15 October 2022 12:00 am Views - 198
Former MP M. M. Zuhair questions whether another probe on Easter Sunday attacks would do any good. We have already had a multiplicity of investigations and inquiries by the CID and TID in addition to the local police and with the change of government fresh investigations were once again launched by the CID and CTID, weakening the prosecution case.
We have also had probes by a Parliamentary Select Committee and a Presidential Commission of Inquiry with discriminatory action being taken by the State on their recommendations but with widely damaging publicity to national reconciliation, tourism and foreign investments.
Do we then need another Easter Sunday investigation? Why now, when over a hundred suspects are still languishing in State custody without bail for over 3 ½ years in violation of the presumption of innocence?” he questioned in a statement.
The Former MP also said the following in his statement. On October 03, 2022, Parliament was told by State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennekoon that another investigation on the 21/4/2019 Easter Sunday attacks will begin soon. This time it appears investigators from pro-Western countries such as the US FBI, UK’s Scotland Yard, Australian Federal Police and Maldivian National Police are due to be roped in to do what Sri Lankan Police perhaps could not do. A question that will therefore arise is why not similarly allow the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) to investigate the alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka? If the position of the Sri Lankan State is that there are no serious human rights violations in the country, why resist an external probe, similar to the new proposed foreign probe? If it is the policy of the State not to allow investigations by foreign police, why on earth do we need another Easter investigation by foreign investigators from countries hostile to Sri Lanka at the UN HRC? Nothing prevents the FBI of US and M16 of UK, if and when re-probing the Easter attacks, to investigate the large number of embedded human rights violations including alleged forced confessions obtained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act. With over 2,000 persons from a single minority community kept in lengthy State custody, enough and more material of rights violations may get officially presented to the powerful governments which are at the forefront of confronting Sri Lanka at the UN HRC. These can surprisingly explode at the UN HRC.
Cooperation with the UN system with which we have signed many obligatory treaties will help overcome not only some of the present accusations but also the serious food insecurity and economic plight facing its 22 million people. The UN this week did make a global appeal to help Sri Lanka. Conversely, by confronting the UN system, we will as a country, face multiple acts of marginalisation by the community of nations, that could extend to real sanctions on Sri Lankans accountable for the economic crimes, the members of the Cabinet, public servants, prosecutors and even judges who fail to uphold human rights. The signs are very clear. Leading Muslim-majority nations which supported Sri Lanka earlier in 2012 and 2014 abstained from supporting this time, notwithstanding a Muslim Minister leading the Sri Lanka delegation. Obviously, something serious is going on. Next time Muslim majority nations will very likely vote against Sri Lanka. Probably they very well know what is going on in Sri Lanka. Fuel-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar had found their feet trampled here without any legitimate reason. That is what a former President told the media recently. Strategic blunders have been made without any excuse or apology.
Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith adverting to the proposed international probe said at Udugampola last week that the rulers can no longer fool the people with false promises about the Easter Sunday investigations. In any event the Archbishop can never agree to any Western outfit investigating 21/4 fearing the real possibility of some of those accused by the Presidential Commission on the Easter attacks getting laundered out. (For more on the subject; Daily Mirror 22/06/2021 titled “What will the US FBI and Australian Federal Police investigate in Sri Lanka?