The leader of the opposition United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe has stated that he saved leading members of the government from being hauled before the International Criminal Court, whilst campaigning in the south of the island.

Addressing an event in Sirikotha, where the UNP was launching its election manifesto for the upcoming Southern and Western Provincial elections, Wickremesinghe accused the Rajapaksas as “masquerading as the greatest patriots”, according to the Island.

Updated 18:41

A Tamil rights activist campaigning for the families of those ‘disappeared’ in Sri Lankan military custody is tonight herself being held, along with her 13 year old daughter, at an unknown location.

The Sri Lankan government says that it will formally reject the resolution that is to be proposed at the UN Human Rights Council.

Foreign Secretary William Hague reiterated the British government’s support for an international investigation in a written statement delivered in parliament on Thursday.

Hague said, as no credible domestic accountability process had been established, the time has now come for international action and that the UK has been talking to a wide range of UNHRC members to garner support for a resolution calling for an international investigation.

“[N]o credible domestic accountability processes have been set up to date in Sri Lanka. As a result, the time has now come for international action on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka."

The Sri Lankan government has expressed its regret at the “unconstitutional removal” of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.

In a statement, the External Affairs Ministry said the removal aggravated the political crisis.

Tamil National Alliance MP and spokesperson, Suresh Premachandran said the UN Human Rights Council resolution addressing accountability in Sri Lanka was not satisfying and called for it to be strengthened, reports the Thinakurral newspaper.

Acclaimed journalist J. S. Tissainayagam, wrote in Asian Correspondent on Wednesday, calling for a strengthening of a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability in Sri Lanka, stating one that does is not “will only enhance turmoil and violence”.

Tissainayagam was detained by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division in 2008 and sentenced to 20 years of "rigorous punishment" for inciting "communal feelings". Following international pressure, including a mention from US President Barack Obama, Tissainayagam was eventually pardoned and is currently living in exile.

See his full piece in the Asian Correspondent here.

Extracts have been reproduced below.

Language in the draft resolution now before the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for an investigation into past and ongoing human rights abuses in Sri Lanka lacks teeth say critics. A resolution that establishes a weak investigating body will only render ineffectual what the international community says it is working for – strengthening human rights to promote reconciliation in a country recovering from war.

Adding to this, post-war militarisation in the former warzone of northern and eastern Sri Lanka, continues to spawn grave human rights abuses – disappearance, torture and sexual violence. In the face of Colombo’s stonewalling, the only option for justice and accountability for past and ongoing violations was an international investigation.

A report by the Human Rights Law Centre has found that Autralia’s policy of cooperating with the Sri Lankan government on the issue of asylum seekers’ arrival by boat, prevents genuine refugees from accessing safety and increases the likelihood of being subject to torture.

The country currently seeks to stop boats carrying refugees from entering Australia’s territorial waters, and cooperates with the Sri Lankan government to return the people. HLRC accused Australia of blocking the escape of people in need of protection, saying that historically, 90% of arrivals from the island were found to be genuine refugees.

The Jaffna University Student’s Union has expressed disappointment in the omission of international investigation mechanisms in a proposed draft of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka. In a statement released on Monday, the Union said:

“The current draft resolution’s exclusion of proposals for an international investigation mechanism – for which Tamil demands have been firm – has disappointed those affected [by war crimes].”

“It is important to note that in the case of Sri Lanka, a domestic investigation is impossible.”