MR urges Govt. to withdraw from proposed resolution

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera   
Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday urged the government to withdraw from the proposed resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka to be presented at the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

He told parliament that the government should consider the true information and observations revealed by Lord Naseby of the British parliament and withdraw from it.   
He said even the United States of America had withdrawn from the UNHRC claiming that it was politicised.   

Raising a question under 23/2 in parliament, he said the government should immediately mediate to stop the foreign intervention in domestic affairs which undermines judicial system in Sri Lanka through the proposed resolution.   

He said, based on the co-sponsored resolution in 2015, several laws detrimental to the sovereignty, national security, fundamental human rights of Sri Lankans and the security forces of Sri Lanka were being drafted in parliament hiding behind human rights.   

He said it is reported that the resolution of the human rights commissioner to be presented at the 40th session has proposed to set up a hybrid court in Sri Lanka on human rights violations, set up a UNHRC office in Sri Lanka and to continue the subject of human rights in Sri Lanka in the UNHRC agenda.   

He said it is obvious that the stance of the President and the government headed by the Prime Minister were contradictory on this resolution and added that this clearly proves the narrow political objectives of the government on this resolution co-sponsored in 2015 against the advice of the officers with diplomatic experience.  Mr. Rajapaksa said the proposed current resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka would be a continuation of the resolution 30/1 co-sponsored in 2015 which was based on inaccurate information such as the Darusman report.