India Likely to Back UN War Crimes Investigation of Sri Lanka

Rajapakse will in the end, have an impossible task; that is explaining the countless atrocities that were carried out against Tamils in the final stages of Sri Lanka's civil war.

Sri Lankan President Majinda Rajapakse

(SALEM) - A leaked report from India states that the government will back the inquiry into war crimes against Sri Lanka when the case reaches the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) next month.

Sri Lanka was convicted of Genocide The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal – Session II 7th – 10th December 2013, in Bremen, Germany. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"The Tribunal found that genocide against the Eelam Tamil group has not yet achieved the total destruction of their identity. The genocidal coordinated plan of actions reached its climax on May 2009, but it is clear that the Sri Lanka Government project to erase the Eelam Tamil identity, corroborated by the above mentioned conduct, shows that genocide is a process and that process is ongoing".

Sri Lanka's government was heralded for its 2009 defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but years of reports of severe war crimes against the "Tamil Tigers" are coming home to roost. All of denials of responsibility Sri Lanka has become famous for, will mean little once the case reaches the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) next month.

The LTTE was essentially a band of revolutionaries and like the Americans in the Revolutionary War, they diversified from standard military tactics. The Tamil Tigers, however imperfect, was formed to protect the Tamil people from a government focused on ethnic cleansing, and establishing an all Buddhist nation.

The "Tamil Tigers" were declared a terrorist organization, by 32 different countries over time. Sri Lanka declared that the LTTE was a terrorist group from January 1998 to 4 September 2002, when a cease fire was declared. As the government prepared an all out effort to defeat the LTTE during the final phase of the nearly three-decade long civil war, it again designated the LTTE as a terrorist organization on 7 January 2009. This was the launch of the period of torturous Genocide.

At this point, India has not fully committed to the process against Sri Lanka; however, the government of Indian prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is under pressure from Great Britain and other countries that have increased lobbying efforts. Analysts believe India will do what it takes to hold onto its Tamil allies as the Spring general election nears.

Singh did surprisingly choose to boycott last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Colombo, succumbing to pressure from key allies, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which is one of India's two main parties in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Sri Lankan President Majinda Rajapakse Under Pressure

Rajapakse will in the end, have an impossible task; that is explaining the countless atrocities that were carried out against Tamils in the final stages of Sri Lanka's civil war.

Driving the matter forward, is UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay. The timing of the release of her 20-page submission to both the United Nations and the Sri Lankan government, happened less than three weeks before a highly anticipated UN meeting in Geneva where the UK and US are expected to propose a formal war crimes inquiry.

The United Nations’ human rights chief has called for an international war crimes investigation into alleged atrocities carried out in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war, according to reports.

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http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/24/352059/india-may-stand-on-sri-lanka-crimes/

Tim King specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide. His years as a Human Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine. Tim is the news editor for Salem-News.com and holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and The Red Cross More articles by Tim King