The Sri Lankan Minister for Plantations Mahinda Samarasinghe called the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay a "liar" and accused her of being determined to be aggressive against Sri Lanka.
Speaking at an election rally, Samarasinghe, who is also the president’s special envoy on human rights, said the government will not “succumb to pressure from some countries or the UN Human Rights Chief to betray the soldiers who fought the war against the LTTE”, the Colombo Gazette reported.
“We are ready to face these people in the best interest of the country, the soldiers and the public,” he said.
“I had sat next to Pillay and told her to be fair by us and not act based on what some countries want. We have been clear on our stand,” he said.
Samarasinghe headed the government delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in the past few years and will be traveling to Geneva tomorrow, to join this session’s delegation, led by External Affairs Minister GL Peiris.