Protesters are jokers, says Sri Lanka envoy
K PragalathPublished: May 27, 2009 2:45 AM | Updated: May 27, 2009 7:21 AM
Indian Malaysians, who had protested last Sunday over the predicament of minority Tamils in Sri Lanka, have been dismissed as “jokers”.
Indian Malaysians, who had protested last Sunday over the predicament of minority Tamils in Sri Lanka, have been dismissed as “jokers”.
High Commissioner to Malaysia Dr D D Ranasinghe said this when asked to respond to the anti-Sri Lanka rally in Batu Caves, Selangor, and whether his government would take the protesters’ concerns into consideration.
“It doesn’t matter to us. We won’t take any action. Why should we? They are jokers,” he told Malaysiakini at his office.
The rally, organised by the World Tamil Relief and the Coalition of NGOs movements, drew several thousand people.
Ranasinghe also responded to their complaints and plans to assist the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Asked why international NGOs are being restricted from operating in Sri Lanka, he said this is because many such bodies are already working there.
“(They include) Mercy Malaysia which is operating two hospitals. We have an adequate number of NGOs operating there. We don’t want to have more NGOs than the population.”
“There are also security reasons (against entering areas where battle has been waged). There are dangerous areas filled with landmines. Hence certain rules need to be imposed for security purposes.”
As for the plan to send in a ‘peace team’, the envoy said that an application should be submitted for his government’s consideration.
Ranasinghe said he and his deputy will be at a public forum tonight, organised by the Bar Council.
Themed ‘Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis in Sri Lanka - What Next?’, it is scheduled to begin at 8pm at the auditorium of the Bar headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Resolutions at rally
Last week, the Sri Lanka government declared victory over the armed separatist group called the, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the death of its leader V Prabhakaran. The group has been fighting to establish an independent state in the north of the country.
In the process, thousands have been killed and about 100,000 made homeless, almost all of them being Tamils.
During the rally, the Malaysian protesters had demanded that the United Nations should probe the Sri Lankan government and to bring war crimes charges against its leaders.
Other resolutions called for:
'This reaction is to be expected from them'
In an immediate reaction, one of the organisers of the Sunday rally SP Pathi expressed disappointment with the envoy's remarks.
"They have never respected opinions of the minority, the United Nations or the European Union.
"This shows that they are indifferent to any kind of opinion. That's why we want the United Nations' independent inquiry to assess human rights abuses which borders war crimes," he said.
Another organiser K Arumugam was even more blunt, stating "I can't expect anything less from a man who represents state terrorists".
"We prefer to approach the Sri Lanka government which will enable access for humanitarian aid to be given to all war victims, regardless of whether they are Tamils or Sinhalese. I regret the demise of civilians."
DAP's Klang MP Charles Santiago, who had attended the rally, said the envoy's remarks are undiplomatic and unprofessional.
"I guess we have 5,000 jokers here and billions out there. He is only attempting to undermine the criticism of Sri Lanka.
"It is a disservice to his government. It is not the way of a professional diplomat. He is being emotional."
Vell Paari: Typical Sri Lankan response
Another participant, MIC Youth wing advisor S Vell Paari was also angered by Ranasinghe's comments.
"His attitude reflects exactly how his government has been treating the Tamil civilians there," he said.
"I am sad, disappointed and angry with his insensitive attitude over a problem which has brought about a humanitarian crisis in that island state.
"And his arrogance only masks their guilt in causing the crisis. He does not talk about how we can help solve the problem.
"He is only interested in putting us down so that the problems in his country can be overlooked."
Vell Paari said that Ranasinghe should "find time to talk to the protesters to understand why they are angry".
He also said that the envoy should apologise to Indian Malaysians within the next 48 hours for insulting them.
In a related development, the MIC Youth wing will submit a memorandum to the Foreign Affairs Ministry today to object to the government's support for the Sri Lankan draft resolution.
High Commissioner to Malaysia Dr D D Ranasinghe said this when asked to respond to the anti-Sri Lanka rally in Batu Caves, Selangor, and whether his government would take the protesters’ concerns into consideration.
“It doesn’t matter to us. We won’t take any action. Why should we? They are jokers,” he told Malaysiakini at his office.The rally, organised by the World Tamil Relief and the Coalition of NGOs movements, drew several thousand people.
Ranasinghe also responded to their complaints and plans to assist the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Asked why international NGOs are being restricted from operating in Sri Lanka, he said this is because many such bodies are already working there.
“(They include) Mercy Malaysia which is operating two hospitals. We have an adequate number of NGOs operating there. We don’t want to have more NGOs than the population.”
“There are also security reasons (against entering areas where battle has been waged). There are dangerous areas filled with landmines. Hence certain rules need to be imposed for security purposes.”
As for the plan to send in a ‘peace team’, the envoy said that an application should be submitted for his government’s consideration.Ranasinghe said he and his deputy will be at a public forum tonight, organised by the Bar Council.
Themed ‘Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis in Sri Lanka - What Next?’, it is scheduled to begin at 8pm at the auditorium of the Bar headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Resolutions at rally
Last week, the Sri Lanka government declared victory over the armed separatist group called the, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the death of its leader V Prabhakaran. The group has been fighting to establish an independent state in the north of the country.
In the process, thousands have been killed and about 100,000 made homeless, almost all of them being Tamils.During the rally, the Malaysian protesters had demanded that the United Nations should probe the Sri Lankan government and to bring war crimes charges against its leaders.
Other resolutions called for:
- the lifting of all restrictions on the international community so that they can assess the catastrophe and offer relief;
- the establishment of an independent Tamil state, pending which a UN peacekeeping force should be deployed to maintain peace; and
- the Malaysian government to offer assistance to Sri Lankan Tamils, and to withdraw support for Sri Lanka’s draft resolution before the UN calling on member-nations not to interfere in internal affairs.
'This reaction is to be expected from them'
In an immediate reaction, one of the organisers of the Sunday rally SP Pathi expressed disappointment with the envoy's remarks.
"They have never respected opinions of the minority, the United Nations or the European Union."This shows that they are indifferent to any kind of opinion. That's why we want the United Nations' independent inquiry to assess human rights abuses which borders war crimes," he said.
Another organiser K Arumugam was even more blunt, stating "I can't expect anything less from a man who represents state terrorists".
"We prefer to approach the Sri Lanka government which will enable access for humanitarian aid to be given to all war victims, regardless of whether they are Tamils or Sinhalese. I regret the demise of civilians."
DAP's Klang MP Charles Santiago, who had attended the rally, said the envoy's remarks are undiplomatic and unprofessional.
"I guess we have 5,000 jokers here and billions out there. He is only attempting to undermine the criticism of Sri Lanka.
"It is a disservice to his government. It is not the way of a professional diplomat. He is being emotional."
Vell Paari: Typical Sri Lankan response
Another participant, MIC Youth wing advisor S Vell Paari was also angered by Ranasinghe's comments.
"His attitude reflects exactly how his government has been treating the Tamil civilians there," he said.
"I am sad, disappointed and angry with his insensitive attitude over a problem which has brought about a humanitarian crisis in that island state."And his arrogance only masks their guilt in causing the crisis. He does not talk about how we can help solve the problem.
"He is only interested in putting us down so that the problems in his country can be overlooked."
Vell Paari said that Ranasinghe should "find time to talk to the protesters to understand why they are angry".
He also said that the envoy should apologise to Indian Malaysians within the next 48 hours for insulting them.
In a related development, the MIC Youth wing will submit a memorandum to the Foreign Affairs Ministry today to object to the government's support for the Sri Lankan draft resolution.
View Comments0