Sri Lanka's new government said it was thinking of launching its own local inquiry as an answer to allegations of mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people during the final stages of the armed conflict, currently under investigation by the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“We are thinking of having our own inquiry acceptable to them to the international standards,” the government's spokesperson, Rajitha Seneviratne told press in Colombo on Wednesday.
“It will be a new local inquiry. If we need, we will bring some foreign experts.”
The decision to hold an yet another internal inquiry remains controversial however, with the UK and Canadian governments urging the new president, Maithripala Sirisena, to cooperate with the UN inquiry already underway, and Tamils in the North-East and diaspora, calling for an international process in order to ensure the necessary independence and credibility.
In a debate in Westminster yesterday, cross party British MPs called on Sri Lanka to face sanctions if it refused to cooperate with the UN inquiry.
The TNA spokesperson, Suresh Premachandran, on Wednesday said the Tamil people have no trust in an internal inquiry process, and called on the Sri Lankan government to cooperate with the UN inquiry.
Related articles:
UK MPs call for Sri Lanka to co-operate with UN inquiry or face sanctions (28 Jan 2015)
Tamils in Mannar urge international community to investigate war crimes in Sri Lanka (26 Jan 2015)
Sri Lanka's new government and the possibility of justice (23 Jan 2015)
UK, Canada urge President Sirisena to cooperate with UN inquiry as he takes office (09 Jan 2015)
The new president, Maithripala Sirisena had assured the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa that he would not allow him, or any other Sri Lankan citizens who fought against the LTTE to face international justice.
This week Mr Sirirsena, reinstated the military honours and privileges of the former Army General at the time of the mass atrocities, General Sarath Fonseka.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
