Jilted by the west, Sri Lanka cozying up to new friends: Iran, Libya and China join inner circle
Posted: September 11, 2009By Ranjit J. Perera
Disappointed with the lack of support from the west at a crucial time in its fight against terrorism, Sri Lanka has successfully bonded with new friends. Vital support from a range of countries including Iran, China and Libya has helped Sri Lanka scoff at the big stick wielded by western countries.
“Many European countries started cutting back on military assistance and development assistance to Sri Lanka,” says former foreign secretary Palitha Kohona who this week will assume duties in his new post as Sri Lanka’s new ambassador at the United Nations in New York. “The Millennium Challenge Account of the U.S. was summarily withdrawn from us. So, in the circumstances, either we had to succumb to acknowledge blackmail and compromise with terrorism, or look for other friends, which we did.”
Kohona made these comments during a wide-ranging interview at the foreign ministry in Colombo for Sri Lanka News Network less than a week prior to his departure to New York to take up his new appointment.
After grappling with terrorism for more than thirty years, Sri Lanka was nearly held to ransom by western countries when crucial aid was withheld at a decisive stage in its battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by its reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. With Sri Lanka’s security forces making steady progress against the rebels, the voices from the international community, including LTTE sympathizers, grew strident as they accused the government and its forces of human rights violations.
As the LTTE steadily lost ground it controlled in the north and east of the country, organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch joined the chorus of accusations against Sri Lanka followed by some western governments expressing concern. During the last days of the conflict in May this year, several countries and international non-governmental organizations were actively working to negotiate a ceasefire and ensure the safety of rebel leaders. However, in carefully crafted military maneuvers, the Sri Lankan armed forces opened up avenues for the nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians, held hostage by the rebels on a small strip of beach, to escape to the safety of government controlled areas.
The large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), since housed in camps in Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka, has been the subject of more accusations against the government.
“When you talk of human rights, you have to talk about the totality of it,” says Kohona. “There is no country in the world, absolutely no country even in the developed world, where human rights or standards are complied with absolutely. Sri Lanka is doing well, and if you were to look at countries of the developed world, you can point out many lapses. But we are nowhere near the bottom, and it is absolutely unfair to criticize Sri Lanka for its lapses, when we have actually done extremely well.”
Even as western countries withdrew support based on these accusations, Sri Lanka found many other countries willing to lend a hand. Key among them is India, which has supported Sri Lanka during the crucial final phases of the conflict. Sri Lanka in turn has sought advice from India and kept it informed of key developments with top officials from both countries visiting each other and exchanging information. India continues to support Sri Lanka with medical and material assistance for IDPs as well as with assistance for infrastructure development.
Whether they are new or old, Sri Lanka’s non-traditional friends are generous according to Kohona. He says both Iran and China have donated billions of dollars while support from traditional donors such as India, Japan, and South Korea remain strong. In making the decision to shift the focus from the west to the east, Kohona says the government exploited the fact that the economic focus also appeared to be shifting in that same direction. These “new and warmer relationships” are allowing Sri Lanka to continue to invest in development projects.
“We shifted our focus from our traditional contacts towards the east, and we were very successful,” Kohona says. “In fact, we hardly felt the pinch of the withdrawal of western development assistance.”
One prominent result of the relationships the government has cultivated with countries in the east is the arrest of Selavarajah Pathmanathan. Better known as KP, Pathmanathan was the chief procurer of arms and ammunition for the LTTE. He had evaded the law and widely traveled around the world despite being on Interpol’s wanted list. Less than three months after Sri Lankan forces decimated the LTTE and its leadership, Sri Lanka arrested Pathmanathan in a dramatic coup.
“Over the last two or three years, we have established extremely effective linkages with these countries [such as Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia] with exceptional results,” Kohona says. “Our success in capturing KP could be attributed to some of the contacts that were developed over the last two or three years.”
Sri Lanka’s western relations, however, remain significant in its continued fight against LTTE propaganda. Western countries’ crackdown on terrorism played a key role in this regime’s surprising success in defeating the LTTE and restraining its networks abroad. Kohona says that was one of the biggest challenges he faced when he took up his post as the foreign secretary.
