Ahead of the session of the United Nations Human Rights Councils (UNHRC), the government will update the diplomatic community in Colombo   on Thursday on the implementation of recommendations by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), a minister said yesterday.

The previous briefing on the National Action Plan for the implementation of these recommendations was done a month ago.  During the briefing, copies of a report that contained measures taken and to be taken by the government in this task were distributed among diplomats.   

External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris told Daily Mirror that the government had made giant strides in implementing LLRC recommendations.
“We have much to tell the diplomatic community,” he said.    

Despite the government’s pronouncements, the United States (US) is now planning to a move a procedural resolution at the next session in March, calling for Sri Lanka to do more to promote reconciliation and to address accountability issues.  

The text of the proposed resolution has been made available to Sri Lankan authorities.   It calls for ‘unfettered access’ for UN rapporteurs to visit Sri Lanka.

Earlier, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also made a similar request, but the Sri Lankan government rejected it.

Asked about the government’s response to the draft procedural resolution, Minister Peiris said the government was yet to study it.

“It is too early for the government to comment on it. We have to study it,” he said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that various human rights groups are planning to up the heat on Sri Lanka during the upcoming session of the UNHRC.

Asked for a comment, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the government itself had amply demonstrated how law and order was suppressed in the north. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said his party would not do anything afresh in presenting its case as a result.

“The government has done the country good by demonstrating what was going on in the north. The Opposition Leader was witness to last week’s attack on the fast by the opposition in Jaffna. Now, we can take a back seat. The government itself demonstrated it,” he said.

Last Friday, the fast campaign was attacked.  Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who participated in it blamed the incident on military intelligence. (Kelum Bandara)