Prevail upon Sri Lanka to enforce UNHRC resolution: CPI(M)

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT-September 4, 2013

The State committee of the CPI(M) on Tuesday urged the Union government to prevail upon Sri Lanka to implement the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council urging the country to investigate alleged abuses during the final phase of war with Tamil rebels.

A resolution adopted at the meeting said that in the last 50 years, the Sri Lankan government had not made any effort to find a political solution to the ethnic crisis and was now seeking to dilute the 13th amendment to its Constitution.

Taking note of UNHRC commissioner Navaneetham Pillay’s observation that Sri Lanka was becoming increasingly authoritarian and that since the end of the civil war four years ago, democracy had been undermined and the rule of law eroded, the CPI (M) said her remarks were clear proof that Sri Lanka was not interested in implementing the UNHRC resolution.

Another resolution wanted the State government to lift prohibitory orders under Section144 of Cr.P.C. in Cuddalore, Villupuram and Tirunelveli districts, saying it was against democratic norms to keep in force the provision more than four months.

Pillay keen to entangle us in an Int’l net: NFF

WEDNESDAY, 04 SEPTEMBER 2013 

National Freedom Front (NFF) spokesman Mohammed Muzammil said today UNHRC Chief Navi Pillay made a visit to the country not to address issues of minorities but to entangle us in an international net.

“We strongly object to the moves taken by the Muslim Congress to present more suggestions to Pillay knowing that she would compile a false report. She will compile a report detrimental to the country using those suggestions as well,” he said.

Mr. Muzammil told a news conference that Ms. Pillay’s impartiality was questionable and said she would not accept an independent investigation carried out by the Army.

“Even though we carried out an independent investigation into the alleged war crimes, she will anyhow carry out an international investigation. She said the investigation carried out by the Army was not impartial. We need to question her impartiality. Ms. Pillay is someone who draws a salary from US. So how can she be considered impartial? Someone who draws a salary from those who bring out the proposals cannot be impartial,” he questioned.

He said some of the actions of Ms. Pillay were backing separatism in the country.  

“Ms. Pillay did not even visit the war memorial at the Parliament but she wanted to go to the place where Prabhakaran was killed. This gives a message to the separatists that she was ready to support and commemorate separatists and to carry out war crimes and human right violation investigations against them. It is since then Suresh Premachandran and Wigneswaram have begun to inculcate racism and Eelam again in the North.

What Pillay was symbolically conveying was that “you get political power in the North we will give the international support”, he said. (Ajith Siriwardana and Sanath Desmond)