Sri Lanka: United Nations Office Under Siege

Sri Lankan Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa, the leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), began a hunger strike outside the UN office in Colombo (image here) to protest against a panel set up to probe allegations of war crimes by Sri Lankan government during the civil war with the LTTE.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is in the center of the protest as on the 22nd of June, 2010 he appointed a panel of experts comprising of Marzuki Darusman of Indonesia, Yasmin Sooka of South Africa and Steven Ratner of the United States to advise him on accountability issues relating to alleged violations of human rights during the civil war between the Government and the LTTE rebels. The advisory panel’s mandate is limited to advising the secretary general and it is not a fact-finding or investigative body.

The Sri Lankan government had been lobbying strongly against the panel claiming that ‘it is an unnecessary interference' and it violates the UN charter. On the morning of July 6, 2010, the NFF surrounded the UN compound in Colombo forcing some UN staff to work from home and today is the 3rd day of the siege.

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Tisaranee Gunasekara argues in Sri Lanka Guardian that the government is need of new enemies in the post LTTE era to justify the assertive Rajapakshe rule: “they need threats and enemies to blame for their own economic incapacities and politico-diplomatic blunders, from price hikes to the loss of GSP+.”

According to reports, the three member panel in question will soon meet to discuss their mandate before they commence work, despite the protests in Colombo. It remains to be seen how this conflict will be resolved.

By Rezwan