Defence secretary Gotabhata Rajapaksa lashed out at the UNP for calling for an international investigation into events at Weliweriya, stating that such calls strengthened existing calls to investigate the Sri Lankan Army for war crimes.
Rajapaksa claimed, the Island reports, that "there are elements resentful of the popularity of the armed forces and President Rajapaksa. We are mindful of their strategy," and added:
"The call for international probe was meant to bolster the campaign for an external war crimes probe against the armed forces. The bottom line was that those who had been gunning for the government over alleged war crimes since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009 were now using the Weliweriya incident to justify their allegations."
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