“First and foremost, we had to ensure that the international community never compromised on the view that Sri Lanka was one entity,” says Kohona. “It was not two entities, and it will not be two entities. We succeeded in that.”
Western countries, including the United States, Canada, and Britain among others, were particularly helpful for the government when they chose to proscribe the LTTE
“Not only was the LTTE proscribed, through our efforts, – these are more recent achievements – LTTE front organizations were also proscribed,” Kohona explains citing The World Tamil Movement in Canada and the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization in the United States as examples.
In another strategic move, Kohona says the government targeted individual LTTE operatives in western countries.
“The United States prosecuted over 15, France has prosecuted over 20, Italy has taken in close to 30 and Canada is prosecuting others,” Kohona says. “This is an area where the Foreign Service through incessant contact with western capitals succeeded in putting a clamp on the LTTE leadership overseas. And it worked.”
Even though few expect the LTTE to reemerge to its former strength, many international supporters continue to advocate the LTTE cause – the fight for a separate state. Therefore, maintaining strong ties with powerful western countries will remain a crucial component of the government’s national security strategy. Furthermore, even though development assistance now comes mainly from eastern allies, the country’s trade links continue to be with the west, as Kohona explains.
“Countries with whom we have had very close relations until recently may have quietly drifted away from us,” admits Kohona. “It is our challenge now to bring them back to where they were because Sri Lanka is a non-aligned country. We do not believe in confrontational relationships with the rest of the world. We never have.”
That though could be a tough task even for a seasoned diplomat like Kohona as reports emerge of a spat with Colombo’s British High Commission over the issue of a visa for Kohona to travel via London, which may have delayed his departure for New York by a day.
In response to a request for comments on newspaper reports, Acting British High Commissioner Mark Gooding said the following in an emailed statement: “The suggestion that there is any political bias in our visa application process is completely unfounded. We never comment on individual visa applications, but many of the details of the various cases reported are incorrect.”
As the U.N. General Assembly gets underway next month, Sri Lanka will no doubt be looking to cement existing relationships and make new friends. Whether western countries will be open to a rapprochement with Sri Lanka, only time will tell.
Read full interview here.
Ranjit J. Perera is a freelance journalist and can be contacted at ranjit@srilankanewsnetwork.com.
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22 Responses to “Jilted by the west, Sri Lanka cozying up to new friends: Iran, Libya and China join inner circle”
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Western coutries have been blind to the state terrorism of the last sixty one years. They are responsible for the escalation of the conflict to this level by giving conflict-insensitive aid to Sri Lanka that has been mercilessly trampling on the basic human rights of a section of its own people.
As far as duties to its own citizens are concerned Sri Lanka has no ‘’sovereignty” over Tamils. When the on-lookers question its denial of basic human rights of Tamils, then the ‘’sovereignty” curtain comes down on Tamils.
Sinhalese have emerged from external colonialism. Tamils are yet to emerge from internal colonialism.
Sri Lankans learned two lessons during this sad conflict.
1. There are no friends (especially in the West) but only interests. While embagos were slapped on the government, the terrorists continued to receive money and materials from the west till their ultimate defeat.
2. As Sri Lankans, all communities should learn to stand on our own feet united and not depend on anyone’s favours for our won survival.
Today all communities in Sri Lanka live without the fear of death. This includes Tamils. Those who still dream of seperatism while living overseas do not seem to realize this truth.
It was the Sinhalese who were terrorized by some Tamils over the last several decades. Sinhales can not buy land or set up businesses in areas where Tamils are concentrated. But the Tamils are free to move and live freely in any part of the country.In a democracy,you can not eliminated the word “descrimination.”Now it is not time to fight, This is the time to work together to build the country together.
Thanks for the bold comments Dr. Kohona.
Hats off to ranjit for this piece at a time when the media is dominated nothing but the Tamil’s interpretation of the world, terrorism, genocide and cyanide.
Due removal of their military bases in 1956, Western countrie(s) duped the Tamils to create terrorism aginst the their only motherland and lost. Stupid Sinhala leaders like JR killed Tamils. MR saved the Sri Lanka from the Terrorists.
