Protests Against Western Farces
The last posturing protest against the UN, fearing Wimal.
Oh God. The government is organizing protests against ‘western forces’ for some US moves against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council. Nevermind the gall of the Afghanistan/Iraq/Libya era US sanctioning Sri Lanka for fighting terrorists on their own soil, nor a country with a fair amount of recent documented war crimes (torture, indefinite detention, etc) leading a moral charge. The fact is that the Sri Lankan government’s response makes us look like douchebags as well.
The last time this happened Wimal Weerawansa staged a farcical death fast in front of the UN building. This ended with a biblical scene of Mahinda giving him water. I thought it was pretty amazing, but also stupid.
Thing is, it is true that western forces do pick on Sri Lanka. They are lobbied by people that lobbied for the LTTE before. And I think they are wrong. The Sri Lankan government did kill way too many people and do a lot wrong, but we’ve got to be able to deal with that locally in an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation rather than recrimination, ie, not sanctions and sanctimonious bullshit from abroad.
The problem is that the Sri Lankan governments foreign policy is that of a small threatened country (which we kinda are), which only damages us more. If we just chilled the people trying to persecute Sri Lanka would look like assholes, but instead the GoSL is trying to compete on bluster. This is a battle we’d probably lose, and anyways, what do we win? Biggest asshole in the room? Great.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
The cartoon on the editorial page of the Daily Mirror of February 23rd was very bold, depicting our main actors in Geneva as clowns. I do not know why we continue to pretend that there was nothing that we should be prosecuted for and at the same time send a huge team to defend the allegations.
It is easier just to stay home, and ask our Ambassador in Geneva, a Tamil lady to make a statement giving our position and let them impose any resolution they want. In Diplomacy often the less said is more effective than send an army to defend the indefensible and then get into all sorts of problems and get stuck in a quagmire of our own making.
I hope they actually bring up this resolution in geneva. The resolution is apparently urging to the GOSL to implement LLRC recommendations, and that’s not a bad thing.
Being the biggest asshole has less to do with international relations and more to do with domestic politics. In a time like this when the economy is perceived as stumbling, an external threat is a heaven send for a government like this. They will milk it for all it is worth and more.
“They are lobbied by people that lobbied for the LTTE before”.
Only partly true.
There is a long, and growing list of people who are turning to them to seek justice. The most prominent have been the Fonseka family (who prompted a recent statement) but Hirunika Premachandra, the doctor whose son was killed in Trincomalee (3-4 years ago) and many others are doing so as well.
see
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/6323
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/5401
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/6716