Stance unchanged

TNA demands international probe into war crimes:

by P. Krishnaswamy

While the August 17 parliamentary elections has concluded with the people's overwhelming mandate for the UNF Government to continue its 'good governance program' and a national government is now in the making, the most crucial problem the new government will face is the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) report on purported war crimes, due to be tabled in Geneva next month.

Suresh Premachandran nerudal

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that has been swept into victory in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, obtaining 16 parliamentary seats and clearly establishing its representative status on behalf of the Tamils is unrelenting on its stand on an international inquiry, rejecting any domestic inquiries, on war crimes that the then government and the government security forces had purportedly committed during the final stages of the war. That is in spite of the party's openly expressed support and gesture of goodwill to the UNF Government.

Uneasy ride

TNA Spokesman and former parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran, reiterated that his party stance on the issue said that they have no faith in any domestic inquiry because all such inquiries in the past were not credible or authentic. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report and the interim report of the presidential commission on the issue have not achieved justice for the affected families, Premachandran said. The government has repeatedly stated that it will not betray any political or military leaders. In such a situation how can one expect a fair and unbiased inquiry to be held, he asked.

Domestic inquiries are of no use and suitable follow up action should be taken by the government after the release of the UNHRC report, he added.

When asked for the stand of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) and what role it would play on the government's 'good governance' program, Chairman, NPC, C.V.K. Sivagnanam said, the Council controlled by the TNA has no separate views or programs but, instead, was guided by the policies of the TNA.

"The NPC wants an international inquiry sponsored by the UNHRC because domestic inquiries are acceptable. How can the very person who committed the offence become the prosecutor," he asked.

Therefore, the NPC and the TNA consider only an international inquiry sponsored by the UNHRC to be fair, credible and just, Sivagnanam said.

The TNA would support the 'Good Governance Program" of the government but will not become a part of the government by joining it or by accepting portfolios, he added.

Accordingly, TNA's support will be issue-based and will be available for correct responses to solutions offered to the ethnic problem, proper resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), land restitution, rehabilitation of the disabled and handicapped persons and the release of the political prisoners, Sivagnanam further said.

The UK-based Global Tamil Forum (GTF), representing a major portion of the Tamil diaspora community too has called for an international inquiry. The GTF enjoys a close relationship with the TNA and has indicated support for President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the TNA.

The UNHRC sessions on Sri Lanka are preceded by three reports, the Darusman Report of 2011, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) of 2011 and the report by an Internal Review Panel appointed by the UN Secretary General.

The Internal Review Panel was chaired by Charles Petrie, a retired senior UN diplomat. The panel's work revealed "a very different version of the final stages of the war. The panel found "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicated that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both the Sri Lankan security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

When questioned on the next steps with regard to the UNHRC report due in September, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mahishini Colonne, said it would involve a consultative process and it is still to be determined, indicating that the nature of the report would be a strong determinant.

"The report is yet to be released and Sri Lanka will be considered by the HRC on 30 September," she said. Colonne also dismissed recent news report published in an English language daily titled 'US Exonerates SL of War Crimes - Copy of War Crimes Report to President' as 'baseless.'

The report further stated that "although Opposition politicians mentioned on election stages during the past few days that two civilians and 41 members of the security forces have been mentioned in the report as being accountable for the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, a news item aired on British 'Channel - 4 ' television said Sri Lanka and the UNHCR have arrived at a secret agreement to establish a local mechanism of international standards to inquire into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka."

The report added: "it is reported that the US is reported to have submitted a document releasing Sri Lanka from the accusation of war crimes at the 30th Session of the UNHCR scheduled to begin on 14 September."