Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s questioning of mass atrocities during the armed conflict is “an insult to the thousands of victims and witnesses” said the International Truth and Justice Project.

ITJP Executive Director Yasmin Sooka said “it’s rather late in the day to question whether crimes took place,” adding,

“This is an insult to the thousands of victims and witnesses who testified to the UN inquiry and other bodies.”

The ITJP statement also said the organisation “is deeply concerned that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena appears to be rolling back on his commitment in Geneva to include international involvement in a future judicial mechanism” and “shocked that the Sri Lankan President should question that crimes took place after the detailed and graphic revelations of the year-long OHCHR Investigation, as well as reports by many other credible international and Sri Lankan organisations”.

A Buddhist monk and parliamentarian vowed that the island’s Buddhist clergy would not allow the international community to harm Sri Lanka, reports The Island.

Addressing a news conference organised by the National Sangha Council, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) MP Athuraliye Ratana called on Sri Lanka’s chief Buddhist monks to unite and beat back a proposed bill relating to the Buddhist clergy.

He called on the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas on the island to unite against the bill, stating “we are at a loss to understand why the government embarked on bringing in a Bill of this nature”.

The MP went on to add that the Maha Sangha in Sri Lanka would not allow the international community or anyone else to harm the country.

Hundreds of acres of land in Kilinochchi have been illegally sold to Sinhalese, locals have claimed.

Fraudulent documentation has been used so far to sell around 860 acres of land in villages in Poonakari, Kilinochchi.

A former army officer that served in Thenmaradchi is also understood to have bought several million rupees worth of land in the area.