Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, PC said that there has to be a balance between peaceful protests which the Constitution has enshrined and the expression of dissent which is also a part of democracy.
The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said that protests have to stop at a particular point without breaking specific orders of the Courts, going into areas which have been prohibited or walking into sensitive places just like what happened last year to bring the country into anarchy. “Therefore, this balance has to be there”.
“We have explained to the international community that the Sri Lankan Government promotes and supports that decision. However, if that has been done with a hidden agenda to disrupt daily life and public order to create panic and drive away investors and tourists, the Government of the day needs to take steps to prevent that,” he said.
Excerpts from the interview
Q: What are the steps being taken to reassure the international community on Sri Lanka’s human right commitments at Geneva and also on a bilateral basis?
A: At a challenging time, we are working in all the different areas. So, we have taken part in all aspects. We had the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) last month and Sri Lanka was prepared and participated along with 106 countries.
The vast majority of the countries, except for a few expected Sri Lanka’s progress. They understand that though we are in a difficult situation we are doing it. In the meantime, we need to engage with all organisations either bilateral or international. Again we will have our International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) review on March 8. A team consisting of the Foreign Ministry, Justice Ministry, Police, AG’s Department and all other agencies are working towards this and a delegation will leave in a couple of days to meet them.
Q: Is the Government certain of getting the IMF loan by March or April and how is our negotiations progressing with regard to debt restructuring with China and other countries?
A: We are hopeful that we will get it by March. Even right now we have completed all prior actions which the IMF asked us to do. In the meantime, India has given us the IMF compatible assurances and we have also got that from the Paris Club. China has told us that they will support our application for Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the IMF but their assurances are falling short of what has been given by other countries which is the requirement for the IMF.
So, we are still negotiating with them whether they could also put in similar undertaking. So, that is where we are. We have made it very clear that it is important for us to get the IMF facility by this month.
Q: Many commentators say that Sri Lanka is wedged between India and China in their geopolitical battle. How do we reaffirm our neutral foreign policy under these circumstances?
A: I think we have made it very clear we will not be part of any camp. We are open to business with everybody and we have been a neutral country for a long period of time. We are multi- aligned with all countries. I think some of the issues are being blown out of proportion by some local and international media.
But I wouldn’t say that neither India nor China expect us to totally disregard others and only work with them. I mean they all are mature and good leaders. Naturally, they all are worried that none of their interests should be detrimentally affected by our dealings with other countries. So, we are very careful of everybody’s sentiments. India has been our closest neighbour.
If there are any legitimate and sensitive concerns about their security, we will take all steps to meet those concerns and avoid any sort of undue pressure on anyone.
Q: The recent visit by a US delegation has raised allegations that the US is negotiating to set up a base in Trincomalee. What is your comment on this media speculation?
A: That is absolute nonsense. We are not going to allow anybody to set up any kind of military base anywhere in the country. But that doesn’t mean we can live in isolation. Security cooperation between countries has been long standing not only with the US but also with India, China and Japan and those military vessels arrive and hold joint operations here. That is a part of the new world and everybody understands that. Other than that it is very important that we have a network to share information on so many issues.
We know how US intelligence sharing helped us to defeat the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world. If we were not working cross border and working closely with our international partners, we would have never been able to defeat the LTTE because with this datum, we managed to arrest their arm supply, fundraising and got them proscribed in those countries.
If you remember very correctly, towards the end of the war, nearly nine arm shipments of the LTTE were destroyed by the Sri Lanka Navy. All those were done by our intelligence cooperating with US intelligence. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that we should work with everybody. However, the factor of just creating a false sense of patriotism and hatred towards everybody and living as prisoners and talking about the past is not what is expected from leaders in this country. Therefore, we will not allow anybody to set up any sort of military camp in this country. But that doesn’t mean we will stop our cooperation and it will continue to take place.
Q: Recent events and suppression of protests by the Police have raised fears in sections of the international community on Sri Lanka’s human rights record. How will these incidents impact Sri Lanka in the human rights arena?
A: Actually, the people should have the right to carry out peaceful protests. Nobody is saying ‘no’ to that. The Sri Lankan Constitution ensures peaceful protests. First of all, I also must express my regret that a member of the general public who protested last Sunday had died. But something very certain is that there has to be a balance between freedom of expression, protests and violence. If the violence takes place and orders of the court are not respected, the law enforcement authorities have the right to stand up and protect the rule of law and order. There has to be resistance to that extent and that happens all over. You would have seen recently British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying that they are even contemplating bringing a law to prevent disruptive protests.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that a democratically elected Government will not be overthrown by protests. So, there has to be a balance between peaceful protests which the Constitution has enshrined and the expression of dissent which is also a part of democracy. I am fully for that but it has to stop at a particular point without breaking specific orders of the court or going into the areas which have been prohibited or entering into the sensitive places just like what happened last year to bring the country into anarchy.
So, this balance has to be there. We have explained to the international community that the Sri Lankan Government promotes and supports that decision. However, if that is done with a hidden agenda in order to disrupt daily life and public order or to create panic and drive away investors and tourists, the Government of the day needs to take steps to prevent that.
Q: The Government has promised to either abolish or amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) but very recently it was used to detain some protesters. What is the progress with regard to amending the PTA and bringing in new national security laws?
A: In fact, last week the Cabinet of Ministers approved the new law. So, we will gazette it soon.
Q: Indian fishermen engaged in fishing in Sri Lankan waters has become a serious issue and the Jaffna district fishermen have protested against it. What is the progress of the ongoing talks with the Indian Government to resolve the issue?
A: This is an issue which should not be escalated into a bilateral issue with a friendly neighbour. In the meantime, it is our obligation to look after our fishermen who are living in our areas. Any resolution should not prejudice their livelihood and rights. In the meantime, we also need to look at the practical situation as to how we could resolve this issue. So, probably we will have to speak to everybody involved in this process.
I think politicians from both sides must cooperate without polarising the situation further and creating hatred towards the people. So, it is a complicated process. I think some discussions need to take place aimed at finding a plausible solution that is accepted both to Sri Lanka and India as well as preserve and protect the rights of our fishermen in the North and East.
Q: You had a meeting with a delegation from the Saudi Fund for Development recently. What was the outcome of the discussion?
A: They arrived in Sri Lanka to review the projects which we have undertaken. They are one of our greatest friends. Over a period of time they have provided financial assistance in terms of loans to very low interest rates worth up to nearly US$ 427 million though it was not highlighted.
So, they came to inspect the progress of some of those projects. We are very grateful to them for two things. One is that many other agencies have suspended their projects in Sri Lanka until the debt restructuring takes place. But Saudi Arabia is continuing despite the fact that we have not been able to pay the debts we owe them.
Two is that they have provided us necessary assurance along with the Paris Club to restructure our debt. So, the Saudis have been our close friend and they have provided so much of livelihood for so many Sri Lankan families for a long period of time. It is in that context that we had a very good discussion and they came here to look at the progress of the ongoing projects supported by Saudi Arabia and also look at new projects.
Q: Would you like to comment on your official visit to India from March 2 to 4?
A: That was to take part in the Raisina Dialogue organised by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Indian External Affairs Ministry at New Delhi. I was invited to speak at two sessions. On the sidelines of the conference, I also met important counterparts of various parts of the world for bilateral discussions.
Q: What is the SLPP’s readiness for an election although critics and political opponents say the SLPP is scared to face a poll?
A: I don’t think so. Basically, our candidates have given their nominations and they are on the ground like anyone else. Once there is clarity they will also speed up their campaign.