Sri Lankan FM slams ‘biased’ UN rights report
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Sunday condemned a “preposterous” UN-commissioned report alleging war crimes in his country, revealing he stopped Canada raising it at a Commonwealth meeting.
Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris also confirmed Sri Lanka will host the next Commonwealth leaders’ meeting in 2013, saying that none of the 54-nation bloc raised the prospect of moving it during this year’s summit in Perth.
“There was no attempt whatsoever to revisit the issue relating to the venue,” he told reporters at the conclusion of the Perth meeting.
Ahead of Perth, Canadian premier Stephen Harper had raised concerns about Sri Lanka hosting the summit due to a UN panel’s allegations that the military massacred civilians in 2009 in the final stages of the Tamil rebellion.
Peiris said the report, commissioned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, relied on anonymous, subjective evidence, dismissing its allegations that tens of thousands of civilians were slaughtered in the last days of the civil war.
“It is biased, it violates the rudimentary principles of natural justice, we reject it in its entirety,” he said.
“We have told all (Commonwealth) delegates of the reasons why we find the report totally unacceptable… it is a travesty of justice and preposterous.”
Peiris said Canada had attempted to raise the topic of human rights in Sri Lanka during a meeting of foreign ministers at the Perth summit but he successfully argued it was an inappropriate forum to discuss the issue.
“My submission to the chair and the delegates was that this was entirely inappropriate,” he said.
“I said that this was an attempt to politicise the proceedings… my submission was that far from strengthening the Commonwealth, this development would not augur well for the future of the Commonwealth at all.”
Peiris said he received support from 15 other countries and “the chair then decided that the matter could go no further”.
A number of countries, including Australia and Canada, have called for the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the panel’s report, which Ban forwarded to the rights watchdog last month.
Amnesty International said it was outraged that the Commonwealth bloc, comprising mainly former British colonies, had not pressed Sri Lanka on the issue in Perth and would hold its 2013 summit in Colombo.
“It is an absolute disgrace that Commonwealth leaders have agreed to hold their next meeting in Sri Lanka in spite of its appalling human rights record,” Amnesty official Claire Mallinson said.
“They are allowing war crimes to go uninvestigated, unpunished and unaccounted for.”
AFP
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aMNESTY INTRNATIONAL likes to see bloodshed
in other countries,so that they can have a field day
Quote ““It is an absolute disgrace that Commonwealth leaders have agreed to hold their next meeting in Sri Lanka in spite of its appalling human rights record,” Amnesty official Claire Mallinson said.”
It is also an absolute disgrace that Amnesty International accepted a gift of $50,000 raised from a fund raising “walk-a’thong” by Tamil tiger rump. So how Amnesty International claims that they are independent and unbiased.
Amnesty Internation is being thinned into irrelevance, thanks to the LTTE rump.
Hi Manjula,
Welcome back. Do you mind sharing the source for the link between AI and LTT?
Thanks.
The United Nations Regional Information Centre reports that “The Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights are considering whether to launch an international investigation into reported war crimes in Sri Lanka.”.
No wonder Prof GLP has got ants in his pants.
Hi People,
Prof P should stand on firm ground against the persistent efforts of LTTE supporters to discredit our mother land.
Duminda Silva should be appointed UN Representative and sent to New York where he can be treated and assume duties on recovery.
We need strong leaders at the forefront to meet with tiger challenge.
Hey DM.
Why not request the UN to take the remaining LTTE leasers around the world to justice on war crimes for 25 years. If bombing innocent civillians going about their daily buisness is not a crime then what is. THe Bloody LTTE hid behind civillians in the east for years that is why the war could not be won. Every body around the (white) world seem to worry about the tamils who died in the last days of the war but no one seems to worry about the thousands killed in 25 years of suicide bombing by the LTTE barabarians.
Dear brother Sisira,
The Maharajanani claims he eradicated the LTT completely and that the country is free of terrorism.
Thank you to the Maharajajani for having done; he not only saved the Sri Lankans but also the UN from the trouble of looking for LTT remnants.
So, what are crying about? They are all gone my dear, gone forever.
The 25 years you talk about, Sisira, it was a 25 year liberation struggle towards freedom for that tiny nation within the shores of SL. That nation Sisira, will soon be liberated. And dear Sisira, if you would to like to get away from Kudu D and Mervyn S, you are welcome to join us.
Demala Chelvan,
What ants in the pants of the learned Professor GL Peris? Looking for what? Did you not know that the contents were removed by the Blue Brothers long time ago?