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Shavendra, Kohona take on Human Rights Watch

20 Sep 2011 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Human Rights Watch (HRW) was challenged by Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona and Deputy Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva when HRW raised concerns relating to the last phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka, Internally Displaced Persons, the rehabilitation of former Tamil Tiger combatants and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

“They said that it has been a year since the LLRC submitted its interim recommendations and complained that they were still to see any of those recommendations being implemented,” Major General Shavendra Silva said.

Deputy Ambassador Major General Silva added that the credibility of human rights organisations like HRW had to be questioned when they seemed to be only concerned about investigating the events that took place during the last few months of the conflict, while ignoring the reign of terror that the LTTE engaged in for 27 years.

In response Dr. Kohona said that the suggestions that the interim recommendations were not implemented were palpably false. He explained the changes made to the law to enable death certificates to be issued within one year and the appointment of the Inter Ministerial Committee to deal with the implementation of the recommendations, including land issues.

Deputy Ambassador Silva added that the lifting of the Emergency Regulations was the most recent example of the government complying with the interim recommendations of the LLRC.

He expressed his disappointment at the reluctance of certain sections of the international community to appreciate the successes of the Sri Lankan government in addressing the immediate humanitarian needs of close to 300,000 IDP’s in less than 24 months with limited resources.

The HRW suggested that the Report of the Secretary General’s Panel of Experts and the Channel 4 Documentary were sufficient to begin investigations. “With regard to the Channel 4 documentary, he said that the documentary produced by the Sri Lankan government “Lies Agreed Upon”, provides a comprehensive refutation of the claims made in the Channel 4 documentary which he suggested was a concoction of fabricated footage and unfounded allegations propagated by the LTTE media,” he said.

The Ambassador explained that the LLRC was never established as a defensive measure but rather with a genuine commitment to look into all aspects of the conflict. (Supun Dias)

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Shavendra, Kohona take on Human Rights Watch

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