Questions for Cameron

Saturday, 16 November 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

If UK Prime Minister David Cameron has questions to ask Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa, I hope President Rajapaksa too will ask David Cameron the following questions, on behalf of Sri Lankan citizens. (a) Do you know that in 1818, when faced with unrest in Uva and Wellassa, a General Order was issued by the British Rulers in Ceylon, as follows: “Kill every man, woman and child including the babes suckling at their mother’s breast. Destroy all dwelling houses. Burn all crops. Cut down all fruit trees. Slaughter all cattle; take what meat is necessary to feed the troops and burn the rest. Destroy all reservoirs, canals and channels. Poison the wells. Lay waste utterly the countryside denying any relief whatsoever to the rebels”? (b) Are you sad and ashamed by such behaviour of previous British rulers, and will you seek forgiveness from the people of Sri Lanka for those terrible atrocities? (c) Are you aware that many of your museums and private homes contain treasures, artefacts, coins, manuscripts and other valuables that were forcibly taken from the island of Ceylon, and will you make immediate arrangements to return all those stolen goods within the next few months as a show of goodwill, after your visit? (d) Will you ask the Tamil diaspora in London whose money now funds many election campaigns of UK politicians and whose money funded various bombings and massacres in Sri Lanka prior to 2009, to start paying compensation to the thousands of Sri Lankan Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim families who were deprived of their lives directly as a result of bombs purchased with the funds of the British Tamil diaspora? (e) Are you aware that Adele Balasingham (the wife of Anton Balasingham who was the mentor of Velupillai Prabhakaran), still lives happily in London and has never been questioned by the British authorities even though they must be fully aware that the concept of LTTE child soldiers was the brainchild of Adele Balasingham? David Cameron should realise that he is today an invited guest of the Sri Lankan Government, unlike the British soldiers who invaded Ceylon in the early 18th century and were responsible for the genocide of the Ceylonese of that time. I hope Cameron also understands that today’s norms of civilised behaviour do not permit him to act like the bullying murderers of the past, and that he should conduct himself with decorum and civility if he is the invited guest of Sri Lanka at an international conference. Further, Cameron should remember that the Commonwealth is no longer the “British Empire”. If he forgets these basic truths, it is time that President Rajapaksa and the other 51 leaders of the Commonwealth nations give him a timely reminder of that fundamental position. Danasiri Vithanage Colombo Channel 4 journalism When Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited London to deliver a lecture about a year ago, the British security forces could not provide him sufficient security in the face of vociferous Tamil diaspora demonstrations and the President had to cancel his lecture. At that time, the Western media did not say that the UK Government was unable to provide security to a visiting Head of State. But when a dubious journalist from Channel 4 faces demonstrations from a vociferous Sri Lankan population, the same media today wants the Sri Lankan security forces to assure protection to this shady, LTTE-funded journalist wherever he wishes to travel within Sri Lanka. My faith in the credibility of Western journalism has been fading over the years as a result of their obvious hypocrisy and these double standards are simply nauseating. Ekamuthu Sri Lanka