Sumanthiran and GoSL’s burgeoning HR/PR fiasco

12 Feb 2021

Sumanthiran and GoSL’s burgeoning HR/PR fiasco

12 Feb 2021

Allegations of oppression against Sri Lanka’s Tamil community came to light again this month. The protest march held by Tamil political activists and civil society organisations, against a number of issues the Tamil community claimed were acts of oppression against them, attracted international attention – bad attention, to be precise. It attracted more bad attention as it commenced on 3 February, a day before Sri Lanka’s 73rd Independence Day, and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), who boycotted the Independence Day celebration in protest of the alleged perpetuating oppression against the Tamil community, also attended this protest march. It is noteworthy that this protest march continued in a context where the members of the Government had openly expressed suspicion about, and opposition against, this protest march. Also, since the Court had not granted permission to conduct it, it was held in the midst of the Police that were trying to stop it. All these were reported by foreign and local media – however, not in support of the Government. To make matters worse, following the protest march, the Special Task Force (STF) security detail provided to Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) MP M.A. Sumanthiran PC, was removed by the authorities, begetting allegations of oppression against an MP who speaks for the Tamil community. We all know how the removal of a leading Tamil MP’s STF security detail after a protest march against the Government looks like. However, according to sources of The Morning, the STF security detail had been provided to Sumanthiran owing to the threats he had received from the remaining members of the now-defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Ironically, Sumanthiran attended the aforesaid protest march with hundreds of people, which, according to The Morning’s sources, had compelled the authorities to believe that there is no reason to keep the STF security detail. This was later acknowledged by the Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera. Outraged by this, Sumanthiran said in Parliament that by withdrawing his STF security detail, the Government had given a signal to those who had threatened him. He went on to allege that if something was to happen to him, the Government should take responsibility. What these statements against and for the authorities’ decision to remove Sumanthiran’s STF security detail led to, among other things, damage to the country’s name and an increase in allegations of oppression against the Tamil community. It is noteworthy that all this happened ahead of the forthcoming United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Session this month, at which Sri Lanka will have to answer a number of allegations similar to the ones raised by the Tamil politicians and activists who held the aforesaid protest march. These include allegations pertaining to Tamils arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA), whom the Tamil politicians identify as Tamil political prisoners, the enforced disappearances of Tamil people, and last but not least, allegations of grave human rights violations believed to have happened during the war, especially in its final stages. The big issue here, one might say, is the international backlash against what’s happening in Sri Lanka. However, a much bigger issue would be the perpetuating, and worsening, ethnic rifts between the Sinhala and Tamil communities a decade after the end of the war. Needless to say, the actual end of the war can only be achieved by ending the reasons that led to the war. Sri Lanka is now at a juncture where concrete, but careful, steps need to be taken, as it is not only Sri Lankans, but also the international community that is interested in what is happening within the nation.

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Sumanthiran and GoSL’s burgeoning HR/PR fiasco

Sumanthiran and GoSL’s burgeoning HR/PR fiasco

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