Sri Lanka’s president said his government was under “no compulsion” to implement a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for an internationalised accountability mechanism, as he addressed a gathering of Sri Lankan soldiers on Monday.
The official Ministry of Defence website quoted Maithripala Sirisena as telling the soldiers “it is his duty and responsibility to protect war heroes who fought to bring freedom to the country”.
Calling the UN resolution a set of “proposals”, Mr Sirisena added that his government would follow them only to clear “allegations” that loomed over Sri Lanka’s armed forces. He went on to assure the soldiers that his government was no engaged in a “so called witch hunt of war heroes”.
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