From the office of
Mano GANESAN
Member of Parliament for Colombo District
Leader of Western People’s Front
President of Democratic Worker’s Congress
Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission
POST BOX 803 72 BANKSHALL STREET COLOMBO SRI LANKA
PHONE +9411 2473511 FAX +9411 2435961
MOBILE +94 77 7312770  Email 

Friday 20th December, 2007

Excellency High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Members of the international
community in Sri Lanka

Your Excellencies,

Withdrawal of my personal security personnel and equipments

Ministerial Security Division (MSD) personnel who protected me have been
withdrawn since the late evening on 18th December. I am now left with two
constables.

I am given to understand that under the instructions of Ministry of Defense
(MoD) the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has started withdrawing number of
security personnel from the security units of various opposition
parliamentarians, immediately after the budget vote in the parliament.

I am a Human Rights Defender and a Parliamentarian.  This government tries to
put me into one same bundle deliberately with hidden intentions.

I have been provided the additional security aftermath of the killing of co-
founder of Civil Monitoring Commission Parliamentarian Nadaraja Raviraj almost
a year ago in Colombo’s high security zone.

Police intelligence division has repeatedly informed me on the increased level
of threats to my life. Based on this I have had requested for the enhancement
of my security. My involvement in the human rights campaign as the convener of
Civil Monitoring Commission has put me under severe threats to my life and
intimidations. Those who are hurt and exposed by our campaign are out there to
punish me. This is very obvious. It needs no police intelligence report. Any
report is only mere confirmation. But regrettably my security which I believe
for all logical reasons should have been enhanced has been slashed down
abruptly. One section of the police confirms that I am under constant threat
and the other section withdraws my security. It is an act of political
decision rather than a police decision.

This government believes that they can either restrict or stop my movements
and thereby cripple our human rights campaign. They fail to understand that we
in the Civil Monitoring Commission will emerge with more determination and
courage.

We may not be part of the government but definitely part of the state. This
government does not understand and recognize us as part of Lankan state as a
legitimate entity. It appears that government considers that privileges for
lawful protection by the state are only for the members of government.  This
wrong consideration extends from the issues of protection of human rights of
the common Tamil masses to the personal security of the human rights defenders
and Tamil parliamentarians like me.

This government fails to understand the differences between a state and a non-
state entity as it fails to understand the differences between a state and a
government. Is this government pushing us towards an alternative state by
restricting state protections and privileges only to governments’ partners and
people of a privileged community?

Those in the international community who love the people of Sri Lanka and
protection of Human Rights of Sri Lankan people should move in to protect the
Lankan Human Rights Defenders. It is sad that we have reached a shameful stage
where defense of Human Rights defenders and workers has become deplorable
under this regime, let alone defending the human rights of the common Tamil
civilians, aid workers and truth seeking journalists.

Your government has repeatedly expressed the view that it considers human
rights as the most core issue in the Sri Lankan scene. Therefore isn’t
the ‘Defense of Human Rights Defenders’ a challenge to your government as it
is to Sri Lankan Human Rights defenders?

I request for your government’s constructive involvement.

Thanking you,

Yours truly,
Mano Ganesan
Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission
Member of Parliament for Colombo District
Leader of Western People’s Front
President of Democratic Worker’s Congress