COYLE rejects Panel Report

The Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE), a national chamber of the entrepreneur community of Sri Lanka rejects the UN Secretary General's Panel of Experts Report on Accountability in Sri Lanka as its conclusions are based merely on information available to the panel members.

A communique from COYLE states that the conclusions were not based on facts or factual information gathered through any logical process of investigations.

The report itself mentions that the mandate of the Panel was not to carry out a fact-finding study or any investigations on the alleged acts of humanitarian law violations during the last stages of the humanitarian operations carried out by the government armed forces. Therefore, COYLE notes that the contents and justifications are baseless.

The report does not take in to account the ground situation prevailed in the country in early 2009 and the ruthless terrorist activities perpetrated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It is also noted that a larger part of information collected by the Experts was from biased sources and the sympathizers of the LTTE who carried out a 30-year long bloody activities in Sri Lanka.

COYLE is of the opinion that the actions taken by the Sri Lankan Security Forces were well within International Humanitarian Laws and were necessary to rescue a large number of people the LTTE was holding as a human shield. The so-called report itself states that due to LTTE's use of military equipment in the proximity of civilians while using them as a buffer, the task of humanitarian rescue operation was difficult for Sri Lankan Security Forces.

Recognising the national duty, COYLE Chairman, Nayana D.P. Dehigama called for a special Committee of Management meeting recently and also invited an international humanitarian law experts to advise COYLE on the ways and means that COYLE could assist the political leadership, relevant authorities, and stakeholders to handle this issue in professional and effective manner.

This would help Sri Lanka to emerge as a country which respects all international humanitarian laws and also the authorities can take appropriate accountability and corrective actions for any issue while promoting and adhering democratic rights of all the citizens.

In this respect COYLE formed a working group with the assistance of a few experts to study the contents of this so called UN Report carefully and to suggest an Action Plan within a week so that COYLE can take up same with the relevant parties locally and internationally.

Also, COYLE as a vibrant organization of Sri Lankan Entrepreneurs will actively participate in the rehabilitation and development initiatives of the Government and international donor organizations particularly in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the country by creating and developing value chains and public/private partnerships so that all communities could benefit from the progress of socio-economic development of the country, the communique states.