War Criminal has no worries !!!
Sri Lanka Guardian: “No Problem Even If All Countries Oppose” - President
UN considers probe into Sri Lanka atrocities - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English
Accountability in question
A copy of the third draft of the resolution, obtained by Al Jazeera after it was tabled on Monday, states that the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will undertake “a comprehensive independent investigation” into crimes committed by both sides, and is to report to the council at the 27th session in September.
The resolution is to be taken up by the 47-member UN rights body on Thursday and followed by a possible vote.
Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance, told Al Jazeera that the bloc welcomed an independent international investigation into the war crimes allegations and was satisfied with the outcome of the resolution negotiations so far.
"The drafting process has been open and consultative, and we are pleased that many of our suggestions have been given positive consideration by the co-sponsors," Sampanthan said.
"This resolution, when passed, will provide all communities in Sri Lanka a genuine opportunity to introspectively come to terms with the wrongs of the past and move forward in spirit of reconciliation," he said.
However, Sri Lanka claims that the 47-member UN rights body is
divided on the issue and that the US is applying pressure on all countries to vote for the resolution.
"We can clearly see a division among members," the president's human rights envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe was quoted as saying in the
Hindu newspaper.
"This itself I view as a triumph for us. This was because we could convince some of them with our progress achieved since the war ended," Samarasinghe said. .
Diplomats say Colombo has been dodging the issue of accountability, and its repeated promises to improve human rights no longer cut any ice because of a perceived lack of progress, the AFP news agency reported.
Sri Lanka regards China and Russia as allies who will block any Security Council resolution, but the two permanent members have no veto at the UNHRC where a simple majority is sufficient to approve a censure motion.
International watchdogs say Sri Lanka's rights record has actually deteriorated since the end of the conflict.
Last week’s arrest of two prominent rights activists under strict anti-terrorism laws triggered international condemnation, including from the US which says it is pursuing the resolution "due to our support for the Sri Lankan people and strong concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka".
The US embassy in Colombo said the arrests strengthened the need for continued scrutiny by the UNHRC.
Last year’s resolution on Sri Lanka called for the government to establish an independent inquiry, which the UN High Commissioner and the US believe the government has not properly adhered to.
2 times vote against Sri Lanka and this time has abstained.....was it the Tamilnadu Tamils' hope?
last year India watered down the US sponsored resolution calling for international investigation to internal investigation , the voting for was just an eye wash .. but this year hmmmmm
