Sri Lankan ministers met with senior officials of the ministry of defence this week and reassured them that they would protect the army against war crimes charges.
The acting defence minister, Ruwan Wijewardene was quoted by the country's Sunday Times newspaper as saying, "it was the full responsibility of this government to protect the army and the good reputation it had maintained."
"Nowhere in the OISL report was it said that the Sri Lanka Army as a whole was responsible for committing alleged war crimes," he added.
Minister Champika Ranawaka echoed his views, stating, "the army was a national institution and it was the responsibility of the Government to protect it."
He reportedly added, "the army had engaged in anti-terrorist operations which was a legitimate exercise the world over."
"As made clear, the responsibility of finding out who was responsible for certain alleged acts had fallen on the government. Thus, the idea was to identify only wrong doers who acted on illegal orders. There was no cause for worry since there would be no witch hunt."
See more here.
Related articles:
Triumphant return for president who 'achieved a great victory' at UNHRC, as he pledges 'domestic inquiry' (03 Oct 2015)
‘I saved Rajapaksa from the electric chair’ claims Ranil (03 Oct 2015)
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
