War crimes: Türk's visit again underscores SL's wholly inadequate response

Sri Lanka military and an invading army conducted two separate mock Sarmy conducted Services and Staff College (DSSC), Batalanda, recently.

- By Shamindra Ferdinando

They dealt with a fictitious but developing situation, following a major confrontation in the general area of Dambulla.

The briefings were held at the end of an exercise, called 'Shadow Dance,' conducted at the DSSC, where a group of journalists, representing the print and electronic media, participated.

Having explained the circumstances leading to the latest fighting, the two warring armies fielded the questions posed.

The invading army addressed/handled the media much better than the Sri Lankan military represented by the 55 Division. The 63 Division represented the invading army that occupied the entire Northern Province, for a decade, and was threatening the rest of the country.

In a way, the 55 Division reflected the pathetic failure on the part of successive governments and the Army to counter unsubstantiated war crimes allegations levelled, since the successful conclusion of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 17 years ago.

The writer was among those invited to participate in the mock media briefing.

The Sri Lankan military was aptly called the defenders of the nation while the occupying army was called videsh forces.

The Sri Lankan military performance reminded us of the shoddy way successive governments faced the Geneva challenge. Even 17 years after President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government achieved the unthinkable - the LTTE's battlefield defeat - the country is still under intense Geneva pressure.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's recently concluded visit (June 23-26) proved beyond any doubt the Geneva strategy is on track.

The Austrian lawyer's pronouncements demonstrated that Geneva is absolutely confident of its strategy and the war-winning country lacked a cohesive approach to counter Geneva lies and expose their so far unchallenged narrative.