The Minister participating in the debate on a motion against holding UNHRC sponsored international investigation into alleged accountability issues in Sri Lanka, said: “It seemed that the UNHRC has planned everything and set dates to hold an investigation against Sri Lanka. They have fixed a date to give the judgment, but not yet named the panel of investigators.”

“Sri Lanka has already appointed a Commission to investigate missing persons. It has received more than 6000 complaints. We had appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and investigated allegations. The LLRC put forward some recommendations of which the majority had been implemented. The UNHRC is telling us that we should finish these reconciliation related work within four years. The conflict lasted for more than 30 years and it is not practical setting such a short time frame,” the minister said.

“Who created the Black July in 1983 pogrom against Tamils? Those who left the country in 1983 have formed the Tamil Diaspora which is providing ammunitions against Sri Lanka at Geneva. Who created this problem? None but the UNP. Your predecessors created this problem.”

UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera once told this Parliament that former army commander was not qualified enough to command even the Salvation Army. But later on MP Samaraweera supported the latter’s Presidential campaign. The UNP and TNA too supported that candidate.

“I would like to ask the JVP as to how they would vote against this motion. They cannot oppose this motion. The JVP had made several proposals when they joined the UPFA. What are those proposals? To defeat the LTTE militarily, annulling agreements with Prabhakaran etc. We did so. Had we not defeated the LTTE, would such an investigation have come from Geneva?

“All Sri Lankans should stand together and tell in unison to Geneva that we are opposing this investigation, but sadly there are some who have no backbone to do so,” the minister added.

Special Reporter