Published On: Tue, Dec 20th, 2011  By eelamaran

 

In a press briefing held in Jaffna following the public release of the LLRC report, the by the Tamil National People Front (TNPF) said it totally rejects the report and added that the report is a deliberate attempt to whitewash the egregious crimes committed against the Tamil people. “The report places the blame on the LTTE and other tamil groups. We can no longer remain patient. There is urgent need for the International Community to conduct an independent investigation. What happened is genocide. While the war ended two and a half years ago, structural genocide against Tamil people is continuing, and International community should not hesitate to raise its voices,” Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, vice president of TNPF told the media.

“While Colombo regards any independent investigation into war crimes as a threat its sovereignty, we demand that all dastardly crimes and instruments of oppression carried out against the Tamil people from 1948, the year of independence, need to be presented as evidence before an independent panel, and perpetrators of the crimes should be brought to justice,” Gajendrakumar said.

“We also condemn the continued engagement of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) with the Government of Sri Lanka while the Government has embarked on a planned agenda of oppression against Tamils. We demand that TNA should avoid making vague and slippery statements on the LLRC report, and make a public statement of categorically rejecting the contents of the LLRC report,” TNPF said.

“TNPF applauds the memorandum issued by the 76 members of the Tamil Civil Society to the TNA, which reinforces our belief that Tamil people will always take a righteous stand on seeking justice on the basis of equality and exercising the Tamils right to self-determination. And we are concerned with the agenda followed by the TNA that is inimical to the political future of the Tamil people.

“Colombo is insisting that the release of the LLRC report has obviated the need for another investigation. If Colombo is convinced that the report contains the truth, why should it be scared of an independent investigation,” Gajendrakumar asked.

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US wants to see ‘LLRC gaps’ filled domestically by Colombo

While Human Rights groups and Tamil parties in the island as well as the diaspora groups slammed the LLRC report by Rajapaksa-appointed Commission of Colombo, the US State Department said “the report has addressed a number of the crucial areas of concern to Sri Lankans” and saw the accountability issue as a domestic one without calling for international investigations. “We urge the Sri Lankan Government not only to fulfill all of the recommendations of the report as it stands, but also to address those issues that the report did not cover,” was the response by the US State Department as reported by New Delhi based Headlines Today on Tuesday.

Full transcript of the reaction by the US State Department as reported by Tejinder Singh, the Washington DC Correspondent of Headlines Today follows:

Q: Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission has cleared the country’s army of deliberately targeting civilians during the final days of its war against LTTE. Do you have any comments? And where are they heading?

Victoria: Well, we appreciate the important work of the Sri Lankan Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission has addressed a number of the crucial areas of concern to Sri Lankans. In particular, the report recognizes and makes substantive recommendations in the areas of reconciliation, devolution of authority, demilitarization, rule of law, media freedom, disappearances, human rights violations.

And while we’re still studying the full report, I do have to say that we have concerns that the report, nonetheless, does not fully address all the allegations of serious human rights violations that occurred in the final phase of the conflict. So this leaves questions about accountability and – for those allegations, and so we urge the Sri Lankan Government not only to fulfill all of the recommendations of the report as it stands, but also to address those issues that the report did not cover.

Q: Has there been any official communication between Washington and Colombo?

Victoria: There has. Assistant Secretary Blake has been in contact with various Sri Lankan counterparts, as has our ambassador there. I’d also say that we’ve seen the government’s preliminary action plan, but we don’t think it really provides the kind of detailed roadmap that we had hoped to see for fulfilling all of the Commission’s recommendations. So those are the things that we are, in our private conversation, urging them to continue to work on, implementation of the recommendations in the report, and addressing those gaps that the report left.

Q: Are you looking forward to, or – in your discussions, have you put any time period, any kind of – that – it cannot just go on for next 10 years or 20 years?

Victoria: No, of course. But we’re looking in the first instance to a report – a response from the Sri Lankan Government to these concerns that we’ve expressed and that a number of Sri Lankans have expressed, to hear what their proposed timetable, as I said, their proposed roadmap is for remediating these issues.

Q: Just to follow up, human rights groups in response to this report said that this is time for an independent, international probe into what happened in 2009. Is that the U.S. position? Does the U.S. think that there should be an international effort at this point? Or do you think the Sri Lankan effort is still – will suffice for the time being?

Victoria: Well, obviously, we’ve long said that it is better for Sri Lankans to take these issues themselves and address them fully. That remains our position, so now we want to see if the Sri Lankan Government will lead their country in the next step to ensure that there is full implementation of the recommendations that we have and filling in of the gaps. So let’s see what they are willing to do going forward.

TamilNet

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Rights watchdogs slam LLRC report

BBC Sinhala

Slamming the government war panel report as a ‘whitewash,’ international human rights watchdogs have re-iterated their call for an international inquiry into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) in its report has concluded that the security forces did not deliberately target civilians in the last stages of the war against the Tamil Tigers.

The report has, however, accused the LTTE of gross human rights violations.

Although the report acknowledges serious human rights problems in Sri Lanka, said Amnesty International (AI), it “falls short of fully addressing the war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director said the report has reaffirmed watchdogs’ long-held view that the war panel is “biased” and it’s report has failed to address violations of international law.

‘Whitewash’

He has urged Sri Lanka to address issues raised in LLRC report and report to the UN Human Rights Council at its next session.

“The LLRC has admitted its own inability to establish the facts about the conduct of the fighting, and points out legal complexities beyond its abilities. This is why the international community must now follow up with an investigation, bringing to bear the full resources and assistance of the UN and the international community,” Sam Zarifi said.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW), which refused to appear before the LLRC together with the AI and International Crisis Group (ICG), agrees.

The long awaited report has provided “little new information” on accountability, it said.

“Governments and UN bodies have held back for the past 18 months to allow the Sri Lankan commission to make progress on accountability,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The HRW added that the “failure” of the LLRC to investigate and prosecute wartime perpetrators shows the “dire need” for an international investigation.

However, Mr Adams said it is important that the LLRC has dismissed the government’s “bizarre claims” that no civilian casualties were caused by the security forces.

“It is clear that justice for conflict-related abuses is not going to happen within Sri Lanka’s domestic institutions,” Adams said.

Military ‘to be withdrawn’

“The government has been playing for time by appointing the LLRC. That time has now run out.”

But the government has pledged action based on the report.

Tabling the report in parliament, Leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva said the security forces would be withdrawn from all aspects of community life.

The security forces will disembark themselves from civil administration, and, in particular, from participation in any decision making in respect of land issues.

UK based Sri Lanka Campaign for peace and justice, has described the report as a “whitewash.”

It’s campaign director Fred Carver said the outcome of the report was not a surprise as a result f the “flawed methodology” of the panel.

“Victims of the serious rights abuses committed by both sides will feel let down,” he said.

 BBC Sinhala