The announcement that three member panel of experts, appointed by Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General to give him advice over the alleged war crime charges committed in Sri Lanka during the last phase of war, is expected to come to Sri Lanka, has caused furor in the political circle.
National Freedom Front member Piyasiri Wijenayake stated at a press
conference that the conspiracy to get down Ban Ki Moon's expert panel to
Sri Lanka at a time when it has been banned on a Cabinet and a govt
decision, has been made by some officials in the foreign ministry and
the foreign minister must reveal to the country forthwith the identity
of officials who are conspiring to get down this committee to Sri Lanka
to justify allegations of human rights and war crimes. These officers
who either provided wrong advise to get this panel down violating the
pledge made by the govt not to permit them to enter here should be
arrested through the defence forces and charged with treason.
Udaya Gammanpila Legal advisor of the Jathika Hela Urumaya says "Ban Ki
Moon accused Sri Lanka of committing war crimes at the last stages of
the war and in this situation it is not a coincidence to appoint a panel
to confirm his own conclusions. So allowing this panel to visit Sri
Lanka is like sharpening the sward of the enemy coming to behead you".
But Lakshman Kiriella UNP MP said "We do not know what happened during
the last stages of war and only the govt knows it. So far the govt
claimed that they have no crisis with the international community, but
now this crisis is on the open stage. This reached a climax when the
President went to London and after that permission had been given to
this panel to visit Sri Lanka. This is a huge defeat for the govt. We
have always told them not to be enemies with the IC and instead start a
dialogue and the failure to do so has reached a climax by now"
Rajitha Senaratne Minister of fisheries rajitha Senaratne said "We have
no problem over the Expert Panel coming to Sri Lanka and what we are
against is unwanted meddling in our affairs on the requirement of NGOs
and the International community. The UN has no power to mediate in
affairs of an independent country and they get the power to do so only
if the actions of one country affects another".
Mano Ganesan leader of the Democratic People's Front says “Now it has
been proved that the Sri Lankan govt do not have a clear stance on the
advisory panel of the UN. When one part of it is against it another part
supports it. If the govt has a clear stance with regard to war crimes
and if war crimes did not take place in Sri Lanka, there is no reason to
be afraid of this expert panel”.
Leader of the Leftist Liberation Front Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne says
"UN advisory panel is just a farce and it is undoubtedly and agent of
the global powers. This has been appointed to white wash Mahinda
Rajapakse but Mahinda's stooges are fired up against it not knowing
this. It was Ban Ki Moon and the western powers that were behind the war
of the govt against the LTTE and they gave money and arms to do so. It
is a myth to believe that a committee appointed by such people will
reveal the truth".
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