ICET urges International community to demand Sri Lanka allow UN investigators

Underlining the new government’s claim of restoring democracy in Sri Lanka, International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET) has urged the international community to demand new Sri Lankan regime to allow UN Investigators into the country.

“We urge the international community to utilize the change in political climate to demand new Sri Lankan regime, which claims to restore democracy, to allow UN Investigators into the country and to ensure unhindered access to the victims and facilitate a comprehensive independent international investigation “ICET said in a press release issued today.

Given Sri Lanka’s well documented history of failed commissions of inquiries, ICET said it rejects Sri Lanka’s announcement of domestic investigation.

“Only a comprehensive investigation, carried out without fear of reprisals against the victims, conducted inside Sri Lanka by the OHCHR team can establish the truth and do justice to the victims “it further said in the press release.

The full text of the press release is as follows:

We urge the international community to utilize the change in political climate to demand new Sri Lankan regime, which claims to restore democracy, to allow UN Investigators into the country and to ensure unhindered access to the victims and facilitate a comprehensive independent international investigation.

146,679 innocent Tamil civilians still unaccounted for in the genocidal attack leading up to May 2009. The US Resolution at the 25th session of UNHRC in March 2013 requested “UNHRC to undertake a comprehensive investigation into alleged serious violations.” Following that the OHCHR set up a dedicated OHCHR team to carry out the comprehensive investigation.

The OHCHR’s oral statement at the 27th UNHRC session reported that the Sri Lankan Permanent Representative of the previous government informed the Human Rights Council of Sri Lanka’s rejection of the HRC Resolution and vowed non-cooperation with the OHCHR investigation.

The new government has categorically rejected any international prosecution of those who bore command control over the Sri Lankan forces, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Similarly, Sarath Fonseka, general of the armed forces during the 2009 genocide, is now a member of the coalition government.

Successive Governments of Sri Lanka have a proven history of deception that spans over six decades. The current foreign minister’s intention has been revealed in an interview with media stating that he wanted to end the war crime probe by bringing it to a domestic investigation.

We reject any domestic investigation, given Sri Lanka’s well documented history of failed commissions of inquiries, as illustrated by Amnesty International’s report “Twenty Years of Make Belief.”

Only a comprehensive investigation, carried out without fear of reprisals against the victims, conducted inside Sri Lanka by the OHCHR team can establish the truth and do justice to the victims.