US Army raped a large number of women during Vietnam war, says Sri Lankan Minister

(October 07, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Udaya Prabath Gammanpila, a federal Minister of Sri Lanka government, accused that the US Army raped a large number of women during Vietnam war. He recalled that rape took place right inside the White House as Bill Clinton, the husband of US State Secretary Hilary Clinton was the President.

Western Provincial Council Minister Udaya Prabath Gammanpila made these comments to state-owned Dinamina Sinhala daily participating a petition campaign against US in Colombo. His party, National Heritage Party (JHU), a coalition member of the Sri Lanka government, is collecting a million of signatures for a petition to be handed over to the UN General Secretary denying a recent statement of US State Secretary Hilary Clinton.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, addressing the UN Security Council, on September 30, noted that rape has been used as a weapon of war in the Balkans, Burma, Sri Lanka and elsewhere and that in too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.

Sri Lanka government member of parliament, Athuraliye Rathana Thero, a member of the JHU, said that Sri Lanka is considering Clinton's statement as government policy and not as one made in her individual capacity.

U.S. officials called for a possible war crimes investigation for the last leg of the government's military operation to crush the decades long fight of the minority Tamils for an independent state in the northern and eastern parts of the island. 

(Photo: JHU Ministers Patali Champika Ranawaka and Udaya Prabath Gammanpila) 

Sri Lanka's anti-US drive; coalition parties demonstrate before embassy as officials mock Clinton

(October 02, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka government that is rapidly alienating from West to build up close ties with China under President Mahinda Rajapakse, has initiated a new wave of anti-US rhetoric as elections are weeks ahead in President's home province.

The Sinhala Buddhist religion-nationalist National Heritage Party alias Jathika Hela Urumaya staged a radical demonstration before the US embassy in Colombo yesterday. Almost all the leaders of the party sans its political adviser and de facto ideological guru of the regime Patali Champika Ranawaka were present in the agitation.

U.S. officials called for a possible war crimes investigation for the last leg of the government's military operation to crush the decades long fight of the minority Tamils for an independent state in the northern and eastern parts of the island. 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, addressing the UN Security Council, Wednesday, noted that rape has been used as a weapon of war in the Balkans, Burma, Sri Lanka and elsewhere and that in too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.

Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights Rajiva Wijesinha speaking to Sri Lankan television Derana regarding Hillary Clinton's comment that rape was used as a tactic of war in Sri Lankasaid, "To my knowledge, this is not true and I have not come across such an allegation."

Wijesinha mocked Clinton stating that she "tends to make generalized statements, it is clear as she did the same during her campaign for Presidency against Barack Obama and we should take a leaf out of Obama's book and forgive her for this statement".

Sri Lankan Minister seeks UN permanent investigative commission to look into human rights violations of US

(September 25, Colombo - Lanka Polity) National Heritage Party (JHU), a Sinhala Buddhist ethno-religious party in coalition with Sri Lanka's ruling alliance is going to commence a petition campaign against US.

The JHU expects to collect a million signatures since next month denying breach of human rights since the inception of US and urging for UN permanent investigative commission to look into them, said ruling alliance Minister of Agriculture, Agrarian Development, Irrigation, Livestock Production and Development, Trade and Environment in Western Provincial Council at a press conference held in Colombo yesterday.

JHU move is considered an effort to counter the international pressure to investigate the human rights violations in the last leg of the war against the Tamil Tigers.

Sinhala Buddhist nationalist JHU is a party that handles the ideological stand of Sri Lanka government. It vehemently opposed the peace process and mobilized forces to militarily defeat the Tamil separatism in the north and eastern parts of the island.