Sri Lanka reactions to Allan Rock
November 18th, 2006
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
His name is Rock! Allan Rock!! He is a Canadian!!!
[United Nations (UN) advisor on children and armed conflicts, Allan Rock, addresses journalists during a press conference in Colombo - AFP/UN Photo]
He was in Sri Lanka for ten days from November 6th to 14th on a fact – finding mission for the United Nations. Allan Rock visited Sri Lanka in his capacity of special adviser on Sri Lanka to UN Scretary – General’s Special representative (SGSR)on Children and armed conflict (CAAC)
During those ten days, Allan Rock visited Colombo, Ampara, Batticaloa, Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts. He enjoyed the full cooperation of the Sri Lankan government and met with all parties concerned with the ongoing conflict. In his meeting with President Rajapakse, the Special Adviser expressed his appreciation for the extensive efforts made by the Government of Sri Lanka to facilitate his visit and access to all areas.
The purpose of Mr. Rock’s visit was to ascertain first-hand the situation on the ground, mainly in the North and East, with a particular focus on compliance with the Action Plan for Children Affected by Conflict. The Action Plan was endorsed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) following their commitment during peace talks in 2002 and 2003 to work with UNICEF and the Government to end the recruitment of children and to release under-age recruits in their ranks.
Before departing from our shores he conducted a press briefing as is customary after field trips of this kind. Allan Rock revealed some of his findings at the press briefing . They related to acts of omission and commission by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the breakaway Karuna faction known as Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP).
According to Allan Rock the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have not complied with their commitments to stop child recruitment and to release all children within their ranks. He also found that the Karuna faction, a group that broke away from the LTTE, is continuing to abduct and forcibly recruit children in government-controlled areas in eastern Sri Lanka.
The UN envoy also found disturbing but credible evidence that certain elements of the government security forces are supporting and sometimes participating in those abductions.
Though Allan Rock was even handed in his approach about all three parties involved the “bombshell” from a media perspective was the revelation about GOSL complicity in Karuna faction conscription. The LTTE conduct of non – compliance to earlier commitments was to be expected and International condemnation of the tigers was old hat. But the GOSL being faulted was something new and made good copy. So the media went to town
Facts like the Karuna faction abducting children in government-controlled areas of the East, particularly Batticaloa district came to light. Since May of this year, 135 cases of under-age recruitment by abduction have been reported to UNICEF, with evidence that this trend is accelerating.
The discovery of a disturbing development involving the Karuna abductions. was outlined. Strong and credible evidence was found that certain elements of the government security forces are supporting and sometimes participating in the abductions and forced recruitment of children by the Karuna faction.
Allan Rock had also met with the parents of many of the abducted children in Batticaloa district. As a result, he learned of eye-witness evidence that links the Karuna faction abductions to certain government elements. Based on the evidence as a whole, Allan Rock concluded that some government security forces are actively participating in these criminal acts.
Apart from the issues of child recruitment and abductions, Allan Rock also observed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in certain areas of the North and East. During his visits to Vaharai and Jaffna, Mr. Rock saw first hand the fear, isolation and critical unmet needs of IDP children there.
One moving experience Allan Rock had was when civilians young and old sat in front of his vehicle in Vaharai refusing to let him and UNICEF officials leave. The people were terrified that artillery shelling would commence once the UN team left the place.
“It is increasingly clear that children are at risk from all sides,” said Mr. Rock. “It is crucial that ways be found to monitor and protect their rights and interests. Wherever I traveled, I saw with my own eyes that systems meant to safeguard children’s rights are either deteriorating or absent. It is apparent that there is an urgent need for an independent monitoring capacity to ensure that children affected by the conflict are protected” observed Allan Rock.
The excreta collided with the oscillator after Allan Rock left the Country. The Army issued a strong denial of alleged involvement. The Presidents office issued a wishy – washy statement saying that investigations would be conducted only if there was evidence. The Karuna faction charged that Allan Rock was simply repeating LTTE propaganda. The JVP condemned Rock and warned of an International conspiracy. The patriots accused the Canadian of LTTE links.