Unless the Tamils do want to create ore trouble for themselves and the country, I guess both sides are equal. Let’s develop the country and live peacefully!
Our Foreign Secretary has to be commended for standing up to the bullying by the Superpowers.
I am certain that we can make it as a sovereign nation under the leadership of our President who has achieved what all Superpowers have failed in annihilating terrorism from our shores.
My contribution is available on Lanka Web, 13 th September for anyone interested.
Thanks to Mr Palita Kohona.
Good one Ranjith… This is the time we need reporters like you. All the Western media is ganged up against us.
Yes,we should not bow down to Western pressure. West is a part of the problem than a solution. Sri Lanka is an indepent country, West should remember that.
We need more and more deplomats like Dr Kohona in countering Western attacks.
Well said Dr. Kohana. West has fed, defended LTTE for the last 30 years. They have blood in their hands. It is hypocricy of west for feeding LTTE terrorists with one hand while fighting a war against Al Qaeda with the other. They were embarrased by the defeat of LTTE. Poeple like Miliband used his own TV channel (channel4) to telecast LTTE propaganda against Sri Lanka after failing political campaign. British remained silent. Sri Lanka not only fought and won LTTE terrorists militarily but also its international diplomatic wars supported by USA, EU, ICRC, NGO, UN, HRC, HRW and many others. EU actions and sanctions wont stop Sri Lanka’s growth. Super powers learn lessons everyday from the tiny nation. Sri Lanka has never been an enemy to any state. Neither Sri Lanka shrugged its responsibilities for world democracy and peace. It dared to speakout on behalf of certain states when world rose against them.
What Sri Lanka needs is reconciliation and stand on its own feet.
All your comments are based on leaning either towards Sinhalese or the Tamils.
So, it keeps changing all the time to support one or the other. You haven’t still learnt to stand in the middle to look at Righteousness and bring Goodness.
You are only running from pillar to post; West to East, East to West.
It is a pity!
Mr.Kohona before you blast western countries why not first give up your citizenship of Australia and talk like a Sri Lankan. Half of your cabinet ministers and their sons and daughters hold either US, UK or Australian Citizenships. Ask one of them to give up and get a citizenship from one of your so called new friends – Libya, Burma, China, Pakistan etc…How many of them will say yes to live in those countries…no one why? Because they have the worse human rights records. Keep your personal opinion with yourself; don’t try to speak for the rest of the country. We have been paraded as one of the worst human rights abusers because the people in the top never cared…You all live in a comfortable life style with all the backup and try portrait to the world that we all supporting that we no longer need the western countries help…think before you make comments in the future
What are we arguing for. Lets start the good work. We have decimated the basters & liberated the land. Every Tamil should live with dignity so as the rest. We need Law & order & promote English as a intermediate language. In the universities you only get 3 months to improve your English & that is hardly enough! & poor students are dragging behind. GOSL should be frank, fighting to eradicate drugs while sending Mervyns Kudu Lal to London or transferring the judges, who make firm decisions against the culprits, is not the way to state example. We should realise by now what ever said & done we can’t work as a loner. We need to patch up with west for the trade & should be grateful for the support we had during Tsunami
Well Said Kohona! We have really genuine friends in Asia and Africa. Time we distance ourselves from the West!
Thanks Ranjith for your comments. Dr Kohona you have done a yeoman service to uor motherland. There are always bad apples like Chamini. Do not getdiscourage by adverse comments. Keept it up. Ranjith we need more journalists of your calibre.
They are the masters we have to obey and bow our head to them.
that era is over, now we are the masters to our self. thanks to thoes muslim countries who suported us on behalf of all the muslims of Sri Lanka.
Eid Mubarak
Make no mistake, Sri Lanka has many friends in the USA. Apart from a few, most US lawmakers are waking up to the reality that bashing Sri Lanka is pissing off other US allies in the East.
