Sri Lanka’s state-owned Daily News in an editorial said the domestic inquiry will remove all “misgivings and suspicions” against the country’s military and warned that the entire nation will rise if there is a threat “to our war heroes”.

The editorial slammed the PHU’s MP Udaya Gammanpila, who called for an Act of Indemnity to give immunity to Sri Lanka’s soldiers, who are accused of committing mass atrocities.

The paper said Mr Gammanpila, who is an ally of Mahinda Rajapaksa, doesn’t need to worry about the safety of the armed forces as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena had already guaranteed not a single soldier would face a war crimes tribunal.

“Udaya Gammanpila need not have sleepless nights about the safety of our war heroes. President Maithripala Sirisena who was once Acting Defence Minister, during his election campaign gave the nation a guarantee on this score. Gammanpila has no monopoly on the well being and protection of the armed forces.,” the editorial, published on Thursday said.

Former army commander Sarath Fonseka has denied the allegations made in the report released by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which details horrific abuses committed by Sri Lankan soldiers during the armed conflict.

Mr Fonseka, who was in charge of the army at the time, said that if there were isolated incidents and credible evidence, the army would have no objections to an investigation.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussain said a proposed truth and reconciliation commission will not negate the need for accountability and justice , as he reiterated calls for an accountability mechanism with “strong international involvement”.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, the UN human rights chief said:

“One needs to state that a truth and reconciliation commission, the existence of it were it to be set up, will not negate the need to have an accountability mechanism, to have justice done in the form of accountability and redress judicially.”

“On the basis of what we have seen, so massive have been the crimes, so many have been the families that have suffered that there needs to be judicial redress, there has to be accountability in the form of court cases that will punish the guilty... We are not talking about one or the other here.”

His comments came after Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera proposed to the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week “a Commission for Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-recurrence to be evolved in consultation with the relevant authorities of South Africa”.

On Thursday Mr Samaraweera said the government did not want “outside bodies” to do a criminal investigation into the mass atrocities detailed in the UN report, which was released yesterday.

The High Commissioner told the BBC however that “nothing short of a hybrid court would be sufficient”, adding there must be “heavy international involvement at all levels”.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa has been widely praised by parties across the state for bringing forward a resolution calling on the Indian central government to back an international investigation into the mass atrocities committed during the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

Ms Jayalalithaa's political rival,  DMK leader M Karunanidhi supported the move and called on the Indian government to bring forward a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council to ensure a independent international investigation into the killing of Tamil civilians.

“The resolution reflects the sentiments of seven and half crore Tamils in the State and welcomed by Tamils throughout the world,” said MDMK leader Vaiko. ““Tamils will not forgive the Narendra Modi government if it did not insist on an international investigation,” he added.

A signature campaign calling for an international accountability mechanism in Sri Lanka to deal with mass atrocities committed during the final stages of the armed conflict came to a close on Thursday.

Over 150,000 signatures had been collected by the campaign organised by the Tamil Action Committee for International Accountability Mechanism (TACIAM), said Professor V. P. Sivanathan.

Thanking those who joined the campaign, Prof Sivananthan stated that the signatures would be sent to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and to the UN Human Rights Council itself.

Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Zeid Hussein said,

“The report draws us closer to the conclusion that crime against humanity and war crim shave apparently been committed by state actors, the LTTE and paramilitary groups.”

Highlighting a “deep mistrust” between victims and the state, and “repeated failures by the state in providing justice,” the Human Rights Chief said that a significant recommendation from the report was the set up of a hybrid court to ensure there is no impunity for crimes of “such grave nature.”

Mr Zeid added, “a purely domestic procedure will not succeed in overcoming decades of broken promises…  it is a reality that Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system is not ready to handle these types of crimes.”

Please find a link to the full report here.

Conclusions of the OISL report:

"The OHCHR investigation contained in this report was born out of the past failure of the Government of Sri Lanka to address accountability for the most serious human rights violations and crimes. Ending the impunity enjoyed by the security forces and associated paramilitary groups, as well as holding to account surviving members of the LTTE, will require political will and concerted efforts to ensure the non-recurrence of these violations and crimes.

Only an international mechanism can address the crimes committed by Sri Lanka, priests and religious leaders of the North-East have said in a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today.

"Since the end of the armed conflict many of the structural causes of the conflict remain intact and indeed, have been exacerbated under this period of ‘victor’s peace’," said the letter signed by 170 priests.

Highlighting Sri Lanka's recent honouring of former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, and appointing of Major General Jegath Dias as chief of staff - both alleged war criminals - the letter said:

A senior Sri Lankan minister has told the BBC that the government will not accept a hybrid court, as suggested by the UN’s human rights office.

"Our stand on war crimes is we need an internationally accepted local inquiry. We are not ready to agree with the international inquiries," Rajitha Senaratne said.

A local mechanism, made up of a series of domestic commissions, including a South Africa-style Truth Commission, will be set up "to clear the name of the country" the minister said.

Asked explicitly whether they would set up a domestic court to investigate crimes against humanity and war crimes, Mr Senaratne said that they would.

"When there is always a conflict like this, what I feel is that war itself is a crime. Always there is violations in a war," he said.

He however suggested that the government could take action against former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and military commanders, if they were found guilty of involvement.

"Where even the president or other commanders or defence secretaries - whoever - is involved, our government is ready to take action," Mr Senaratne said.