Keheliya Rambukwella who is fast becoming to Mahinda Rajapakse what AJ Ranasinghe was to Ranasinghe Premadasa also jumped into the fray. He said that the Government was waiting for Allan Rock to supply the evidence necessary to take action. In other words the GOSL was going to sit still. What Ramukwella told our sister paper was hilarious. Relevant paragraphs are excerpted here -
Defence Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Morning Leader that President Mahinda Rajapakse had initiated an inquiry through the Foreign Ministry to ascertain whether Special Advisor to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Allan Rock exceeded his mandate by accusing the government.
“The President has instructed the Foreign Ministry to inform all relevant authorities for a strong explanation into Rock’s statement. The President has also called for an immediate inquiry into the allegations. However, such a serious statement accusing the government, was totally beyond Rock’s mandate,” Minister Rambukwella said.
Minister Rambukwella also criticised Rock by saying that if the UN official could make such a statement within hours of visiting the affected areas, then the government would willingly hand over the Raviraj investigation to the UN, rather than calling the Scotland Yard.
“If Rock is such an expert who could make these comments within hours of visiting the northeast, then he could solve the Raviraj assassination within days. We do not need the Scotland Yard then,” Rambukwella said.”
What the Government is trying to cover up is the fact that sections of the armed forces are aiding and abetting the Karuna faction to conscript youths and children. For a regime urging that the LTTE should be penalised for acts such as child conscription the UN disclosures have been a shock. The GOSL has lost any moral high ground that it had on this issue.
Colombo would actually be fighting a lost battle if it thinks the problem could be solved through brazen denial. Though Allan Rock hit the headlines with his press conference the issue of security forces assisting the Karuna faction in conscription was well – known. Other credible sources too have charged Colombo of this before.
The University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) is a reputed human rights organization. The UTHR (J) credentials in criticising the LTTE are impeccable. It cannot be accused of siding with the tigers. In fact many people from the majority community regard UTHR (J) findings as sacrosanct when it comes to blaming the tigers.
The UTHR had issued special report no 23 on November 7th. In that revelations were made about security forces role in child conscription. Relevant paragraphs are excerpted below -
” Since the middle of this year, there have been well-authenticated reports of the complicity of the government forces in the conscription of children and adults by the Karuna group. This was extended to Trincomalee in August. The following instance of child conscription took place in Trincomalee on 21st October.
Mas. Selvarajah Rasamanikkam and Mas. Satyaraj Konam of 3rd Mile Post, near Anbuvelipuram, Trincomalee, were abducted by the Karuna group in the night of 21st October as communicated by relatives. About 9.30 PM, persons in the neighbourhood saw the Karuna party with arms bringing some boys, stopped at the Green Rd. junction naval check point. A little later Navy men came on motorcycles and escorted the Karuna men and their illicit human cargo to their office. People in the area hear sounds of agony, as abducted persons are tortured to join the group.
This is the level at which the State is safeguarding the rights of the people after years of protesting loudly about child conscription by the LTTE. We have recorded a host of cases of the LTTE doing the same thing and have condemned it as a crime. We expect better standards from the Government. It should know better that there is no justification for expecting Tamils to fight its war when all its actions point to denying them a decent settlement. Abducting Tamils to fight for the Government is slavery according to the ICCPR that has now been dispensed with. The number of persons conscripted in Trincomalee is placed by local sources at over 50.
With the collapse of the recent second round of Geneva talks, all the parties are making a show of their bankruptcy by taking it out on children. In the LTTE-controlled area of Batticaloa District, especially Vavunathivu and Pattipalai DS Divisions, the LTTE (Vanni faction) has resumed conscription and many conscripts taken on 29th, 30th and 31st October are children. The number taken is about 70 and sources in the area name the leaders of the abduction teams as Raja, Nathan, Muthulingam and Annaseelan. On 2nd and 3rd November, the LTTE hosted the same circus in Vellaveli 14th and 16th colonies and Kakkachivattai.
The Karuna group showed no less zeal in conscripting children and adults in the government controlled areas abetted by the government forces. The Karuna group abducted 15 persons at a Sitthandy temple festival on 26th October. Subsequent reports spoke of large abductions in Batticaloa North from Kalkuda Namahal School, Valaichenai Hindu College, Puthukkudiyiruppu Vani School and Petthalai Vipulananda School. Persons in the area when asked are terrified of talking about it, given the context of ongoing killings by both sides. These are also places where the Army is present. All these conscripts have to be taken to Karuna’s bases through several government checkpoints.
