The United States’ reported backing for a domestic process of accountability with ‘international technical assistance’ perverts international justice said exiled Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam on Tuesday.

Writing in the Asian Correspondent, Mr Tissainayagam said:

“the U.S. and the international community are misguided in believing that the two elections and a national government have brought about enduring change that merits Washington to collaborate with Colombo on the forthcoming resolution at the UNHRC. This is because despite regime change there is little evidence that the new government has either the capacity or the political will to domestically investigate, try and punish perpetrators of international crimes.”

He went on detail the inadequacy in “important institutions of state that will be vital in determining if the process of accountability effectively delivers justice to the victims”.

“Even as he campaigned for the presidency, Sirisena, who has admitted being acting minister of defence “when most of the LTTE leaders were killed,” was insistent that Rajapakse and the military leaders implicated in mass atrocities against Tamils would not be brought before an international tribunal for war crimes,” said Mr Tissainayagam, adding, “Installed in power, the Sirisena government intervened directly to protect the status of those in the military implicated in war crimes”.

The journalist also stated that Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe “has been no less emphatic in expressing similar reservations on an international investigation”.

A signature campaign calling for an international accountability mechanism to provide justice for the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians killed during the final stages of the armed conflict has continued in Kilinochchi town on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of signatures have been collected across the North-East to date by the campaign - organised by the Tamil Action Committee for International Accountability Mechanism (TACIAM).

The National Fisheries Solidarity Organisation says there are still 43 refugee camps in the Jaffna district.

At a press conference in Colombo, the organisations convener Herman Kumara denied the government’s claim that there were 36 refugee camps, quoting local activists who report that 43 camps remain.

Mr Kumara said despite the end of the armed conflict 6 years ago, internally displaced people were still not resettled on their own land and demanded assistance from the government for resettlement programmes, especially for female-headed households.

The Mannar Citizen's Committee said that a signature campaign calling for an international inquiry into mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people at the end of the armed conflict would take place in Mannar on Thursday, following on from a series of similar campaigns that have been held in Jaffna, Trincomalee and Kilinochchi so far.

The campaign in Mannar would be held in conjunction with the Provincial Association of Families of the Disappeared.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Rev Fr Emmanuel Sepamalai said that an international inquiry was needed as they had no hope of finding truth through an internal investigation.

The Sri Lankan Buddhasana Minister pledged new laws would be enacted “for the betterment of Buddha Sasana”, reports The Island.

Upon assuming his duties Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that bills examining Bhikku Discipline and the Buddhist Publication Regulatory Act had already  been prepared by the Sri Lankan government and some already approved by the cabinet.

“There were thousands of Buddhist temples in remote areas without even basic facilities for monks and the ministry expected to rectify those serious shortcomings,” The Island reported him as saying.

The minister also pledged Sri Lanka would host an International Buddhist Sangayana (Council) and commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala “on a grand scale”.

Mr Rajapaksha is also Sri Lanka’s minister of justice.

Retired Sri Lankan military intelligence officers have reported been arrested over the case of diapered journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, reported Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Three retired members of the Army intelligence unit were arrested after surrendering themselves to police with their lawyers over the weekend. The latest arrests mean that 10 military personnel, including some who are currently serving, have been arrested so far.