The present government would not allow any foreign tribunal or judge to inquire into the last phase of the war or war crimes, said Skills Development and Vocational Development Training Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe.
He made these observations yesterday, at a press conference held at the Information Department auditorium, in response to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's statement that the government had betrayed the country by agreeing with a resolution moved on Sri Lanka before the United Nation's Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
He said that President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had made those statements publicly. He added there are also the heads of the two main political parties and there is no way for such an inquiry.
He also said that they had stated that according to the provisions of the Constitution, there is no room for the involvement of foreign judges.
He also said that the then government objected to the Darushaman report, adding that the Darushaman Committee that was set up in an irregular manner, could not be compared with the resolution that had been moved by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
"When former President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed the Udulagama Commission to investigate into 19 incidents of human rights violations, on a request by the International Community to appoint international observers, the request had been agreed by the former President," said Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. "The head of it was Indian Chief Justice Bhagawathi, while Darushaman was appointed to it by others. Later, without the approval of Bhagawathi, a report was formulated by others.
As the then Human Rights Minister I objected to it at the UNHRC."
He added that it was the Mahinda Rajapaksa government that agreed with foreign intruders not the incumbent good governance government. He added that Sri Lanka had defeated the most ruthless terrorist movement in the World. "However, our forces had not fought against the civilians, but the LTTE. They used more than 300,000 civilians as human shields to take our forces before a war tribunal," Minister Samarasinghe said. "But we were tactful to get rid of it."
He also said that when the Chilcot Report was released, the then Prime Minister of UK said that there was an industry to make charges. So all the allegations could not be accepted. "It is the same with Sri Lanka."
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