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Download the Speeches of all Hon'ble Chief Justices & Judges in ...

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Hon’ble Mr Justice N.E. Dissanayake,Judge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Supreme Court <strong>of</strong> Sri Lankabe<strong>in</strong>g presented with <strong>the</strong> ConferenceMemento<strong>the</strong>y extort money from <strong>the</strong>m on pa<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> death, abduct <strong>the</strong>ir children very much aga<strong>in</strong>st<strong>the</strong>ir will to be recruited as cadres. They elim<strong>in</strong>ate anyone who disagree with <strong>the</strong>m. Thevery people <strong>the</strong>y claim to represent are oppressed by <strong>the</strong>ir tyranny. They <strong>in</strong>dulge <strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>ternational drug traffick<strong>in</strong>g, human smuggl<strong>in</strong>g and gun runn<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong> a very big way. Butyet some countries <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Western world sympathize with <strong>the</strong>m as freedom fighters andurge poor countries like Sri Lanka, to resolve terrorism by negotiation. They tie up aidpackages to resolv<strong>in</strong>g this problem by negotiations. But when terrorism strikes <strong>the</strong> westernnations, like for e.g. <strong>the</strong> September 11 attack on New York, <strong>the</strong> western countries seekto fight <strong>the</strong>m tooth and nail, even ventur<strong>in</strong>g beyond <strong>the</strong>ir borders. They have <strong>in</strong>vadedAfghanistan and Iraq <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> fight<strong>in</strong>g terrorism and stopp<strong>in</strong>g manufacture <strong>of</strong>weapons <strong>of</strong> Mass destruction, which are yet to be found. They declare that <strong>the</strong>y do notnegotiate with terrorists. This is <strong>the</strong> type <strong>of</strong> contradictory positions taken by some countries, and <strong>the</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g countrieslike us have to put up with.Today humanity is stand<strong>in</strong>g at cross-roads. One path leads to unity, peace and prosperity and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r leads to disunity,chaos and uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty. After <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> so c<strong>all</strong>ed’ cold war’ <strong>the</strong> United States tried to act as an <strong>in</strong>ternational policemanand ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> law and order, but its actions lacked legitimacy and have been criticized sometimes even by <strong>the</strong>ir traditional<strong>all</strong>ies like France and Germany. However after 9/11, <strong>in</strong>ternational terrorism has emerged as <strong>the</strong> biggest threat to <strong>the</strong>civilized world. It is a matter <strong>of</strong> time, if not already so far, for <strong>in</strong>ternational terrorists to lay <strong>the</strong>ir hands on nuclear or o<strong>the</strong>rweapons <strong>of</strong> mass destruction, to threaten <strong>the</strong> life and limb <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>nocent human be<strong>in</strong>gs to achieve <strong>the</strong>ir desired goals. They willnot show any remorse or repentenance even after explod<strong>in</strong>g such a device just to give a message to <strong>the</strong> world.There is ano<strong>the</strong>r aspect to <strong>the</strong> peaceful well be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> mank<strong>in</strong>d be<strong>in</strong>g threatened. That is <strong>the</strong> threat to global environment,created by emissions <strong>of</strong> carbon monoxide and o<strong>the</strong>r harmful gases to <strong>the</strong> environment. Fur<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> pollution caused bydischarge <strong>of</strong> nuclear waste and o<strong>the</strong>r effluents to <strong>the</strong> atmosphere <strong>in</strong> c<strong>all</strong>ous disregard for <strong>the</strong> well be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> humanity. This hasresulted <strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ozone layer caus<strong>in</strong>g a hole <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sky expos<strong>in</strong>g direct sunlight to some parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world which cancause sk<strong>in</strong> cancer if exposed to <strong>the</strong> sun. This environmental pollution has caused global warm<strong>in</strong>g result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> melt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> iceon North and South poles which had <strong>in</strong> turn resulted <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> rise <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sea-water levels. This can be catastrophic. In a matter<strong>of</strong> years some countries and island countries such as Maldives will go under water. Major part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world will besubmerged.Do we have enforceable <strong>in</strong>ternational laws to stop this catastrophe and <strong>the</strong> threat <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational terrorism, which would beunivers<strong>all</strong>y applicable to <strong>all</strong> <strong>the</strong> countries and people <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world? A Law has no legal sanctity if it is not enforceable, andif it does not carry a penalty for its violation, <strong>the</strong>n it cannot be c<strong>all</strong>ed a law at <strong>all</strong>. In that sense, today <strong>the</strong>re is <strong>in</strong>deed no<strong>in</strong>ternational law <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. Therefore, <strong>the</strong>re is total lawlessness <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world <strong>in</strong> so far as arrest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>ternational terrorismand <strong>in</strong>ternational environmental pollution is concerned. Today, <strong>in</strong>ternational terrorism and <strong>in</strong>ternational environmental pollutiondemands enforceable <strong>in</strong>ternational law, because such acts can only be curbed through enforceable <strong>in</strong>ternational law and notby war whe<strong>the</strong>r between two or more countries or even a world war.Like its predecessor <strong>the</strong> League <strong>of</strong> Nations, <strong>the</strong> United Nations Organization has also failed to fulfill <strong>the</strong> objectives forwhich it was formed. In <strong>the</strong> 5 and a half decades <strong>of</strong> its existence, we have read that more people died <strong>in</strong> numerous wars <strong>all</strong>over <strong>the</strong> world than <strong>the</strong> two world wars we have faced. The U.N.O has been passively watch<strong>in</strong>g nuclear countries build<strong>in</strong>gup <strong>the</strong>ir stockpiles. Test<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Nuclear weapons on un<strong>in</strong>habited islands caus<strong>in</strong>g immense environmental degradation. Thestockpile <strong>of</strong> nuclear weapons is said to be around 36000 and count<strong>in</strong>g.Moreover it is said that 80 countries have also stockpiled chemical and biological weapons. The U.N.O has been a silentspectator to <strong>all</strong> this and more. In its over half a century <strong>of</strong> existence, it has merely watched by as 3/4th <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> earth’s tropicalforest cover disappear. Even though U.N.O has many achievements to its credit, however <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ultimate analysis, one hasto admit that it has f<strong>all</strong>en far short <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> expectations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. Then one is rem<strong>in</strong>ded <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact that--52--

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