India will support SL at UNHRC sessions: Keheliya

India will stand up for Sri Lanka in countering the ‘injustice’ perpetrated by the Secretary General of the UNHRC and fellow travellers at the current UNHRC sessions in Geneva, Cabinet Spokesman Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella today expressed hope.

Asked by a journalist at the weekly Cabinet news briefing held on-line last morning, whether Sri Lanka could sideline India in its fight to save Sri Lanka from the discrimination and smear campaign carried out by certain member countries of the UNHRC, Minister Rambukwella said Sri Lanka would not exclude India or any other country in her endeavour in countering the allegations against Sri Lanka and her truth- seeking exercise.

“Sri Lanka firmly believes that India will not agree that an injustice has been done on the part of Sri Lanka in the international arena based on this issue,” Minister Rambukwella stressed.

"Blatant lies on Sri Lanka have been spread by the Secretary General of the UNHRC. Sri Lanka’s effort taken to rehabilitate nearly 300,000 war- affected Tamil refugees, total end to the conscription of child soldiers by the LTTE are enough to look at Sri Lanka in a positive way. However, the truth will prevail at the end. Sri Lanka had been dragged into an extremely difficult and risky position by the US – Sri Lanka joint UNHRC resolution 30/1 passed in 2015 by the then Sri Lanka’s the Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera," Minister Rambukwella charged.

“It was a treacherous act backed by the Tamil diaspora which accused that our armed forces committed war crimes. Not only India but friendly countries like Russia, Indonesia and China stood with Sri Lanka at that time and thanks for them for the support. Many countries have endorsed the position taken by Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions,” Minister Rambukwella said.(Sandun A Jayasekera)