UN rights official for international probe

P K Balachandran

COLOMBO: Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), has said that, if necessary, an international mechanism should probe allegations of violation of international law in the final stages of the conflict between Sri Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009.

Pillay told the 17th session of the UNHRC, which began in Geneva on Monday, that she “fully supported” the three-member UN panel’s recommendation “to establish an international mechanism to monitor national investigations and undertake its own as necessary”.

Pillay said that the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka had concluded that there were “credible allegations of a wide range of serious violations of international law committed by both the island nation’s government forces and Tamil Tigers in the final stages of the conflict.”

She emphasised that it was “incumbent” on the Lankan government to implement the recommendations of the UN panel. The UN official then went on to say that it “would be important for the Human Rights Council to reflect on the new information contained in this important report, in light of its previous consideration of Sri Lanka, and efforts to combat impunity worldwide.”

This means that Pillay favours revisiting the UNHRC’s earlier mild resolution on Lanka. A past resolution, passed during Eelam War IV, was watered down under Indian pressure. The UN panel on Sri Lanka had recommended that the resolution be reviewed.

The present UNHRC has countries such as the US and UK, which could censor Lanka. But it also has countries such as China, Pakistan and Russia that could rush to the island nation’s rescue. India is not a member of the current council.

Heavy lobbying

Not wanting to take any chances, the Lankan government had sent to Geneva, Cabinet Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, who had interacted with the UNHRC when he was Minister of Human Rights.

Earlier, Minister of External Affairs G L Peiris had visited New Delhi, Beijing and also Bali, where foreign ministers of the non-aligned countries were in a conclave.


(2011-6-1/expressbuzz)