Who Is Responsible For Obstructions In The UNHRC, Geneva? – OpEd
Tamil activists have participated in the UN human rights process since July 1983 – activists from the South since 1990. Then, only twice a year – the UN Human Rights Commission in March followed by the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights in August. But when Kofi Annan was UN Secretary-General, in 2006, the UN Human Rights Council – UNHRC was established in place of the Commission with various changes. Meanwhile, the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights was named the “Advisory Committee”.
Even though, since 1983, Tamil activists presented injustices committed against the people in the North and East to the members of the UN Human Rights Commission and the Sub-Commission, these institutions never considered the massacres, disappearances, arrests, torture, economic destruction were an important issue in the eyes of the UN. Soon after massive disappearances in the South in 1988-1990, a few politicians from the South attended the Human Rights Commission in the early 1990s.
Following Mullivaikaal, since 2012, nine resolutions have been passed consecutively on Sri Lanka in the UNHRC. The first resolution in May 2009 was initiated by Sri Lanka for their benefit, exactly a week after the atrocities in Mullivaikkal.
Even though many pogroms were carried out against Tamils on the island from the 1950s, with the support of the ruling governments – it was only after 1977 that the authorities appointed investigative committees and commissions. This was to eye-wash the international community.
Failed commissions
None of the investigations found justice for the victims. Here are a few examples of failed Commissions and Inquiries:
(1) Sansoni Commission – 9 November 1977, Report published 2 July 1980. (2) Report of Presidential Truth Commission on Racial Violence (1981-84), published. (3) France M. S. April (MSF) Report of inquiry into Palambiti-Ranai road attack on vehicle released 9 May 1991. (4) Kokkaticholi Commission of Inquiry appointed 18 June 1991, report released 9 March 1992. (5) 1991-93 Presidential commissions, involuntary arrests of victims from their residences by unknown persons. Report not published. (6) President D.P. Commission appointed by Wijetunga on 13 September 1993. Report not published. (7) 1994 Commission of Inquiry on Disappeared Persons, appointed 30 November 1994. Report published September 1997. (8) Batalanda Commission, December 1995. (9) 1998 All Sri Lanka Commission on Disappeared Persons appointed 30 April 1998, report March 2001 Issued. (10) Presidential Truth Commission on Ethnicity – Appointed 23 July 2001, report released September 2002. (11) Bintunuwewa Commission – to investigate the killing of 28 Tamil youths between the ages of 14 and 23. Appointed March 2001 and report issued. (12) International Committee on Independence of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) – Appointed November 2006. Report not issued. The international community will know that its international members were humiliated by the then government of Sri Lanka.
Resolutions passed
The following numbers of countries cast their vote in favour of Sri Lanka during the UNHRC resolutions:
2009 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2019 2021 2022
22* 15 13 12 (No voting) 11 07
*The resolution passed on 26 May 2009 was in favour of Sri Lanka, with the support of India. According to some UN diplomats, “This was a fraudulent move by Sri Lanka in the UNHRC”.
At that time, Sri Lanka and India falsely promised member countries that, as the communiqué of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there would be an investigation into everything that took place in Mullivaikkal. This caused 22 member countries to cast their votes in favour of Sri Lanka.
However, it is worth noting that over 25 countries out of 47 members did not favour this resolution. Some of them neither participated nor abstained from voting – some were not even present in the session.
After many years of heavy lobbying by Tamil activists in the UNHRC, the international community came forward to look into the accusation of genocide, crimes against humanity, and human rights abuses of people in the North East. However, some unknown and incomprehensible obstacles began to centre on the UNHRC.
Although Tamil activists have been acting with facts and working with dedication, UN diplomats’ value information from international human rights organisations more than from Tamil organisations and victims.
Who are they?
Apart from our observations, some diplomats alerted us, and lately, we felt that we were unable to move anything forward in the UNHRC for unknown reasons. Now, more than fifteen years have passed, and the victims have found no justice. When some member countries wanted to take some initiative to find justice for the victims, they found that unknown sources had created some hidden obstacles. It’s a mystery. This prompts me to share certain information regarding the dilemma in the UNHRC.
Since 2000, especially in 2002, following the ceasefire between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, some people from an important Western country raised their heads as a group, in deciding the fate of the victims. This group operates from a country where whichever political party comes into office implements what they pre-planned concerning Sri Lanka. They are not only from the West; there are also a few Sri Lankans. Those days, some of these individuals visited Sri Lanka and went to war-torn Vanni. Also, they are very close to some important politicians and popular NGO activists in Sri Lanka.
These people are very close with some Tamil diaspora and with locals, gathering information for their distorting task. They are known as members of civil society, but from which NGO is questionable.
If you observe this group, some come to Geneva in the morning and return in the evening, while others visit Geneva depending on their agenda, especially to brainwash Tamil activists. Even though they are not seen much in the UNHRC, they closely watch everything concerning Sri Lanka. It is not possible to know their roots. But, it has been revealed that they have already done many subversive tasks in Sri Lanka!
Mystery
While all the UN Human Rights Commissioners and stakeholders have issued many important statements and reports, this group’s continuous interference has suppressed every effort in the UNHRC, causing more disappointment to the victims.
These mysterious individuals do not work with any international human rights organisations, but they seem to control their activities regarding Sri Lanka.
Due to this group’s arbitrary move, Resolution 51/1 passed in 2022, which was supposed to be developed into a strong resolution in the 57th session, has gone to the dogs. No valid reason was given, and the period for formulating a specific resolution was prolonged until September 2025 – the 60th session of the UNHRC.
Now the question is, who are these people – for whom are they working? It seems that they are not bothered about the history of Sri Lanka/Tamils or the root cause of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
British Tamils
No matter who it is, nothing can be achieved by ignoring these unknown individuals in the UNHRC. Tamil is the oldest language in the world, and it has thousands of proverbs/expressions that convey a long message in two lines.
For example: in Tamil “நம்ப நட, நம்பி நடப்பதே”, in English, “Allow others to trust you, but don’t trust others”. Another Tamil proverb says, “நீண்ட நாள் திருடன் ஒரு நாள் அகப்படுவான்”. In English: “Long-time thieves will be caught one day”. This is the present situation concerning Sri Lanka in the UNHRC.
However, there are three countries very well aware of the political aspirations of the people in the North and East. They were the colonial rulers of Sri Lanka: Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
During the rule of Portugal and the Netherlands, the Tamils remained in their separate kingdom in their homeland, the North East. After these two, during British rule, the Tamil Kingdom remained separate until 1833. Unfortunately, the British amalgamated the Tamil Kingdom with the other two kingdoms in 1833, marking the beginning of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
President of France
Therefore, the Tamil diaspora in the United Kingdom must remind the British of their mistake and duty. This is the way to safeguard the Tamil nation in Sri Lanka. The Tamils in the UK maintain good relationships with the government in power, with Labour and the Conservatives.
I hope the world has heard by now that French President Emmanuel Macron’s greeting message to the President of Sri Lanka was in Tamil. The reason is obvious.
During Chandrika’s presidency, she used all her French political influence to work against the Tamil activists in France. However, this didn’t work in her favour, as France is for neutrality.
Therefore, the British Tamil diaspora has a huge responsibility and obligation to motivate the British government and the people to understand the grievances of the Tamils caused by the British.
