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Maintaining that issues raised in the 500-page report by the UN Secretary General-appointed panel on Sri Lankan conflict need to be “studied carefully”, New Delhi on Tuesday nevertheless said it “intends” engaging Colombo on the issues.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said, “The Government has seen the report of the panel of experts appointed by the UN Secretary General to advise him on accountability-related issues in the context of the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka in May 2009. The issues raised in the report need to be studied carefully. As a first step, we intend to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka on the issues contained in the report.”
Meanwhile, protests gathered momentum in Coimbatore, where hundreds of supporters of regional political outfit Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam gathered to protest against the Sri Lankan Government’s alleged war crimes on its Tamil population.
The protesters demanded prosecution of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for war crimes and his trial in International Criminal Court.
Sri Lanka, however, criticised the UNSG report.
“It is not a fact-finding body. It has no authority to probe allegations against anyone. It’s one and only task is to offer advice to the Secretary General on international best practices, comparative experiences and process-related issues,” said Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said, “The Government has seen the report of the panel of experts appointed by the UN Secretary General to advise him on accountability-related issues in the context of the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka in May 2009. The issues raised in the report need to be studied carefully. As a first step, we intend to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka on the issues contained in the report.”
Meanwhile, protests gathered momentum in Coimbatore, where hundreds of supporters of regional political outfit Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam gathered to protest against the Sri Lankan Government’s alleged war crimes on its Tamil population.
The protesters demanded prosecution of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for war crimes and his trial in International Criminal Court.
Sri Lanka, however, criticised the UNSG report.
“It is not a fact-finding body. It has no authority to probe allegations against anyone. It’s one and only task is to offer advice to the Secretary General on international best practices, comparative experiences and process-related issues,” said Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris.
