“I applaud today’s passage of the U.S. co-sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council which called for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. Accountability is long overdue in Sri Lanka, and I hope that an independent UN investigation will be able to pursue justice, accountability and reconciliation for the grave human rights violations allegedly committed by both sides during Sri Lanka’s civil war."

"We welcome the investigative part of it, but we also have concerns because the whole Tamil narrative is lost, especially in trying to confine the problem into a religious minorities issues."

'Despite two prior resolutions by the Council in 2012 and 2013, Sri Lanka has failed to take effective steps to deliver justice for the victims of its civil war, which ended in 2009. Instead, it has launched an aggressive campaign against those who advocate for accountability and an end to impunity for human rights violations throughout the country.'

"we look forward to discussing that with India in due course.”

Sri Lanka's President on Friday ordered the release of all Indian fishermen detained for poaching after New Delhi surprisingly refused to back a US-led resolution against Colombo at the UN's Human Rights Council.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s order was "a gesture of good will in response to India's stance" at the HRC, presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake told AP.

Leaflets from Sri Lankan security forces, have been distributed across the North warning the Tamil population to “co-operate” with the Army, reported the Uthayan.

A group of unknown person ransacked the Jaffna Municipal Council's Medical officer for Health's office this week.

"Now the inquiry has been announced, the APPG for Tamils would like to seek clarification on how it is to be implemented. In particular, the APPG for Tamils asks the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) to explain how it plans to conduct the inquiry if Sri Lanka does not cooperate."

India on Friday justified its abstention from voting on the US-sponsored resolution on an international investigation into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka at the UNHRC as driven by the welfare of Tamils in the island, PTI reports.

"We believe that our abstention yesterday is in the best interest of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and will assist us in our efforts to help them," Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told reporters.

See Tamil reactions to the successful passing of the UNHRC resolution here.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu expressed shock and disbelief while condemning India’s decision to abstain from a US sponsored resolution at the UN Human Right Council mandating an international inquiry into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka.

See various reports by Times of India (here and here), The Hindu (here and here), Hindustan Times (here), Business Standard (here), domain-b.com (here ) and PTI (here).

The below is a summary of key reactions.

In statements released in the wake of a UN Human Rights Council resolution appointing an international investigation into rights abuses in Sri Lanka, US officials, US National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison, drew attention to the deteriorating human rights situation on the island.

This week’s vote at the UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka has sent a clear message to the Sri Lankan government over accountability, stated the co-chair of the United States Caucus on Ethnic and Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka.

In a statement released today Congressman Bill Johnson said,

“Yesterday’s vote by the U.N. Human Rights Council illustrates the international community’s commitment to the pursuit of peaceful stability in Sri Lanka, and sends a clear message to the Sri Lankan government that the time has come for accountability and reconciliation”.