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UNHRC chief due in June

18 March 2015 08:04 pm - 13     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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UN Human Rights Commissioner Prince Zeid bin  Ra’ad, will visit Sri Lanka in June this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera informed Parliament.

Mr. Samaraweera said this visit was in line with the UNHRC’s new focus on Sri Lanka. He also said Sri Lankan forces were slated to play a greater role in the UN’s peace keeping activities in the future.

Mr. Samaraweera said it was necessary to clear the reputation of the Sri Lankan armed forces and to take action against the few members of the armed forces who had acted in such a manner as to tarnish the good name of the armed forces.

He said it was important to have a domestic mechanism to look into human rights violations as pledged by the present regime prior to the presidential election. He said, “Failure to carry out a domestic investigation will lead to an international investigation which might in turn lead to foreign intervention.” 

“One must not treat the upholding of human rights as a western value. It should be treated as a universal value,” he said.

Criticising the drawbacks of the previous regime, the minister said the former administration had terminated ties with Sri Lanka’s traditional partners. He said the present regime would renew its ties with these partners in its effort to turn Sri Lanka into modern democratic state.(Yohan Perera)

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  Comments - 13

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  • Nims Thursday, 19 March 2015 02:58 AM

    Mangala failed to ask this question from the so called Prince who is the Head of UNHCR. Didnt any other country in the World committed War Crimes or HR Violations? If the Prince fails to answer this question he does NOT deserve to be the Head of UNHCR - but another HEAD

    dilip Thursday, 19 March 2015 03:02 AM

    Dear Mr. Mangala ,you are making a very great blunder .First of all you should get your head examined .Sri Lanka is a free country. Why the hell do you want all these UNHRC people in my country .Your political life is very short. .You run behind India ,Europe and America . PLease do not sell the country for a few dollar more::: SIR.. This bloody Prince has no guts to check what is going on in the rest of the world, that is because only in Sri Lanka, you get cheap politicians who would do any thing to save their skins. Modi has already set fire to the tamil issue in Sri Lanka in his own way. He did what he has to do to please the south Indian voters. YOU PEOPLE SELL THE HOTU GANI AND BUY THE CAHI GANI.

    Suq Madique Thursday, 19 March 2015 03:51 AM

    Let sanity prevail and talk of genocide and harassment be curtailed. Instead talk sensibly of how the two sides can forge ahead and put the past behind.

    Lanka Watch Thursday, 19 March 2015 04:28 AM

    He is in for some drilling from the Tamil quarters,speciallyfrom 100,000 widows who lost their bread winners in theso called war.

    Lakshman De Silva Thursday, 19 March 2015 07:42 AM

    Prince bin Raad has to be honest and investigate the war crimes of USA and NATO to be impartial and not only inquire into thise not on the side of USA. Thrn there were more war crimes durimng the post 1977 UNP rule where people were shot and burnt on tyres.

    LOKKA Thursday, 19 March 2015 09:08 AM

    Will he listen to all fabricated stories of the TNA

    MOHAMMED Thursday, 19 March 2015 10:09 AM

    Even the Prince Raad has no guts he is the Head of UNHCR we have to deal

    Premalal Thursday, 19 March 2015 10:31 AM

    The inquiry has to conclude the veracity of these allegations. What we must not forget is that human lives were lost. Their race or religion does not matter.

    sumanadasa Thursday, 19 March 2015 11:20 AM

    ^There has been a serious allegation of human rights violation in the country during and after the war. It is good to clear the name of the country as well as the reputation of the military forces of our country. If there has not been any violation of HR no need to fear for any national or international investigation. Sri Lanka is a global member and cannot live without support of the international community.

    Nims Thursday, 19 March 2015 12:44 PM

    The United States is not a participant in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is a permanent international criminal court, founded in 2002 by the Rome Statute to "bring to justice the perpetrators of the worst crimes known to humankind – war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide", Instead the US is using it as a weapon in taking revenge from those who oppose to them. If this so called Prince is an unbiased Head of UNHCR he must ask the US too to accept ICC as member and investigate in to the war crimes committed by the US and its allies. If he cannot do it he is just another head of something else.

    Prem Nath Thursday, 19 March 2015 01:09 PM

    By this visit,Sri Lanka is heading into the pressure cooker.

    hiran Gunawardena Thursday, 19 March 2015 03:20 PM

    They all coming thick and fast to cause more racial hatred. They were never allowed before to have their way. so we got these people to solve our internal problems. via DM Android App

    Sheri Thursday, 19 March 2015 04:06 PM

    Lanka Watch: What a preposterous statement - the number quoted must be the Sinhalese/Muslims/Burghers killed by the tamil terrorists!


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