Pillay arrives
25 August 2013 04:59 am
United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Navaneethan Pillay arrived in the country a short while ago on a week-long official tour.
Spokesperson to the High Commissioner, Rupert Colville earlier said Ms. Pillay would undertake field visits to the North and East of the country.
Issuing a statement Colville stated, “Pillay is scheduled to call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and meet government ministers and officials. She will hold talks with senior judicial figures, members of the National Human Rights Commission and the committee monitoring the National Plan of Action on the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt Reconciliation Commission. She will also meet representatives of civil society and undertake field visits to the north and east of the country.”
At the end of her visit, on Saturday 31 August, the High Commissioner is due to hold a news conference in Colombo
Ms Pillay would meet with Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem and Attorney General Palitha Fernando tomorrow, followed by further meetings. Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, said he would meet with the visiting High Commissioner tomorrow evening. Also scheduled is a meeting between Ms Pillay and the representatives of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC).
The High Commissioner was scheduled to visit the North on Tuesday. She was expected to have separate talks with the representatives of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the United National Party (UNP) on Friday.
The UNP delegation would consist of party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, MPs Ravi Karunanayake and Mangala Samaraweera, National Organizer Daya Gamage and trade union wing leader Srinal de Mel, the Daily Mirror learns.
According to initial reports the TNA delegation would comprise leader R. Sampanthan, National List MP M.A. Sumanthiran, Jaffna district MP Suresh Premachandran and Justice C.W. Wigneswaran who was the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Northern Provincial Council.