It was arguably the most shameful moment in the Council’s short history.
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The island government should ensue equal status, withdrawal of military from areas of Tamil population, return of ancestral land allegedly occupied by Sri Lankan military personnel and release of hundreds of Tamils lodged in prisons, Raja said.
Those killings were followed by a series of filmed incidents in which bound, naked prisoners were executed and women prisoners systematically violated and murdered by government forces, captured in a series of videos verified by the United Nations and human rights groups, where Sri Lankan soldiers were apparently operating in a climate of impunity.
Tamil Nadu Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution asking the Centre to move a “strong resolution” in the UNHRC for an global probe into the alleged war crimes in the 2009 war in Sri Lanka. “This resolution is in favour of Sri Lankan government and adversarial to Sri Lankan Tamils”, Jayalalithaa said today in a statement. It was a devastating document: a ringing endorsement of the evidence presented by Channel 4 and others and a confirmation of the claims of the survivors.
“It was mainly due to export dollar sales”, said a dealer who declined to be identified.
The Colombo Page quoted President Sirisena, as saying that his government’s goal is to make Sri Lanka a paradise for investors. Such a court, he said: “will have no chance of overcoming widespread and justifiable suspicions fuelled by decades of violations, malpractice and broken promises”. This includes appointing a majority of foreign judges, lawyers, prosecutors and investigators to the justice mechanism as well as robust material, technical and financial assistance from United Nations entities and Member States. “The resolution passed yesterday will in no way render justice to Sri Lankan Tamils”. The unity government of Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been conciliatory in its approach since taking over. There is only a domestic mechanism. “The resolution, by itself, will not win back the confidence of victims”. The OCHR report was based on the “principal findings of the OCHR investigations on Sri Lanka (OISL)”, which were included in the report.
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In yet another step to improve governance, the government announced the formation of the Constitutional Council (CC). “Immediate establishment of an in-country OHCHR office, as recommended by the High Commissioner, would significantly allay victims’ doubts of fair process and fears of reprisals while providing the government practical expertise”.
