Lanka can now move forward - Aussie MPs [August 18 2011]

Federal Parliamentarians of Australia expressed hope that Sri Lanka could now move forward with the end of the conflict, at a function organised by the Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for Australia, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe.

Chris Hayes, Chair of the Group and Don Randall, Vice Chair of the Group congratulate Admiral Samarasinghe for briefing members of Parliament.

Randall spoke of his recent visit to Sri Lanka and commented that people in Sri Lanka in particular in the North whom he had spoken and interacted with during the visit appear to want to put the war behind them and move on with their lives. He said that while the Channel 4 video has ignited certain issues related to accountability as a sovereign democratically elected Government, Sri Lanka has taken measures to establish its own domestic mechanism the LLRC which should be allowed to make its own determination on matters. He also said that of the 300,000 rescued only 17,000 remained in camps at the time of his visit.

Don Randall who has served as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Group since its inception said that he initiated the setting up of the Group in response to a request made by Janaka Perera, the former High Commissioner. He added that both Janaka and Vajira Perera were killed by a suicide bomb attack which demonstrated the brutality of what Sri Lanka had to deal with.