Reports of over 40,000 Tamil civilians having been killed during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict is a “myth” claimed the chairman of Sri Lanka’s presidential commission into disappearances on Wednesday.

Justice Maxwell Paranagama released a statement, criticising  a Channel 4 News report which detailed unresolved human rights abuses and continued military occupation in the North-East.

“Once again Mr Snow makes repeated references to the genocidal figure of 40,000 civilians killed in the final weeks of the war,” said Justice Paranagama, adding that “all available figures... makes the allegation of 40,000 a myth”.

He went on to address reports that the Sri Lankan army deliberately shelled ‘No Fire Zones’ declared during the closing weeks of the conflict by saying, “the LTTE never agreed to no fire zones… Therefore in international law they do not exist”.

He has previously rejected the UN Panel of Experts' estimated death toll of 40,000 Tamil civilians at the end of the armed conflict in 2009, as well as criticism from UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al Hussain who called for the disbandment of the commission.

The Tamil National Alliance’s position is for a “power-sharing arrangement that is in consistent with the principle of federalism,” said MP M. A. Sumanthiran to reporters on Tuesday.

Speaking from Colombo, Mr Sumanthiran said the TNA was taking part in discussions regarding a new constitution.

“We will state our position that to the two main parties and the Sinhala people in this country that it is an arrangement that is on federal lines that will best ensure that there will not be a call for the division of the country,” said the parliamentarian.

His comments come amid reports that TNA leader R. Sampanthan has left for Scotland, where he will be involved in talks regarding power sharing and federalism.

In a report submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture, the government refuted claim of ongoing torture and impunity,  adding,

The credibility of any accountability mechanism in Sri Lanka requires the involvement of foreign judges, said the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

In a tweet posted on Monday, Mr Harper said:

"For #SriLanka – credibility of any accountability mechanism requires the involvement of foreign judges etc."

“That has and will not change,” he added.

Those that surrendered at the end of the war and are still missing in Sri Lanka are ‘most probably dead’ said Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe in an interview with Channel 4 News.

Mr Wickremesinghe went on to dispute UN estimates that 40,000 civilian deaths saying that a further investigation would be required.