US State Department Plays ‘Ultimate Saviour of Genocidal Colombo’

Feature by TamilNet, February 3, 2011

Full text of the feature by TamilNet political commentator:

As criticism mounts on the US cosyness with genocidal Colombo in the handling of the national crisis in the island of Sri Lanka in the past as well as present, and as scepticism increases about the genuineness of the war crimes investigations, observers place much significance to the ‘judgement’ of the US Asst Secretary of State Robert Blake last week, naming the LTTE with “large part of the responsibility” for the civilian casualty in the Vanni war.

“The first thing to recognize is the LTTE bore a large part of the responsibility for this. If you read the public statements that I and the EU and the Norwegians put out during the course of this conflict, we were always careful to urge both sides to protect civilians,” Blake told in a radio interview to the NPR Station of WRVO, last Thursday.

The following were his arguments:

“As the Sri Lankan army was pushing north into the Tamil areas, the predominantly Tamil areas that were controlled by the LTTE for more than two decades, they displaced, the Sri Lankan army displaced a large number of Tamil civilians and they all began to move northwards. The LTTE systematically refused international efforts to allow those internally displaced persons to move south. To move away from the conflict areas where they could have been given food and shelter and so forth. So they systematically basically refused all efforts and in fact violated international law by not allowing freedom of movement to those civilians. So had the LTTE actually allowed people to move south, none of this would have happened in the first place, so it’s important to make that point. I think that often gets lost in the debate on this”.

“Secondly, the LTTE often deliberately put its heavy artillery in the midst of civilian encampments, precisely to draw fire so that people would get killed in the hopes that there would then be international outrage and there would be essentially demands on the Sri Lankan government to stop the fighting and [agree to] some sort of negotiated settlement.”

“The Sri Lankans, not without reason, argued that the LTTE was really never interested in peace and that they had always used ceasefires as a way to regroup and rearm themselves, so they essentially refused any efforts to resume the peace process,”

Mr. Blake said in the interview.

First of all Blake should know why Tamil civilians preferred to move northwards when the SL Army was advancing from the south.

Secondly he has to answer, what direct international arrangements or guarantee his country or others have made to protect the civilians, other than sitting in Washington and telling the people to get into the hands of the genocidal SL Army.

Thirdly, it is well known to all those who are investigating the war crimes that the LTTE was not fighting the defensive war by keeping people in the forefront. The LTTE fighters were in the forefront and they paid through their lives.

Blake says that it was ‘not without reason’ the ‘Sri Lankans’ argued that the LTTE was not interested in peace and hence they refused to resume peace process.

Blake also says “we wanted to see the defeat of a terrible terrorist organization.”

These statements make Mr. Blake and the US government a party to the war and thus a party to the war crimes.

Mr Blake’s statement also reminds Eezham Tamils how comprehensive their efforts for seeking justice for the war crimes should be, not sparing anyone for whatever reasons of diplomacy.

* * *

Meanwhile, citing SL government sources, Daily Mirror reported Tuesday that Blake ‘unofficially’ met visiting Rajapaksa in Texas last week.

To keep the meeting secret, Rajapaksa and Blake ‘accidentally’ went to Texas and the US State Department was evasive, saying there won’t be any ‘official meeting.’

“When all the circumstances and events surrounding the SL war crime charges are taken into account, it is very clear that a ‘hide and seek’ game is being played by interested parties,” Daily Mirror further said, adding that Blake had also met Gotabhaya in US last year ‘unofficially’.

According to the newspaper, “It is impossible to imagine that Mahinda Rajapaksa would have embarked on the US tour without Blake’s assent. He was scheduled to meet Blake, and that was why President’s secretary Lalith Weeratunge and Foreign Minister Dr. G L Peiris accompanied him on the tour.”

On the cosy relationship of Blake with Rajapaksa, Daily Mirror said:

“It is a well and widely known fact that during the period when Blake was the US Ambassador in SL, he maintained extremely close and friendly ties not only with President Rajapaksa but even with his family. It was reported that Blake at that time along with his family at the invitation of the President had spent a whole day with Mahinda’s family members at the latter’s ‘Carlton House’, in Tangalle at Hambantota – the native place of Mahinda. His swimming and frolicking in the sea then with Mahinda’s family members became a theme of conversation among all.”

Daily Mirror feature by Upul Joseph Fernando also said that Blake is in constant touch with Mr. V. Rudrakumaran of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam in USA, but it is obscure whether Blake made a request to Rudrakumaran not to create a stir over Mahinda Rajapaksa’s US visit.

“Why the US and Blake are playing ‘hide and seek’ ` pertaining to SL war crime charges is clouded in mystery,” the writer said.

* * *

Almost simultaneous to the interview of Robert Blake, the Norwegian peace broker Erik Solheim, not only echoed Blake’s views on the responsibility for war crimes, but also went further in telling that there is no international support for the independence of Eezham Tamils.

Falling in line, some countries in the West and Australia that refuse to receive threatened members of the liberation movement by putting the tag of ‘terrorists’ on them, are prepared to receive SL war crime generals as ‘ambassadors.’

Those who are guilty of war crimes naturally would try to place the blame on others and would do everything to save their skins.

If at all the LTTE was responsible of any war crimes, it is not there now. But the others responsible for the war crimes are roaming free.

International human rights organisations are sceptical of positive and truthful results in the SL war crimes investigations in the near future, just because the masterminds of the crimes are in positions of power.

Mr. Blake often calls for ‘some’ accountability.

Some accountability comes only when some of those internationally responsible for the crimes bow down first taking responsibility, and desist from further contribution to genocide and denial of independence to Eezham Tamils,

It is not without reason the Eezham Tamils believe that State, as it is in Sri Lanka and as the way it is protected by powers, would never stop the multifaceted genocide and would concede the recognition of their nation and the rights due for them.

* * *

Mr. Blake is now harping on ‘new elections’ held in the north so that a new ‘indigenous’ leadership can emerge.

Like the Indian establishment Blake too isolates the north, dropping the east.

What the Eezham Tamils understand from his statement is that the US wants a subordinate to the subordinate in the north and they are already aware of the kind of manoeuvrings that are taking place towards that.

Eezham Tamil observers are very well aware how ‘indigenous’ individuals are mobilised outside or planted inside, promoted to hijack the uprisings of people and are ditched when the purpose is served or not served.

It is not without reason ‘indigenous’ leaderships depending on powers are despicable to people.

Such leaderships invariably have to depend on oppression and terror to safeguard them. If Robert Blake is envisaging such a leadership, then that has to be nipped in the bud by the awareness of the people.

The net result of the global policies of the US is seen today loud and clear in the streets of Egypt, and understandably Colombo ordered media to downplay the news of the uprising reaching the masses in the island.

Behind New Delhi supporting Mahinda’s ‘home grown’ solution and the US talking of ‘indigenous’ leadership, Eezham Tamils are also aware of the competition of them in serving Tamil interests on the platter to Colombo.

As long as genocide is not accepted as genocide, colonisation is not seen as colonisation, national liberation cause of Eezham Tamils is not recognized as national liberation cause, the US and the others are only encouraging and are a party to the crimes that are being committed in the island.

No more deceptions of development, human rights and reconciliation. Concede the sovereignty rights of the nation of Eezham Tamils.

Development, human rights and reconciliation come only through awakening, enthusiasm and participation of a people enjoying the sense of freedom.

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