American Center in Colombo opens its doors again – The Island

Gammanpila urges the government. file all the “evidence” in front of Geneva

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The House of Commons has been told that the UK government is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions on Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Shavendra Silva, and other members of the army. Minister for Development Office (FCDO) Jesse Norman has called for diplomatic tools, including sanctions, during the ongoing 51 sessions of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) .

The sessions, which began on September 12, will end on October 8. The former finance secretary to the Treasury said the government was closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka, especially with regard to human rights and accountability. “In this context, the government is actively considering how to use the diplomatic tools at our disposal, including sanctions,” said Minister Norman.

Lawmaker Norman was appointed FCDO Minister on September 07, 2022, following the appointment of Elizabeth Truss as Prime Minister the day before. At the time Truss was given the premiership, she served as FCDO minister.

Conservative Party Minister Norman said so in response to a question raised by Beth Winter representing the Labor Party (Cynon Valley). Lawmakers asked FCDO Minister for recent assessment of potential merits of imposing sanctions on (a) Sri Lankan Chief of Defense Staff Shavendra Silva and (b) other members of the Sri Lankan army.

The question was actually directed to Truss, when she was a FCDO minister, although the government answered the question, after her appointment as Prime Minister.

Minister Norman said their global human rights sanctions regime is a powerful mechanism in the hands of the UK government to hold accountable those who have been implicated in serious human rights violations or abuses . The Minister said their strategy was intended to send a clear signal of UK values.

The Minister said: “The UK Government continues to review designations globally, guided by evidence and the human rights objectives of the sanctions regime; but it is not appropriate to speculate on possible future designations, in order to avoid reducing their impact.

British political parties have escalated attacks on the victorious Sri Lankan military, particularly General Silva following the US travel ban, in February 2020, on the General Officer Commanding (GoC) in wartime of the famous Task Force I/ 58 division. The travel ban to the United States also covered General Silva’s immediate family.

The UK-led Sri Lanka Core Group recently delivered a new resolution to UNHRC calling for further action against those the group considers to be human rights abusers. The 47-member council, divided into five zones, is expected to vote on the resolution next week.

Former Minister and Head of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Udaya Gammanpila said The Island that the government should at least now put all available information, relating to the conflict, before the Geneva council. Acknowledging that successive governments, including those he served as minister, overlooked issues of accountability and thereby allowed interested parties to humiliate war-winning military personnel, lawmaker Gammanpila said the decision against the CDS was an affront to the country.

The lawyer said the FCDO’s position should be challenged on the basis of wartime dispatches it received from the British High Commission in Colombo (January–May 2009). Thanks to the tireless efforts of Lord Naseby, the world knew that the BHC, Colombo had reported to the FCDO that 40,000 Tamil civilians had not died as claimed by interested parties, said lawmaker Gammanpila.

The ex-minister urged the government to review the big picture and take concrete steps to thwart politically motivated efforts. Sri Lanka successfully completed the war in May 2009. PHU Chief Gammanpila claimed that Sri Lanka’s defense in Geneva should perhaps be based on the statement of US Defense Adviser Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith, in Colombo, in late May 2011, two years after the end of the war, that there was no basis to allegations of war crimes against the Sri Lankan military.