Lanka to clear allegations with UN

8 February 2010 08:36 am - 23 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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By Jamila Najmuddin

The government has decided to meet the UN Human Rights Council Chief Navaneethan Pillai in Geneva tomorrow in order to counter allegations raised by former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka regarding the final stages of the conflict.

Officials at the Human Rights Ministry told Daily Mirror Online that Minister Mahinda Samarasingha along with Attorney General Mohan Peiris left the island for Geneva today and would meet Ms. Pillai tomorrow. Minister Samarasingha and AG Peiris will also meet United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres to discuss the allegations by the General.

According to the official, Minister Samarasingha will also do the ground work for the Sri Lankan delegation taking part in the next Human Rights Council sessions before returning back to the island on Thursday.

The allegations which will be discussed are those leveled by General Fonseka to a weekend newspaper last month stating that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse instructed a key ground commander in the north that all LTTE leaders must be killed and not allowed to surrender in the final stages of the war.

General Fonseka said that as an Army Commander, he had no information communicated to him in the final days of the war and that three key LTTE leaders had opted to surrender to Sri Lanka’s armed forces as the battle drew to a bloody finish.

Fonseka charged that communications were instead confined between the LTTE leaders, Norway, various foreign parties, Basil Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament and the powerful senior adviser to the President and such information was never conveyed to him as he supervised the final stages of the war.

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Comments - 23

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:20 PM

Said Hussein,

Why do not they investigate war crime done by USA, UK in Iraq? In Afghanistan?

Monday, 08 February 2010 04:12 PM

in war time norway ask form foreign ministry about surrender for ltte leader's they said ok after foreign ministry told too late this one story now all wrong thing they put on sf head
+

Monday, 08 February 2010 03:34 PM

It is too early to comment on this matter.I dont think by word it will not satisfy the U N. If Srilanka want to survive from this crisis it should definately produce the doccumentary evidence,Which the U N also expecting,otherwise no point on this trip.

Monday, 08 February 2010 03:14 PM

Ha u are talking now, why don't you think what MR and Govt is doing the leader of War Heors. No gratitude towards what SF did?

Monday, 08 February 2010 03:12 PM

is UN is investigating UK pm? its a local investigation n as gota said we also will never allowed outsiders to interfere!

Monday, 08 February 2010 02:21 PM

It's on the presumption that Sri Lankan state does no wrong, ministers are pious human rights champions and military and paramilitaries are saints. Aid workers, Muslim workers, Tamil youths and MPs were all killed by guns went off accidently and the allegations are all malicious intended to tarnish thye reputation of the followers of Lord Buddha.

Monday, 08 February 2010 02:11 PM

Why is this about turn? Gotabhaya in his interview to he BBC was adament not to allow any investigations against Sri Lanka regarding war crimes.It appears that the left hand does not konw what th right hand does.It is a pity that this goverment is so disorganized and has so many vociferous law makres trying to defend Sri Lanka's human rights record.

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:45 PM

Wxplain the reasons why Tissanayagam was sentenced to 20 years in Jail, & beg for GSP+

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:44 PM

Gota is not afraid for any one on this planet like Praba! ... but thats not a good habit when comes to human rights, we should not be afraid but we also should not insult or disrespect other big powers.

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:41 PM

yes that's also going on ... watch CNN or BBC .... Iraq inquiry is giving hard time to British former PM

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:41 PM

Long before Sarath indicated this issue there was information available in world media regarding this issue and U.S indicated that in their report. Sri Lankan denies all human rights violations including this.

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:33 PM

What about the war crimes done by US Army in Iraq?

Monday, 08 February 2010 08:57 AM

good

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:19 PM

Cant understand this change of heart to explain matters to Ms. Pillai as our politicians all these days had been rebuking the UN for raising these issues. Wonder if the latest attempt to clarify matters is to get the decision on GSP+ reversed. Just like that Sinhala saying: when one is desperate to eat, even "Kabaragoya" becomes "Thalagoya".

Monday, 08 February 2010 01:19 PM

Thank you SF.

Monday, 08 February 2010 12:58 PM

If anyone has done any war crimes and violated Human Rights then whether it be the UN, War Crime Tribunals or the International Criminal Courts, we should be aware of the true fact that they have the right to try any case in the world.
There is no short cut to escape. So let us wait and see if the GOSL can prove itself to be innocent.

Said Hussein - Dubai

Monday, 08 February 2010 12:55 PM

I do not blame UN on this as they are just doing what they asked to do.
MR and government should use all available resources to face them with positive facts rather than simply threatening to UN officals. This is where so called 'reconciliation' begins.

Monday, 08 February 2010 12:54 PM

When are we going to end this tug-of-war???

Monday, 08 February 2010 12:41 PM

Gota is Not afraid of those UN Puppets !.

Monday, 08 February 2010 12:34 PM

why should we be worried if the Government can clear
its name. then all will end well.
IFNOT, very sorry for the government,
wait and see

Monday, 08 February 2010 10:12 AM

The UN as everybody knows is a puppet of the west to use whenever it is advantagous to the west.Ms Pillai if she wants to do her job has only to look at Iraq and Afganistan to find gross human right violations done and being done by the western anglo saxon forces.The hypocrisy is that only 3rd world countries such as us are considered worthwhile to (satisfy their masters in the west) to investigate while the western forces keep kiiling innocent people in Iraq and Afaganistan with impunity.

Monday, 08 February 2010 09:59 AM

See the damage done by SF. Like what we did in the Presidential election we will never allow them to be elected at the forthecoming parlimentary election.

Monday, 08 February 2010 09:28 AM

Its a shame... Now SF and the clan may enjoying by putting our true war heros infront of UN.

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Lanka to clear allegations with UN

Comments - 23

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