Chamini,
Your comments with regards to Dr Palitha Kohona is offensive and in poor taste. By the way, who the hell are you to take issue with Dr Palitha Kohona’s very accurate and brave comments? As representative of the Sri Lanka goverment, he has every right to speak to the International world and let especially the “Sudda’s” in the western world know who we Sri Lankan’s really are. We come from a long generation of kings like Dutugamunu, who stood up bravely to foreign threats. Our President Mahinda Rajapakse is the new King Dutugamunu. Take pride in him and his goverment achieving victory over terrorism that the U.S. or U.K or any other western country cannot achieve even now.
Nobody in the civilized world can vindicate the fact that Srilanka is a civilized country governed by the laws enacted in the constitution. It is a country that has marred its sovereignty by deviation far wide from the institutionalized adherence to the law and order. The Legislative body intervenes in the sphere of the Judiciary and the Executive. That is the mayhem we observe today. The powers of the President impinge on the independent function of the three political blocks and prevent them from executing the function of the law and order enshrined in the Constitution.
To remedy this erosion into independent function of the Judiciary and the Executive, it is paramount to recognize the need for the abolishment of Presidential Executive Orders to ensure that in future power abuses will demand impeachment in courts and harsh sentences in imprisonment. Already there are signs in opposition quarters to bring this change.
The recent VDO footage showing the killings of blinded folded and naked Tamils by Singhala men in military uniforms and the mutilated corpses lying around in the ground with death row numbers placed at their feet are only a tip of the iceberg of State Terrorism. The rest has yet to surface to challenge the passive attention of the world communities. It should not be a welcome sight and realization.
Another aspect where Srilanka failed to honour its commitment to social harmony is the imprisonment of about 300,000 men, women, and children in wired camps where every week about 1400 die of malnutrition, sanitation problems, disease, food and water shortages, and other related problems. Needless to mention here that the White Van abduction of internment Tamil refugees in the camps results in either disappearance of those abducted for ever or their killings. Their corpses are thrown out in the streets in the bushes, and in the lakes. After Srilanka declared victory over or suppression of the LTTE activities by its own proclamation about four months ago, it still keeps the internally displaced Tamils by force in the internment camps. No international laws demand such an imposition on war victims as observed in the internment camps in Srilanka today. The reason is the false and mistaken idea derived from the collusion of the war abettors India, China, and Pakistan. They seek economic hot spots no matter what happens or has happened to the fundamental rights of the indigenous Tamils. This is in direct contravention to the International Laws that govern the ethnic integrity.
Srilanka as an independent sovereignty in the Indian Ocean neither abides by its own constitution nor honours the International Laws to exist as a multicultural country. If you do not respect the laws and order, you become a dangerous criminal to plunder the public property, human life, and destroy the very pillars of constitution to suit your taste and fantasy. That is the situation in Srilanka today.
The country Srilanka should not be allowed by international norms and standards to decay into abysmal State Terrorism. It is time that the corrupted UN took some measures such as harsh economic punishments. Tie up all IMF loans and foreign aids with the security of the minority Tamils in the island. Any deviation by Srilankan government from this condition should deprive it of any future loans and aids in any form whatsoever. Isolate the country from world membership of any form. Deploy UN backed forces to keep the peace there or direct UN rule. A very strict screening process by foreign countries of Srilankan representatives abroad and for the future posts in High Commission abroad to verify if any of them in the past or present is involved in State Terrorism, is or was a willing partner to or any similar activities against the minority. If the verification is yes, bar them and their family from visiting any foreign countries or taking any official post for ever. Freeze their assets and deposits they have in foreign banks, both in direct and numbered accounts. A killer has to be identified as a killer for the sole purpose of singling him or her out from the society. Pass very stringent measures at the UN level to impose embargo on the purchase of Srilankan goods abroad. Independent Human Rights institutions and the press abroad should adopt measures to bring pressure on Srilanka to change its political course in such a way as to guarantee peace and harmony in the island. Bring Srilankan President Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa and his military hierarchy before the Independent Tribunal of the World Court to face impeachment as was the case with former war crime murderers of Yugoslavia.
Srilanka in any way does not qualify to be called a civilized country NOW. It is a land of mounting sins committed by the Singhala chauvinists both in politics and the State Religion Buddhism.
