"SELF DETERMINATION IS KEY TO THE WORLD PEACE"
Blake turns up pressure on Sri Lanka – US warned Sri Lanka against offensive on safe zones
[Friday, 16 September 2011 17:05] Featured, General, NewsUS warned Sri Lanka against offensive on safe zones
Tamil Guardian 15 September 2011
Leaked US embassy cables reveal how then Ambassador Robert Blake warned Sri Lanka that mass civilian civilian deaths would ensue, if its military stormed the government-declared safe zone.
A March 2009 cable, detailing a meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama, said:
“Ambassador recalled continuing reports he has heard that the military intends to take the safe zone by force and told the Foreign Minister if the government did so thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, could be killed.
“If such casualties occurred the government would be accused of war crimes and its actions would diminish Congressional and public support for future US assistance to Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lanka warned
Blake, now US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, went on to urge Sri Lanka to think “very very carefully” on the next steps to be taken after the military surrounded the government-declared safe zone.
Thereafter, Sri Lanka launched a massive air, sea and ground offensive, escalating the bombardment of civilians.
The following month, in another meeting with Bogollagama, Blake said that,
“comparisons are already being made to what transpired in Rwanda where the international community did not do enough to prevent a catastrophe.”
Blake added that if they pursued the military option then Sri Lanka could expect “escalating international criticisms.”
“The Ambassador said such actions could include suspension of aid to Sri Lanka, closer scrutiny of IMF lending, possible war crimes investigations, and perhaps other actions.”
Denials ‘not credible’
When Bogollagama defended the Sri Lankan military’s conduct and denied any shelling of the safe zone took place, Blake replied that
“such a claim was simply not credible, given multiple, credible, independent sources on the ground in the safe zone.”
Blake also referred to a phone call from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to President Rajapakse, which stressed that the Sri Lankan Army should not be firing into the safe zone.
Medicine blockade
He also urged Sri Lanka to stop blocking medicine reaching the civilian population, noting that apart from a small shipment of basic supplies, no medicine had been allowed in for almost 6 weeks.
(Sri Lankan continued its blockade till the end of the war.)
The cable read:
“Ambassador recounted appalling stories [the embassy] has received of amputations and other operations done without anesthetics and stated, "frankly, it’s unconscionable" that the Sri Lankan military was still preventing medicine from reaching civilians despite repeated assurances from Basil Rajapaksa that they would be let through.”
Rajapakse unrepentant, ‘bewildered’
Blake ended the cable by concluding that President Rajapakse was disregarding the potential of any negative response to Sri lanka’s military action.
"The President’s genuine popularity among his Sinhalese voter base and his eagerness not to appear to be cowing to international pressure may be creating a situation in which he does not understand or refuses to believe the extent to which the international community will react in outrage if GSL troops enter the safe zone forcibly.
These thoughts were echoed by Blake’s successor, Ambassador Butenis, who following an August 2009 meeting with the President wrote to Washington:
"President Rajapaksa expressed bewilderment and frustration at "President Rajapaksa expressed bewilderment and frustration at U.S. policy for encouraging him to fight terrorism and then criticizing him when he did."
HIGHLIGHTS
Tamil Affairs
Tamil Guardian 15 September 2011
Monks destroy Muslim shrine as police stand idle
Photograph www.sinhalaravaya.com
Over 100 Sinhala Buddhist monks demolished a Muslim shrine in Anuradhapura on Saturday according to reports by the BBC.
Monks, [more]
Tamil Guardian 15 September 2011
US warned Sri Lanka against offensive on safe zones
Leaked US embassy cables reveal how then Ambassador Robert Blake warned Sri Lanka that mass civilian civilian deaths would ensue, if its military stormed the government-declared safe zone. [more]
Tamil Guardian 15 September 2011
ICG continues to call for investigation
The International Crisis Group has released a report rebutting government claims of progress since the end of the civil war more than 2 years ago. The report examines various government statements that progress has been made on a variety of issues, [more]
Tamil Guardian 14 September 2011
Blake turns up pressure on Sri Lanka
US Assistant Secretary of State, Robert Blake, speaking at a news conference to mark the end of his three day visit to Sri Lanka, urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure accountability, [more]
Tamil Guardian 14 September 2011
Sri Lankan doctors "complicit in torture"
The British Medical Journal has published a report which has detailed how doctors in five countries, including Sri Lanka, have been complicit in torture. [more]
Tamil Guardian 13 September 2011
Ban sends expert panel’s report to UN Human Rights Council, launches probe into UN’s conduct
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent the UN panel of experts’ report on wartime mass killings in Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, the Associated Press reports. [more]
Tamil Guardian 13 September 2011
TNA slams government on accountability, PTA and reconciliation
In a statement released Tuesday, the TNA, slammed the Sri Lankan government’s failure to make any meaningful progress on accountability or genuine efforts at reconciliation. [more]
Tamil Guardian 13 September 2011
Dias ‘recalled’?
Sri Lankan Major General Jagath Dias has been recalled from his post as Deputy Ambassador to Germany and Switzerland, in response to allegations that he committed war crimes according to swissinfo
www.tamilguardian.com
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Global Peace Support Group UK Ltd is a registered organisation based in London. The organisation dedicated to be involved in humanitarian and other related issues. We also work along with other similar organisations to promote peace and harmony among various societies..
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