Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister GL Peiris has said that member states in the UN Human Rights Council are not able to make independent decisions on the Sri Lanka resolution next month.

The release of Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran, who were jailed over the death of Rajiv Gandhi, has been halted by the Supreme Court in Delhi, overturning the decision made by Tamil Nadu’s state government.

“We have yet to see a meaningful, time-bound, independent, domestic-led political process with clear milestones in this matter.”

“The Opposition support the Government’s response to this question. Can the Minister confirm to the House that the Prime Minister will be true to his word on this, and that the Government will continue to work closely with the United States Administration and others at the forthcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, to which she has already referred, in the order that an independent international inquiry can be set up at the earliest possible time?”

Samples of human remains found in a mass grave in the central Sri Lankan town of Matale will be sent to the Beta Analytical Archaeological Laboratory in Florida, reported the Daily Mirror.

“Sri Lanka is doing whatever it can to avoid accountability for the alleged horrific violations by its security forces during the armed conflict”

“We urge UN member states to use the HRC to agree a strong resolution establishing an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes. And its equally crucial that the world does not lose sight of the still very troubling assault on dissent in Sri Lanka today.”

“The pattern of harassment, surveillance and attacks against those opposing the Sri Lanka authorities is deeply disturbing and shows no sign of letting up”

There are serious doubts over Sri Lanka's reconciliation efforts, including the touted Truth and Reconciliation Commission, reported Deutsche Welle (DW).

Germany's international broadcaster, speaking to several NGOs, said it was unlikely, given Sri Lanka's hostility to accountability, that it was serious about delivering justice.

British Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Hugo Swire, has stated that the UK strongly supports the position of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, adding that the international community has a duty to act on Sri Lanka.

Swire went on to add that,

“if a credible domestic process has not begun properly by March 2014 we will use our seat on the UN Human Rights Council to call for an international investigation.”

Responding to questions in Parliament, hours before the High Commissioner’s report was released (see here), Swire reiterated the March 2014 deadline, also stating,

“We share the High Commissioners concerns and do not believe that processes set up by the Sri Lankan Government, such as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission or the Commission of inquiry on Disappearances announced last year, adequately address accountability.”

See his comments in full here.

Also see our earlier posts below.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be meeting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Myanmar next week, confirmed India’s Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.

The death of the British Tamil political prisoner Visvalingam Gopithas was due to a heart attack, Sri Lanka’s Department of Prisons claimed.

Commissioner General of Prisons, Chandraratne Pallegama said that the inmate had fallen ill yesterday morning and died shortly after being admitted to the prison hospital.

80 bodies have been unearthed from the Mannar mass grave so far, following the 31st excavation, reported both the Uthayan and AFP.

Judicial medical officer Dhananjaya Waidyaratne told reporters,

Sajith Premadasa, MP for the Hambantota district, said he was ready to do anything to protect the ‘war heroes’ that had liberated Sri Lanka from ‘terrorism’ if there was an international conspiracy against them.