SL will use Lord Naseby's statement on war at the right time at the right forum: FM
The Government does not believe that 40, 000 civilians were killed during the last stages of the war and will use the recent statement made by Lord Naseby to make this case internationally, Foreign Affairs Minister Thilak Marapana told Parliament yesterday.
In response to a question raised by Joint Opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardena during the Committee Stage Debate on the Appropriation Bill, Mr Marapana said the Government should hold onto the statement and use it as an “Ace” as it “cl e a rly discounts the Darusman Report and all other reports that said up to 40, 000 civilians were killed during the last phase of the war with the LTTE.
The Minister stated that he personally never believed the figure quoted in the Darusman Report, adding, “I don’t think any reasonable person in Sri Lanka would even believe that we are capable of just slaughtering innocent people in that manner.”
He said the Government is thankful to Lord Naseby for his statement to the British Parliament last month in which he disputed the 40,000 figure and said that the number killed should be revised to between 7,00- 8000. “We have acknowledged his contribution and friendship towards Sri Lanka. Lord Naseby’s statement to the House of Lords in the UK is well-researched and substantiated with much data, which even most people in Sri Lanka were not privy to,” the Minister said.
MP Dinesh Gunawardena had earlier queried why the Government had not used the statement during its representations before the Universal Periodic Review ( UPR) in Geneva. Minister Marapana however, said the UPR was “not the appropriate forum” for that. He opined that if the Government drew excessive attention to the statement, it would provide an opportunity for other interested parties to try and find ways to contradict it.
“But we will certainly be using that at the appropriate stage,” he insisted.
Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka proposed that Lord Naseby be invited to Parliament to show the country’s appreciation.