UN’s HC makes excuses to visit Sri Lanka

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Galle District UPFA parliamentarian and External Affairs Ministry Monitoring MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena said if the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navaneetham Pillay visited Sri Lanka as per the invitation accepted by her prior to the impending UNHRC sessions, she would have seen the factual position at ground level.

When asked if the Government was ready to meet any allegations against Sri Lanka such as Navaneetham Pillay’s report to the UN on promoting reconciliation and accountability on Sri Lanka which is to be released at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, MP Vass Gunawardena said that the Government has already responded to the many allegations levelled against us.

One must understand that human rights has today become a tool of certain foreign administrations in destabilising countries. Navanethem Pillay has been finding all the excuses in the world to refrain from visiting Sri Lanka.

These are all well planned and stage managed. This is exactly what she wants to avoid, MP Gunawardena told the Sunday Observer. “However, we have been very transparent from day one. We have demonstrated our commitment to implement the LLRC recommendations and we are doing so. Therefore, we are most certainly ready to respond to any allegations at any given time.”

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had told a recent seminar at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute that far from listening to misrepresentations and lobbying by interested groups, the Western world should see for themselves the massive development launched by the Government despite significant constraints. This is the best way for the Western world to reach out to Sri Lanka.