The combined LTTE’s conscription of children before the 2004 split was terrible enough. Now two factions are conscripting children to kill each other. The international community, Norway and the Government bear a severe responsibility for this state of affairs; which stemmed from their lack of foresight and absence of principle in handling the Karuna split”
The UTHR report is not all. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has also confirmed the Allan Rock findings. The SLMM confirmed UN allegations in this respect and aid that they too possessed evidence of this. Relevant paragraphs from a news story in “The Morning Leader” are excerped below -
“The statement made by the UN official is correct and the SLMM in its second Geneva report released in August also stressed that we had sufficient evidence to prove that the government forces were involved in child recruitment,” Acting SLMM Spokesperson, Helen Olafsdottir told The Morning Leader.
She added that the SLMM would continue to monitor the situation.
In its second Geneva report, the SLMM said that child recruitment and child abduction continued on a relatively high level in June, July and August but unlike earlier months, a majority of the cases reported were not against the LTTE, but against the Karuna group.
“While it is evident that LTTE was behind most of the child recruiting as confirmed by several of the victims and the LTTE, there are also strong indications that the Karuna (group) were behind several of these abductions,” the SLMM report said.
It further said that there were a number of indications that the government was actively supporting the Karuna group. “Known Karuna supporters have been seen moving to and from SLA camps, and it is evident that the security forces and police in some areas are not taking action to prevent armed elements from operating,” the report said.
It would be foolish and short – sighted for the GOSL to adopt a denial cum confrontational course with the UN over this issue. Allan Rock in his press conference said that the Government had been reminded that it has a responsibility to ensure that no civilians are targeted in military operations.Mr. Rock had sought and received several assurances and commitments by the parties involved.
The LTTE gave him assurances that they would work with UNICEF, commencing immediately, to accelerate the release from their ranks of all children, with the objective of completing that process by January 1, 2007. They also committed to better training for their military commanders in relation to recruitment, and a process of discipline for those who do not comply.
The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), on behalf of its military wing Karuna, undertook to publish formal policy statements forbidding under-age recruitment, and to release any children who may now be in its ranks. The TMVP agreed to work with UNICEF in an effort to trace the whereabouts and arrange the release of those abducted children whose families have complained to UNICEF.
Allan Rock also received assurances from President Rajapakse concerning the allegations that elements of the Sri Lankan security forces have been complicit with the Karuna faction in its child recruitment, and that they participated in or facilitated child abductions. The President made clear to Rock that he will order an immediate and thorough investigation to determine whether such things have occurred and, should the evidence support that conclusion, he will take action to hold accountable those who are responsible.
The best course available to President Rajapakse is to honour the assurances given to Allan Rock. He always has the fig leaf of saying that errant sections of the armed forces are responsible and that the GOSL on the whole had nothing to with it.In order to prove his bona fides Rajapakse has to take action against some security personnel. He can’t afford to fudge this one. The canuck ain’t no push over.
Allan Rock has welcomed all assurances by the parties concerned. He requires concrete evidence of compliance by all parties before the submission of his formal written report to the Security Council in January next year.
A harsh and critical report about the GOSL may compel the Security Council to issue strictures against Colombo. This in turn may lead to sanctions. Rajapakse should observe closely what is happening in Congo and Sudan over the child soldier issue.
Another headache for Colombo is that Allan Rock’s mandate is not restricted to child soldiers alone. He is after all a special adviser to Radhika Coomaraswamy the UN special representative on Children and armed conflict. This means that issues such as children displaced by war, their accommodation, education, health, sanitation, nutrition etc also need to be studied. Hospitals and schools affected by war, abduction and disappearances of children, sexual violation and exploitation of children etc are all issues that could be addressed within the mandate. It is understood that Allan Rock’s study will cover the period from July 2005 till now.
For a long time the LTTE has been the sole target of International condemnation regarding child soldiers. Successive Colombo Governments have adopted hypocritical “holier than thou ” postures in criticising the LTTE. Now the GOSL is facing criticism. The ball is in Mahinda’s court.
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