Being Apolitical…

…is not easy for me, it drives me to these internal rants. They are very persuasive and intelligent internal rants and I will keep them that way for now, (though being internal, they are not nearly as satisfying as if I wrote them down for you to “enjoy”.) Part of your job when you work for an INGO (international non governmental organization…and a good part of the song about the farmer and his dog!) is staying neutral. It’s vital, and as there are always two sides to a story, it’s not really that hard, except sometimes it is. So I thought I’d post this for your thinking pleasure without any of my own thoughts or comments. Of course there’s background to it as always but you’re all smart enough to realize that, I’m sure. Check out the following article http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL267809.htm and read the following response from the international community.

Open Letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse to stop the expulsion of Tamils from Colombo


Honorable Mahinda Rajapakse,
President of Sri Lanka

On receiving reports of the expulsion of Tamils from various locations in
Colombo this morning, June 7 2007, members of our organizations visited
the Wellawatte, Pettah and Peliyagoda areas and spoke to various persons
who had been affected by the process and the police in the area. This
move is directly attributed to the statement made by the IGP on the 1st
of June, claiming that Tamil people cannot remain in Colombo without a
valid reason. On May 31 Tamils from the North and East residing in lodges
in Pettah were forced to leave, as lodge owners were reportedly
instructed by the police to not to shelter people from the North and East
who had no "valid reasons" for being in Colombo.

According to the information we have received, in an operation that
commenced in the early hours of the morning, police and army officers
visited various lodges occupied predominantly by Tamils in Colombo and
forcibly removed Tamils from these guesthouses. In several instances,
eyewitnesses reported that these were not from the local police stations.

Hundreds of Tamils from the Northern and Eastern Provinces, who had been
staying in Colombo for a range of reasons were forcibly loaded onto buses
and taken to Peliyagoda. A Police Officer at the Peliyagoda Police
reported that at least 8 buses with approximately 50 people in a bus left
Peliyagoda. Later today, we heard that the IGP had clarified to the party
leaders meeting in the parliament that 6 buses had left for Vavuniya, 1
bus to Batticaloa and 1 bus to Trincomalee. At 8.30am in the morning, an
officer at the Wellawatte Police reported that 3 buses with approximately
60 people left for Trincomalee and that they would be sent to Jaffna by
ship. Later on in the day, the Wellawatte Police reported a figure of 83.
However, as of now, there is no confirmation of the numbers of people who
were put on the buses, nor of their names.

Many of the lodge managers, and remaining inmates, complained to us that
people were given less than half an hour to pack all their belongings and
board the CTB buses that were parked outside these lodges. They were also
not told their exact destination, only that the return to their homes was
being 'arranged'.

The criteria for their expulsion seemed to be determined arbitrarily by
the police and army. Even in some cases where lodgers were able to
explain their presence in Colombo to establish their bona fides, they
were told that Tamils who were not permanent residents of Colombo had no
right to be in Colombo and had to leave. According to a senior official
at the Wellawatte Police, the criteria for determining return was: those
who wished to return but did not have the funds to do so; those who had
no rationale for remaining in Colombo; and those who said they were
remaining in Colombo out of fear.

The Police claimed that they were simply assisting Tamils return to their
home towns, and that they had come to know about these desires during
checking carried out. The reports from residents, owners and staff of
lodges, eye witnesses to the expulsion however are in complete contrast
to these accounts. People were forced to leave, even those who were in
Colombo for health reasons and were not fit to travel.

While we are full cognizant of the current security situation and the
need to maintain close surveillance of the city and its environs, in
terms of the human rights principles that guide us in our work as human
rights defenders, we are convinced that the above process is NOT capable
of guaranteeing security and rather creates further polarization between
the different ethnic communities that share this island, and heightens
the sense of marginalization and alienation of Tamil people of this
country.

We reaffirm the principle enshrined in the Constitution of Sri Lanka
guarantees all Sri Lankans the right to choose their own residence
(temporary or permanent), and freedom of movement and maintain that what
has taken place in Colombo today is a flagrant violation of this
principle, and a disgrace to humanity.

We call on you, as our head of State, to take all steps available to call
an immediate halt to this practice, and to offer facilities of return to
Colombo to anyone who has been forcibly removed from Colombo in this
process.

Sincerely yours,

Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)
Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
Free Media Movement (FMM)
INFORM Human Rights Documentation Center (INFORM)
Institute of Human Rights (IHR)
International Movement against
All forms of Racial Discrimination (IMADR)
Law & Society Trust (LST)
Rights Now (RN)

7th June 2007