the Tamils, though it was not true. The Tamils could have complained that the Norwegians were biased towards the Government by being silent about numerous HR violations against the Tamils. It is not news for anyone who is familiar with Sri Lanka that anyone not supporting the Sri Lankan Government is considered an LTTE supporter. If someone wished to be labeled as impartial by the Sri Lankan Government, then they must show in words and deed that they are anti-Tamil and pro-Government.

In light of the Co-Chair meeting in Oslo; I would like to bring two important points to the attention of the international community:

1. The ethnic cleansing of Tamils in the eastern province is taking place at a rate and speed that has not been seen in Sri Lanka before. This permanent displacement is being carried out with the help of the foreign aid received in the name of resettling the IDPs. I am sure, the international community are helping the Sri Lankan Government’s ethnic cleansing project without knowing the true nature of the project. Please see the below speech by Mr. Sampanthan MP, for more details.
2. Tamils have to be beaten to make the Sinhalese happy. This is not a new observation from what Mr. G. L. Peiris had said in Washington last week. It is a known fact, for more than 50 years now, that Sinhalese voters will only support politicians who promised more discrimination against Tamils, and who present themselves as more anti-Tamil than their opponents. The important thing to note from Mr. G.L. Peiris’s statement is that he has once again turned current war efforts of the Sri Lankan Government into a 'positive' effort. According to Pieris, the current war is to devolve power to the Tamils. “Sri Lanka has to militarily defeat the Liberation Tigers to encourage the majority Sinhalese to accept a peace deal with the Tamils.” How do you like this?  Pieris formulated the War for Peace strategy in 1995 for Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunge. When he was discredited, he moved onto the UNP and lead the Government’s peace delegation. Now, with the current Government, he says the current war and the Human Rights violations are all to make the Sinhalese in the South happy, so that they will support a political solution.

Mr. Peiris had gone to Washington to convince the American administration of his theory that:“Sri Lanka has to militarily defeat the Liberation Tigers to encourage the majority Sinhalese to accept a peace deal with the Tamils.”

I hope and pray that Mr. Boucher has not bought that idea from Mr. Peiris and will not then force all others to accept his view, like the international community has on previous occasions. We Tamils are fully dependent on the International Community for Justice and fairness in this cruel world of unfairness.

See here for article on Mr. Pieris' trip to Washington, DC.

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Comment in the same vein from another Tamil:

[machang - brother-in-law, buddy, mate]

The Norway-facilitated CFA was a ;peace trap; against the Tamils. This conclusion is crystal clear from the GOSL's then peace representative Professor GL Peris machang's carefully planned statements in a carefully planned venue (Washington) and time (before the Co-Chair's meeting in Norway).

What more disguise do suffering Tamils need from another Professor Vitharane Machang. What will George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's souls watching the Pentagon think of democracy in Sri Lanka and the full backing the current US government lends to Mahinda's regime.  

Have the Sinhalese homelands ever been occupied by the Tamil armed forced since 1948? Who used state terror on Tamils in their homeland and in the South until 1983? Who started the 'war for peace' in 1995 and there after? It is the GOSL which also wanted the IPKF to leave and why is India penalizing the Tamils alone? Has the Tamil army bombed civilian targets since they acquired air capability? The Tamils have been suffering in many ways while the Sinhalese have had relative peace and progress since 1948.  

Now GL Peris says war is the only option to please the Majority Sinhalese and then, one day, they can forge peace. This is the same case that has been made since 1948, or even from Anakarika Dharmapala's time, who wanted the North Indian support.    

I was a young government servant and a junior election officer in Sri Lanka in 1969. The day after the General Election in 1969 SJV Chelvanayagam despaired that only God could save the Tamils. As an LSSP supporter, his statement did not make much sense to me at that time.  

But SJV Chelva  was proven right with what another learned Sinhala comrade, Colvin R de Silva, did to the Tamils with his 1972 constitution. That is when I decided it was better to leave the country for good because the Sinhalese leaders are going to go from bad to worse. It was a pity many of us at that time did not see the sign when SWRD Bandaranayake was killed by a carefully planned plot using Gun terror. Later the 1971 troubles showed how state terror can kill its own citizens, too.  

Now Professor Peris conveys a message from Washington that the military defeat of Tamils is the only solution for the Sinhalese to live happily in Sri Lanka. And to achieve that, Pieris and the Mahinda regime need the full support of the US and the Co-Chairs, knowing very well India will be with them.  

Will our so-called moderate Tamil machangs speak  their minds on behalf of their counterparts or machangs like Professor GL Peris and Prof Vitarana ????