Marxist JVP warns US against violating Lanka's sovereignty

Colombo, Mar 9 (UNI) Accusing the ''Western Powers'' of lacking true intentions while raising human right allegations against other countries, former allies of Sri Lanka's ruling coalition, the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has warned the US to refrain from violating the island nation's sovereignty under any circumstances.

JVP's propaganda secretary and parliamentary group leader, Wimal Weerawansa made these remarks when he made a special address in Parliament yesterday on the visit by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Steven Mann.

Mr Mann has been sent here by President George W Bush to look into the alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka in the wake of repeated request made by the US Congressmen.

Mr Mann, who arrived here yesterday on a two-day visit, is scheduled to meet President Mahinda Rajapakse today. According to a US embassy statement, Ambassador Mann will discuss the peace process, human rights and access to conflict areas with President Rajapakse, government ministers, civil society leaders and non-governmental organisations.

Charging that the US-led war in Iraq was the biggest human rights violation of the century, the firebrand JVP parliamentarian said that ''No attempts should be made to turn Sri Lanka into an East Timor, Southern Sudan or a Kosovo using our problems and issues as a scapegoat''.

''Sri Lanka is our motherland. No matter how poor she is, no other country can rob her of her sovereignty,'' JVP parliamentarian Weerawansa said, warning that the US special envoy and all other such envoys must acknowledge this fact.

''We cannot think that Western Powers have pure intentions when they raise Human Rights allegations against another country. It is an avenue to fulfill their conspiratorial neo-colonialist ambitions,'' Mr Weerawansa said.

The US State Department in a 15-page country-report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka charged last week that human rights violations, including unlawful killings by government agents, high-profile killings by unknown perpetrators, politically-motivated killings by para-military forces associated with the government and the LTTE and disappearances.

The government however, in a statement yesterday said these human rights allegations were unfounded.

UNI