Mangala accepted it sans Govt. consent: JO

OISL report

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has accepted the report on the OHCHR investigation on Sri Lanka and had co-sponsored the resolution on Sri Lanka without the consent of the President and the Cabinet, the joint opposition told the UN Human Right Council (UNHRC).

JO member Sarath Weerasekara who spoke to Daily Mirror from Geneva said he told the UNHCR that Sri Lanka was involved in a non international armed conflict between the government and the LTTE and as such the armed forces could not be accused of violating the International Human Rights Law (IHL). “In an armed conflict, only International Humanitarian Laws are applicable and therefore it cannot be charged under the International Human Rights Law. When you apply IHL it is very clear that it was the LTTE and not the Sri Lankan security forces who committed war crimes,” he said.

In an armed conflict, only International Humanitarian Laws are applicable and therefore it cannot be charged under the International Human Rights Law. When you apply IHL it is very clear that it was the LTTE and not the Sri Lankan security forces who committed war crimes

Mr. Weerasekara is said to have tabled two reports -- one carrying the views of world renown experts claiming that security forces had not committed war crimes and the other prepared by a panel of experts to show that the OHCHR report was seriously flawed with contradictions, omissions and lies.

“It’s a pity that the UNHRC which looked away when the LTTE was using people as human shields and recruiting child soldiers is now levelling war crime charges on the very troops who destroyed the LTTE and protected Human Rights. It is an example of double standards and hypocrisy,” he said.

On behalf of the JO, Mr. Weerasekara requested the UN General Assembly to assign a special rapporteur to investigate the matter and impose a moratorium on the UNHRC from pursuing the resolution any further till investigations were completed.

It’s a pity that the UNHRC which looked away when the LTTE was using people as human shields and recruiting child soldiers is now levelling war crime charges on the very troops who destroyed the LTTE and protected Human Rights. It is an example of double standards and hypocrisy