Sri Lanka relents over UN war crimes experts
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka has softened its stance and agreed to welcome a panel of experts appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to probe alleged war crimes, according to a minister.
The experts will be allowed to meet a local panel reporting on moves to ensure that the country does not slip back into ethnic war.
Sri Lanka previously rejected Ban’s panel as an interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and instead set up its own “Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)” to study, among other things, why a 2002 truce broke down between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
“We have rejected a probe by the UN Secretary-General, but the president has decided to allow his experts to visit Sri Lanka and go before the LLRC if they wished to,” said Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.
The government had earlier said it would not grant visas to the three-member panel to conduct their investigations into allegations of war crimes in the final stages of fighting last year.
The UN has accused both troops and Tiger rebels of abuses and estimated that at least 7,000 civilians perished in the final months of fighting. However, international rights groups have said the civilian toll was over 30,000.
UN sources said no dates had yet been finalised for the UN experts to visit Sri Lanka, but noted that Ban had thanked President Mahinda Rajapakse for the “flexibility” he had demonstrated in allowing the UN officials to visit.
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- PUCSL warns CEB: Submit tariff plan by December 6, 2024 or face action November 25, 2024
- ADB approves $200 million to modernize Sri Lanka’s power sector November 25, 2024
- Over 120,000 tourists arrive in Sri Lanka in first 20 days of November 2024 November 25, 2024
- Court orders release of Sujeewa Senasinghe’s SUV on Rs. 100 million bond November 25, 2024
- IMF backs Sri Lanka’s plan to boost revenue with vehicle imports November 25, 2024
This is bad news, for MR to cave-in to allow diaspora LTTE appointees in UNSG panel to visit SL, to investigate and report to UNSG. They are not ofcourse going before the LLRC, who the diaspora LTTE consider as a white wash. Would China or Russia or Israel for that matter have ever caved-in in this humiliating fashion?
USA and Britain have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on a massive scale and continues to do so arrogantly. UNSG dare not appoint such a panel to investigate and report on war crimes etc by these imperial nations, because he is their puppet, and they are his paymasters.
I am very disappointed by MR caving-in to the demands and pressure of the imperial West to allow this biased panel to visit SL for their investigation. Their report has already been written for them by the diaspora LTTE, Britain and USA. This UN panel is only going through the motions of pretence to hold an unbiased investigation and report.
I am wondering who has advised MR to cave-in in this humiliating fashion. Is it Liam Fox or a so-called ‘close adviser’ of his? We know the diaspora LTTE has their spies and fifth-columnists within the cabinet to weaken and bring down the government when the time is right. MR is incapable now of recogninsing the infiltrators, to distinguish the friends from foes.
I am really diappointed by this decision of MR to cave-in. I fear for the future of SL once again. The rot started with the mega-size cabinet and ministries created by MR unwisely to accommodate the opposition members who have crossed-over. These men can just as well stab him in the back. He has forgotten the common man who elected him with a huge vote. The promises made in election time to develop at rural levels, gam sanvardanaya, has been forgotten. What a huge slice of the budget is carved off to spend on this mega cabinet and useless ministries for such a small country, for their luxury lifestyles! This is money that could have been spent on rural villages in their development. They have to wait for eternity just for a few crumbs from the master’s table. MR has now become adept at empty promises re-iterated time and agin through the media. It was a total waste of time and public money to go on this jaunt to UK to address the Oxford Union who humiliated him by withdrawing the invitation at the last minute with a pack of lies. The real truth was, the invitation was to lure MR to UK by appealing to his ego, in order to have him arrested on allegations of war crimes. But the arrest warrant could not be issued in time through a local magistrate. The new Oxford Union President then re-invited MR the very next day when the arrest warrant was finally issued against his security chief, but MR sprung the trap and fled in time. What humiliation for a head of state! The conspiracy of the LTTE and British politicains et alia fell through. The ‘fun and games’ diaspora LTTE expected eagerly through a spirit of revenge could not be even begun, to their dismay. But they never give-up. The UNSG panel is another iron-in-the-fire to keep-up the pressure. MR has fallen for it. Alas!!!
Dear mr.N.d.you are right,I do not know,who is the personal advisor to Mr.M.R.I think he has to be carefull,because in the past he made couple of mistaked,I do not know what is wrong with him.He should not let Ltte apointees in UNSG panal to visit srilanka.this is a big plan from Ltte and UK Disapora.