Sri Lanka solicits international help for crime probe

Sri Lanka has solicited the international community’s assistance in investigating alleged war crimes under the country’s former head of state.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, offering his country’s cooperation in efforts made to realize reconciliation and accountability in the island nation.

“The journey of reconciliation and accountability is one that the people of our country must embark upon, on their own,” he noted, adding, “But we recognize that in this journey, there is much that we can draw from the experience of others in the international community. We have much to gain from their advice, technical support and assistance.”

President Maithripala Sirisena, who came to power in early January, has promised a probe into allegations of massacre of ethnic Tamil civilians by troops under former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa (pictured below).

The UN has conducted an investigation of its own into the claims that about 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed under Rajapaksa’s rule in the last months of a bloody war, which lasted from 1983 and 2009.

Rajapaksa had refused to cooperate with the international investigators in the probe back when he was in power.

The new Sri Lankan government has been taking action to enhance the human rights situation in the country by introducing reforms and opening up the political atmosphere in the country. It has already won parliamentary approval for long-awaited witness protection law.

International and local rights groups, who have brought up charges against the ex-government for suppressing dissent, had demanded the law’s approval.

HN/HSN/SS

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