Updated September 22, 2011 14:03:15

Sri Lanka is dismissing calls for its suspension from the Councils of the Commonwealth and complained to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs about the latest campaign.

A group of Australian academics, politicians and human rights campaigners is making the demand unless Sri Lanka cooperates with an independent investigation into alleged war crimes during the country’ civil war.

But the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canberra, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, argues the group is acting on “unsubstantiated evidence” and campaigning for the wrong reasons.

He says there is no prospect of Sri Lanka agreeing to an international investigation because no war crimes were committed by the government.

Presenter: Cameron Wilson

Speaker: Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Australia

SAMARASINGHE: I wish to very categorically emphasise that the call for suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth is very unfounded. They’re acting on unsubstantiated evidence or front organisations trying to campaign against Sri Lanka not for the right reasons. They are seeing Sri Lanka flourishing, reconciliation is taking place, economic indicators are encouraging and the reconciliation that is taking place in Sri Lanka is not witnessed by the organisations which are propagating these things. So it is not to their liking, the progress that Sri Lanka is making after defeating the most ruthless terrorist organisation. It appears that, the people this terrorist being defeated is not the right thing that should have happened.

WILSON: But that does not really seem to be in line with the claims that are being made here, because the group wants an investigation on the actions of both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. If that’s the case, how can you say they’re acting on behalf of a front group?

SAMARASINGHE: That is up to them to say whatever they wish to claim, but Sri Lanka as an independent country, independent nation had an uprising of terrorists with air, sea and land capability and Sri Lanka internally, within their resources, fought this terrorism. There was an military approach to save the population, the civil populations from being tormented by terrorists. They were systematically deliberate targeting of civilians by the terrorists, so this campaign against the terrorists was successful militarily and having done that, the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction is taking place, so there need not be, there was no war crimes committed in Sri Lanka.

WILSON: But if the Sri Lankan government is comfortable with its actions during the civil war, why not agree to an independent war crimes tribunal to appease some of these criticisms that you’re now seeing around the world?

SAMARASINGHE: The criticism around the world is not substantiated. That there was an internal conflict and there are mechanisms within Sri Lankan government, a democratic government, a judiciary which is tested and tried. There are systems we have adopted to look into any allegations that within our systems, and if such allegations or any complaints are received, will be looked into and the system is capable of a democratic country, judicially to handle it. There need not be in my opinion an international investigation and therefore these front organisations’ claims, for no reasons is unfounded and we will not permit our country’s image to be tarnished by these front organisations using foreign soil.

WILSON: So can you see no prospect of Sri Lanka agreeing to this demand for an international independent war crimes tribunal?

SAMARASINGHE: Of course, no.

WILSON: Would it be beneficial to Sri Lankan society to some extent for the government to acknowledge that during a time of war, both sides of a conflict commit acts that they are probably not proud of in hindsight, but that is part of a bloody conflict. Why not acknowledge that and try and aid the reconciliation in your country?

SAMARASINGHE: In my opinion, it was a conflict, but it’s not a war internally, so we have set up mechanisms to address these issues within Sri Lanka. It is to our benefit we go through this reconciliation and lesson learnt commission so that such situation would never arise in my country, so it is up to the Sri Lankan government with the help of the friendly countries to see that. This what happened in Sri Lanka would not happen again. It is towards that end that Sri Lankan government has set out a strategic plan for reconciliation and reconstruction and the people are being engaged, elections are being held. My country’s president, Gallop polls say, the popularity is over 91 per cent, elections were held, economic indicators are showing growth of over 8 per cent and unemployment has come down to 4.9, so it is such a country that is we are dealing with. We have a democracy which is tried and tested. Our democratically elected leadership has almost all instances served the full term. The leadership has changed through ballot. So we have handled a difficult situation and it is up to the government to see that the population is given the opportunity to air their views, the mechanisms are available, so the Sri Lankan government can easily handle this issue internally and solve other problems internally like we defeated the most ruthless terrorist organisation with internal conflict management system, militarily defeating the terrorists and bringing the population into freedom, after a long 30 years and we need to now look after that grassroot level civilians. North and east development is taking place the growth is over 14 to 15 per cent, the gaps are narrowing.

WILSON: But High Commissioner, if I can just bring you back to the question of this call for Sri Lanka’s ban from the Councils of the Commonwealth. This is the call that’s been made by a group of academics and Greens politicians and the like and I just take this moment to remind listeners that my guest here is the High Commissioner, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Canberra, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe. How damaging would it be to Australian-Sri Lankan relations if Julia Gillard actually backs these calls, supports these calls?

SAMARASINGHE: I’m confident that our friendships are deeply rooted, we have had diplomatic relations with this great country since 1949 and one of the countries, few countries who established such relations amongst the rest of the world and I do not see the government of Australia even considering such suggestions of Sri Lanka being suspended from the Commonwealth. Our country’s progress is too obvious and our efforts were transparent and I do not see any situation of (word indistinct). We just, in a lighter vein, had your great cricketing team nation playing very friendly games in Sri Lanka and there were plenty of Australians enjoying Sri Lankan hospitality and the tourism is booming. We are reaching two million, that will be in a couple of years, so such a country cannot be dismissed in that sense.

WILSON: Can I bring you back to my initial question which I’m still not sure that we have an answer to. Did you express any unhappiness to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) about the fact that this meeting has taken place in Canberra and there is this campaign being pushed by some people?

SAMARASINGHE: I made my concerns known to my channels of communication with the Australian government through the DFAT, so as we are not happy with such groups getting together when we consider the type of participation who are biased on and who are seeking the separation of my country still are taking part. So I have made our concerns known to the government through the Department, DFAT and it is my duty and obligation to keep our concerns known to the government of Australia.

WILSON: Can you confirm for us, looking ahead to next month, the planned CHOGM meeting in Perth, can you confirm for us that President Rajapaksa will be attending?

SAMARASINGHE: Yes, of course, he’s been invited by the honourable prime minister and from the Commonwealth to attend the meeting and my Excellency, the president has accepted in writing. The letter was delivered by me to the Foreign Affairs, so my Excellency, the president is attending.

WILSON: Are you concerned at all about the type of public reaction there will be in Australia to the president’s visit?

SAMARASINGHE: I’m aware through various sources that they will be public response. I’m sure they’ll be positive as well as negative responses. But these facts in a free and a fair country , a democratic country is always possible, so we are aware of it and we will take the appropriate measures to see that they’ll be no unwanted situations and we have discussed, shared what other information with the relevant authorities and CHOGM we all look forward to.

WILSON: What would you be trying to stop protests or gatherings from taking place?

SAMARASINGHE: I don’t think you should know whether I could stop it. I will try to convince the people concerned. I already engaged in dialogue with all the communities, not only in Western Australia, in other parts of Australia as a part of my reconciliation strategy to bring all communities together and move forward in supporting the people in the north and east and the rest of the country. So it is my effort to see that such negative protests would not be there, but the system of security is in the hands of the Australian government and we will be depending on the mechanism in place that if any unwanted situation would not take place.

WILSON: What about the reaction from other leaders attending the meeting? Are you expecting any hostility from other leaders there to the president’s visit?

SAMARASINGHE: I’m sure there can’t be any hostilities for a leader with over 40 years of democratic experience in politics and that leader who has been elected twice as the head of the state and who has been a member of parliament, minister in various governments, opposition leader, and an overwhelming majority he was selected for the second term and running 91 per cent popularity rate in the country that he leads. So leaders will know what my Excellency’s background and what he has delivered to the people of the country.