Sri Lankan minister dismisses estimate of 40,000 Tamil deaths

Oct 10, 2015
The Sri Lankan minister for skills development and vocational training, and former minister for human rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, dismissed the estimate of 40,000 Tamil civilians killed at the end of the armed conflict in 2009, accusing the former UN official, Gordon Weiss of having "propagated the lie regarding 40,000 civilian deaths", reports The Island.

There was absolutely no basis for such accusations, he reportedly added.

Describing the UNHRC as a "political outfit", Mr Samarasinghe accused the body of "relentlessly pursuing a political agenda".

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