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No war crimes were committed by Sri Lanka says Rajapaksa

Marking 10 years since the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said no war crimes were committed during the final stages of the war against the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), adding that Sri Lanka wouldn’t have been able to defeat the separatist group without the help of the US.

Making a special statement from his house, Rajapaksa said, the US were instrumental in providing the lobby power to have the LTTE proscribed in the EU and the intel to destroy their weapons supply.

Rajapaksa added that the US position changed after President Obama took up his first term at the end of January 2009.

Shortly after the war Sri Lanka was faced trade tariff sanctions from the EU, and mounting international pressure for an investigation into final phases of the armed conflict. A UN investigation resulted in US led resolutions being passed at the UNHRC for an internationalised accountability mechanism for war crimes and violations of international law.

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