Gammanpila wants Indemnity Act to protect soldiers from war crimes allegations
An Act seeking indemnity will be presented in Parliament to protect soldiers if allegations are raised at the United Nations against the soldiers indicating that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) General Secretary MP Udaya Gammanpila said.
Addressing the media at the party headquarters yesterday, he said it was the soldiers who brought sustainable peace to the country and they should be protected from international threats.
An Act of Indemnity was passed in Sri Lanka on three occasions to retain the peace and harmony. Soldiers need not fear about those allegations imposed, the Act of Indemnity will protect them from being subjected to legal penalties, he added.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera called for new a Constitution to help resolve the ethnic conflict while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier expressed that the 13th Amendment will be a solution to end the ethnic conflict involving the Tamil minority. They have produced two contrary opinions, Gammanpila said.
Minister Samaraweera should make a special statement in Parliament and the people on the issue faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka which cannot be solved under the present constitution, Gammanpila said.
Sri Lanka has not signed any agreements on devolution of power. The minister’s statement makes the point that power will be devolved by introducing a new constitution. He has taken a domestic issue to the international stage, he said.
Gammanpila said the CEPA agreement is signed between two countries which has equal living standards to exchange the skills and talents.
The economic standards of Sri Lanka and India are different. Ministers Harsha de Silva and Malik Samarawickrama said two different things with regard to the CEPA agreement. If the agreement is signed Sri Lankans will lose many job opportunities, he added.
Responding to a question by a journalist about the status of their alliance, Gammanpila said a decision will be taken after September 22. The decision depends on the number of SLFP parliamentarians who have decided to remain with the party in the opposition, he added.
Gammanpila said discussions are on to form a new coalition party as well.
(Daily News)
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This is a brilliant idea.
The proposed Indemnity Act should be passed by all parties in parliament including the Opposition.
With retrospective effect between 16 May 1979 and 16 May 2009, this Act should indemnify the government, its officers and all other persons acting under their authority in respect of acts done, orders given or information provided in good faith for the prevention or suppression of internal disorder, the maintenance or restoration of good order, public safety or essential services, or the preservation of life or property in any part of the Republic.
This is the only way we, as a nation of the proud Sinhala lion, could preserve the integrity of our nation and protect the valiant young Sinhala men and women who laid their live on the block to eliminate the terrorist Tamils.
Ganjapani,
Your comment is very biased. Atrocities were committed by by both parties to the conflict. Indemnity should be applicable to all involved to achieve national harmony. The country belongs to everyone living there immaterial of ethnic or religious backgrounds. Your comment of Singhala Lion is uncalled for in this context.
why could this innocent minister have done this when they were in power why all this coming now what did do for the last ten years. This guy should be wearing robes and kept in a Temple.
Those who committed war crimes against humanity and staged the genocide of innocent people should be punished without delay. No one gives consent for war crimes in this multi ethnic nation
Dear Mohammed,
I am sorry; I am always called upon to educate the illiterate. This is another opportunity and I thank the heavens for it because it gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to elevate the knowledge base of less fortunate fellow citizens.
The Indemnity Act can only be applied to the Government and its servants as the citizens of our nation, as taxpayers, supported their endeavours to restore normalcy to the country.
The indemnity cannot apply to murderous nincompoops who belonged to the tamil terrorist organisation who took it up themselves to launch a vicious war against our state with the support of diaspora money mongers.
I have read and analysed the OISL reports that were released by the King of UNHRC (or is he a Prince?) yesterday and I am fully convinced that an Indemnity act is required now to protect the interests of the thousands of Sinhala Buddhist boys and girls who sacrificed their lives and shed young blood to save the citizens of Sri Lanka living in the 9 provinces of our motherland.
The Indemnity Act and is more important than the Witness Protection Act called for in the UNHRC Prince’s report.
We need an international probe, to whom ever it is, how come a mass killings done by a govt. we always welcome fairly justice, not a baseless one like domestic probe. We urge people backing for an international probe. That’s for sure. The innocent souls those were killed unexpectedly needs a fairly justice. That’s it .