Nationalist movements want FM out

Wednesday, 15 March 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shanika Sriyananda

The Federation of National Organizations (FNO) has requested President Maithripala Sirisena to immediately remove Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, claiming he acted contrary to President Sirisena’s stance opposing an international probe into alleged war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan military.

The FNO, a collection of 22 nationalist organisations, released a comprehensive report titled ‘A factual appraisal of the OISL report: A rebuttal to the allegations against the armed forces’, on Monday.

The report, together with seven other reports prepared by renowned military experts Sir Geffory Nice QC, Sir Desmond de Silva, Sir Rodney Nickson QC and Maj. General John Holmes, will be handed over to President Sirisena and also to UNHRC Chief Prince Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein .

“FM Samaraweera has not submitted these seven reports, which are credible evidence to show that Sri Lankan military has never committed war crimes, to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Instead he has accepted and praised the UNHRC Report and also co-sponsoring the Resolution 30/1,” Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Sarath Weerasekara said.

He said that no other Foreign Minister either in Sri Lankan or world history had betrayed his own country like Samaraweera.

The FNO report and other reports will be handed over to President Sirisena, who reiterated soon after the adoption of the resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka, that he would not allow any international courts, international judges and international organisations to interfere with the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and the Judiciary while he was the President of the country.

Meanwhile, Weerasekara has also requested the Government to take action to remove Samaraweera, who tagged the President’s statement as a personal opinion, for acting contradictory to the Government’s stance, being the representative of the Government internationally.

Addressing a large gathering at the Sambuddathwa Jayanthi Mandiraya at an event organised by the FNO and sponsored by the Global Sri Lanka Forum (GSLF), former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva said the country and people were unfortunate to have Samaraweera as the Sri Lankan representative to the world.

The report was prepared by Attorney-at-law Dharshan Weerasekera, assisted by editorial panel members Attorney-at-law Kalyananda Thiranagama, Lecturer Raja Gunaratne, News Editor of The Island Shamindra Ferdinando and defence writer Shenali Waduge. It was coordinated by Dr. K.M. Wasantha Bandara.

Dharshana Weerasekera, explaining the main objectives of preparing the FNO report, said that the Government needed to re-examine the UNHRC report on Sri Lanka.

A copy was presented to Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka to hand over to President Sirisena.

Weerasekara left the island on Monday evening to go to Geneva to hand over the FNO report and the other seven expert reports to UN Human Rights Chief Prince Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein on 22 March.