Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the people from the South “will look after Southerners”, when asked if members of the former government would face charges for war crimes.
Mr Wickremesinghe stated that the government “would not sacrifice anybody”, when asked if members of the military may be brought before a war crimes trial, reports Daily Mirror.
When questioned on whether former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa would be put before a war crimes tribunal, Mr Wickremesinghe said they would be looked after.
Noting that both foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera and justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha were from the South, he reportedly smiled and told reporters, “Those from the South will look after the Southerners”.
His comments come a day after he rejected involvement from foreign judges a probe on violations of international humanitarian law committed during the armed conflict as Sri Lanka’s constitution would not allow it.
See our earlier posts:
Sri Lankan prime minister rejects foreign judges (28 Sep 2015)
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