By all means Srilanka today has shown that it does not care for the local or international laws to exist as an independent country. This encourages the idea that the present political machine has to be replaced by a democratically and militarily strong country to bring peace. A killer should never be let loose in the world.
The UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki Moon has shown his incompetence in handling Srilankan issue by being a lame duck during Srilankan war on Tamils. It is high time he was replaced by a more competent personality in the UN or outside who wields power to implement policies to bring about peace in Srilanka and formulate the groundwork for the impeachment of Srilankan President Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa and his military hierarchy before the Independent Tribunal of the World Court. They should face charges of manslaughter resulting from their atrocities against a helpless and unarmed Tamil community in Srilanka.
A land haunted by ghosts can not call itself a land of Paradise.
It is Srilanka today.
Hello,
Sri Lanka has failed on its commitment to Sri Lankan Tamils in terns of political reconciliation.
There is no way that the central govt will know what the Tamils want, and how they want govern themselves, protect their language, culture, and be educated.
There is a gap of communication between Tamils and the Sinhalese government( I say this because they are the majority)
MR promised political settlement but has up to date held back on his promise. Anyone criticizing Sri Lanka is considered enemy of the state.
Wake up Sri Lankans wake up ..
Tamils have legit problems in Sri Lanka. But the creation of a Tamils only state is not the answer. That would be like Martin Luther King Jr. asking for a blacks-only part of America. Sinhala and Tamils need to work togther against the common enemies of discrimination and poverty. You keep hearing about “Sinhala extremism.” But there’s another extremism at work: Tamil fascism.
Tamil fascism takes many forms. In Malaysia, it’s in the form of HINDRAF. In India, it’s Tamils fighting against Kannada and Hindi, and claiming that making Tamils speak another language will result in a “race war” (as if being a Tamil makes you another “race”). Also, as you can see from the above posts, there is a lot of Tamil nativism, a legacy of British colonialism which claims that Tamils are the original inhabitants of India and everyone else, including those from northern India, are foreigners, or as Tamil extremists call them, “Hindians” (a play on the language “Hindi”). Of course, the original inhabitants of India are forest dwellers (dalits or scheduled tribes), who are hated by Tamil activists in equal measure, particularly if they are Muslim. It will be interesting to see if Canada, Australia, and the UK push for war crimes investigations against Tamil groups in Toronto and London who funded and supported the well documented ethnic cleansing of Muslims and anyone who did not speak Tamil from their “homeland.” Only when Tamil fascism is seen for what it is in the West will Sri Lanka emerge as a multi-ethnic democracy.
Hello John F,
Who created the “Tamil fascism” in Sri Lanka? Mate! Try to read the history of Sri Lanka on mid 1950s. Then, you would get some ideas about “Sinhala Only” policy. Just focus on Sri Lanka for now. Don’t go to Malaysia or India.
Remember, Muslims never claim themselves as Islamic Tamils or Islamic Sinhalese. Most of the situations, they are considered as trouble makers. Is there any Muslim ever speak against “Sinhala Only” policy?
Don’t sleep mate! Wake up!!
Hello yuva
In england , the policy is ‘english only policy’ because english are the majority.
Same in srilanka mate. sinhala only policy.You better wake up mate.Go and argue with manmohan sing.As tamil nadu is your beloved tamil homeland.There is only one nation in lanka, that is lankan nation.
Hi Indika
Don’t compare England with Sri Lanka. England has been settled by people for around 35,000 years. For a long time they have been spoken West Germanic Language then become English. Sri Lanka has been settled by Tamils and Sinhalese.
Go and argue with Mr Manmohan Singh. As Sinhapura kindom in North-West India is your beloved homeland where your ancestor Prince Vijaya and his several friends were exiled.
In the name of lankan nation, don’t torture Lankans who lives in North and East.
For your information Indika!
In Canada majority of people speak English!
But, Québec is Canada’s mainly French-speaking province. It has a population of nearly 80% of whom speak French, known as francophones. To protect its culture and language, the province has passed very strict legislations relating to the use of the French language.
Remember, French and English migrated from Europe to Canada. As well as Tamils and Sinhalese from India to Sri Lanka.