Sri Lankan presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa said he was willing to “suffer any punishment on behalf of” the Sri Lankan military in order to protect troops from allegations of rights abuses.
The Daily Mirror reports Premadasa as telling a rally this week that he would “take full responsibility” over what he claimed were “allegations made against the Sri Lankan Security Forces”.
Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan military in the final stages of the armed conflict on the island more than a decade ago. Several reports, including from the United Nations, detailed those final months, which saw the military shell hospitals and execute surrendering Tamils.
Premadasa reportedly told the rally, he was “not a coward” and was ready to confront the reports of military abuses.
“One cannot be a state leader if he is a coward,” he said.
See more from the Daily Mirror here.
