The head of Sri Lanka’s army was invited to speak at a military seminar in Australia this month, despite Sri Lankan troops standing accused of committing war crimes and continued human rights abuses.
Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake was invited to speak at the Chief of Army Land Forces Seminar 2018 (CALFS18) held in southern Australia, earlier this month. He reportedly delivered an address on the Indo-Pacific region and took part in discussions with other senior military officials.
His participation at the event comes though the Sri Lankan army, accused of massacring tens of thousands of Tamils during a massive military offensive in 2009, has still not been held to account for human rights abuses. Several United Nations reports have called for an accountability mechanism, and though Sri Lanka agreed to implement a UN resolution which would see international judges participate in such a mechanism, no one has been brought to justice.
The Sri Lankan military meanwhile has been expanding its relations internationally, participating in training exercises around the world.