The US based Tamil advocacy group, USTPAC, welcomed the UN Human Rights Council's decision to mandate an international inquiry into grave crimes in Sri Lanka.

"Tamils have waited nearly five years since end of the armed conflict for a genuine accountability mechanism to be established, and the resolution just adopted marks a turning point in their quest for justice," said Dr. Karunyan Arulanantham, the President of the US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC).

The organisation, which has played a prominent role in pushing an international inquiry in Geneva, along side other diaspora organisations said in a statement issued Friday, that "while this resolution brings hope for justice and redress to the Tamil people and signifies a shift in engagement of the international community, it is by no means a comprehensive plan for addressing the threats to the collective identity of the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka".

He added,

"An international inquiry is a necessary first step into establishing the truth. The ongoing atrocities committed against Tamils and Muslims by Sri Lankan forces in the North and East demand greater international attention and action. Only through international involvement can Tamils live freely and peacefully in their homeland,"

"Tamil Americans are grateful to the US Government for spearheading this resolution. USTPAC also thanks the many legislators of the Senate and the House who called for independent international investigation into the mass killings of civilians in Sri Lanka,"

See here for full statement.

Find full coverage of the UNHRC vote and reactions to the resolution mandating the OHCHR to undertake an inquiry here.