TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran called for the Sri Lankan government to take ownership of the UN Human Rights Council resolution and implement it in full, stating that the “people must see action”.

In a speech delivered to parliament, Mr Sumanthiran said,

“People must see action. People must see it being implemented. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating "; they say. They must actually see it happening. So, I want to repeat what we said on the 14th of September again in this House, not from a sense of superiority or anything like that, but as fellow citizens we appeal to you and say, let the people actually see it; feel it and experience it.”

Mr Sumanthiran highlighted the fact the Sri Lanka chose to co-sponsor the UN resolution, stating "this is your resolution". “Your words today are most welcome,” he added. “But, please remember they remain only words up to now. This Resolution must be implemented in full.”

“Stop being a Government of denial,” urged the MP. “Accept that these horrific things did happen.”

Calling for a hybrid court to deal with mass atrocities committed on the island, Mr Sumanthiran noted “this Government is also a hybrid Government - this is a season for hybrids”.

He said:

“First, we had the cars; now, we have a Government. This is a hybrid Government. Let us have a court. That also reflects a new trend”.

“That will give confidence to the people most traumatized by violence,” he said. “Whatever mechanism that you institute will be useless if it does not have the confidence of the victims. It must be something that the victims appreciate; it must be something that the victims accept as a just mechanism.”

Noting that as a whole the Tamil National Alliance “perhaps represent those most traumatized by the violence, because that end period was most traumatic and most allegations about violations, about war crimes, about crimes against humanity arise from that period and as true political representatives of those people, of that community, it is our bounden duty to raise these concerns to underline what you yourself have underlined in the Resolution”. He added that the “weakening of some of those paragraphs [in the UN resolution] have hurt the sentiments of people who are most traumatized” but “nevertheless that this gives an opportunity to move forward together”.

“We wish you underline and highlight it today - the importance of such a mechanism; the importance of such proper participation without which your mechanism for justice will fall flat on its face,” he added.

“Let me conclude, Sir, by saying that, as for the Tamil National Alliance, we are willing to give the Government our fullest support for the full implementation of this Resolution”, said the MP. “The Resolution that you sponsored, we accept with its limitations - still, we accept it - but we want to see it fully implemented”.

See the full text of his speech here.