Swarna Hansa Foundation Written to US Ambassador,
Head of Swarna Hansa Foundation, Mr Galllege Punyawardana has written to Ambassador of United State of America protesting their concern over the Embassy interfering with internal affairs of Sri Lanka. In particular, Foundation has voiced their serious concerns over the uncalled interfering with the internally displaced Sinhala families in Jaffna. LTTE Tamil terrorists chased away over 35,000 strong Sinhala populations from Jaffna in their ethnic cleansing campaigned. From these families few had returned at the end of the war against Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka. They have been relocated in Nawakkuly village by the government.
Without extending support to resettle those internally displaced Sinhala people, US Embassy and US government are playing hard stance with the authorities who are working tirelessly to resettle them. US diplomats has attempted to prevent the Government from resettling Sinhala families in their respective native lands, who had been displaced due to LLTE Tamil terrorist activities, and thereby directly and/or indirectly justify the baseless, malicious, racial and separatist claim of Pro- LTTE TNA, that the Government of Sri Lanka was attempting to change the demographic pattern in the Northern Province.
Indian Government has launched a 50,000 housing program and marginalized the internally displaced Sinhalese in this programme.
The full text of the letter sent by Swarna Hansa Foundation is published below;
Swarna Hansa Foundation
262″ Densil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Battaramulla,Sri Lanka Tel/Fax: 2869901 E. mail :shf@slt.lk
March, 4, 2014
Her Excellency Ms. Michele J. Sison
Ambassador
Embassy of the United States of America
210, Galle Road,
Colombo 3
Dear Madam,
I write as a citizen of Sri Lanka concerned with the national security, the sovereignty of the State and the liberty, freedom, welfare and the development of the people of Sri Lanka.
“Swarna Hansa Foundation” is functioning as an incorporated body (under the Companies Act) and a non-profit making voluntary organization, dedicated for the enhancement and uplifting the living conditions of the people of Sri Lanka and engaged in activities to achieve and secure the personal and national rights, liberty and freedom since its inception in 1982; whereas I am the founder and the de-facto head of the said foundation.
On 22nd of February, 2014, “The “ISLAND”, a National News Paper registered in Sri Lanka carried a news item under the heading “Now, US probes TNA allegation of GOSL change in demographic pattern in NP”, which referred to, among others, the following acts or conduct of a US diplomat named Michael A. Ervin who was visiting Navatkuli, a village close to Jaffna town in the Northern province of Sri Lanka; i.e.;-
- Interrogating some of the Sinhala families who had returned to Jaffna peninsula on conclusion of the terrorist activities May 2009.
- Interrogating them in regard to the circumstances under which they had been displaced, who supported them now and details pertaining to Sinhala population in Jaffna peninsula at the time they fled the area.
It is noted that said officer and several other officers accompanied him from your embassy acted in collusion with the Tamil Nations Alliance (TNA) and its members in engaging in the above mentioned and related other activities during this visit. In that the said diplomat had endeavored to deliberately and unlawfully interfere with and undermine the authority and the rights of the State, having over the territorial jurisdiction of Sri Lanka. Further your diplomats attempted to prevent the Government from resettling the families in their respective native lands, who had been displaced due to terrorist activities, and thereby directly and/or indirectly justify the baseless, malicious, racial and separatist claim of TNA, that the Government of Sri Lanka was attempting to change the demographic pattern in the Northern Province.
I wish to bring to your notice that the said families (that your agents had interrogated) had fled their native places of residence due to death threats inflicted on them by the LTTE. According to the accepted norms and laws these people have every right to return to their places of origin, where they studied and lived for years from the time of their birth. After the restoration of peace in the Northern Province these families exercised their natural and legal rights and started to return to their respective native lands. All these families who were subjected to your interrogations are “Singhalese” and had been living in peace in their respective lands and properties for years before the brutal LTTE terrorists forced those people to leave such native lands. Their limited livelihoods were/are also based on the natural resources and the facilities available in that area/region and therefore, they are unable to survive independently outside their native places.
We understand that after the visit of your diplomat, the said families were placed in unnecessary fear of ejectment and displacement. Such unwise and irresponsible activities would definitely lead to create an artificial disharmony among the people who are presently enjoying freedom after reviving from the memories of brutal terrorism. Seeds of malicious thoughts that diplomats of your embassy are endeavoring to plant in the hearts of our people by engaging in such unbecoming activities, would re-direct the country into another vicious era of terrorism.
Further, by engaging in such unlawful acts your officers/agents have interfered with the property rights of the families returned and struggling to establish their usual livelihoods in their native places in that part of Sri Lanka. Such unlawful interferences are amounting to acts of infringement of the democratic rights and freedoms of the citizens of Sri Lanka as protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
I wish to bring to your notice that being personnel in the diplomatic service, your officers have no right whatsoever to directly interfere with the lives of the people of this country. If you have any legitimate expectation to carry out any investigation affecting the people of the country still you are obliged to first obtain the sanction of the Government of Sri Lanka. It is so surprising and pathetic to note that the officials of the United States diplomatic mission execute their purported professional activities by totally disregarding the basic procedures that should be followed in dealing with the receiving State. In that sense the same act of undue interference (resulted by undue interrogation) is also amounting to violation of Sovereignty Rights of the State of Sri Lanka (receiving state) and the Democratic and Sovereignty rights of the People of Sri Lanka. These unbecoming activities of your diplomats, would lead to destabilize
the even and equal application of the objectives of the United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, other International Conventions and the Rule of Law.
The claim that such conduct were amounting to acts carried on regular basis and part of the normal diplomatic work, cannot be accepted as the said conduct do not come within the ambit of diplomatic/official functions in terms of the Vienna convention and the contemporary International Law. In the circumstances such activities fall outside the ‘official functions’ of the diplomatic officers of your embassy/mission.
It is obvious that Your officers deliberately misinterpret the provisions of the international conventions for your egoistic advantage and repeatedly engage in similar arbitral and capricious activities in the soils of the receiving state (Sri Lanka) with ulterior motives of creating precedents.
In the circumstances I, as a citizen sharing common interest with the families already returned and will return in the near future to their respective native places in the Northern province of Sri Lanka, hereby demand for an assurance in writing within 10 days of receipt hereof, to the effect;-
- That the diplomats and the other officials of your embassy, mission or other officers engaging in the diplomatic service, shall not interfere with the sovereignty of the State of Sri Lanka and its people.
- That the diplomats and the other officials of your embassy, mission or other officers engaging in the diplomatic service, shall not interfere with the State Actions executed within the territory of Sri Lanka.
- That the diplomats and the other officials of your embassy, mission or other officers engaging in the diplomatic service shall not engage in any activity outside their official functions:
- That the diplomats and the other officials of your embassy shall restrain from unduly interfering with the rights of the citizens relating to private immoveable property situated in Sri Lanka.
In the event of your failure to comply with this demand, I am compelled to take appropriate action available and provided by the international and the domestic law to obtain such assurance for and on behalf of the Citizens of Sri Lanka.
Sincerely
Galllege Punyawardana
Head – Swarna Hansa Foundation
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