SRI LANKA GOVT. HAS AGREED ON FOREIGN MONITORS, NOT JUDGES: FONSEKA
14/07/2016
The government had agreed to allow foreign monitors and obtain international technical assistance for machinery that would be set up to probe alleged human right violations during the war time, Provincial Development Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said today.
Field Marshal Fonseka told a media briefing that both President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were favourable towards foreign monitors and obtaining technical assistance from countries to a machinery that would be set up to probe human right violations during the war time, while highlighting that the government was not in favour of including foreign judges.
He was responding to a a statement made by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal who had called for a credible probe. “Foreign judges cannot be allowed to engage in a probe as the Sri Lankan Constitution does not provide provisions for such a thing, “the Field Marshal added.
Further he dismissed the claim made by some international organizations that the security forces used cluster bombs during the war. (Yohan Perera)
