An organisation of Sinhala Buddhist monks have spoken out against Sri Lanka’s president, stating that despite his call at the United Nations against ‘foreign influence’ they remain wary of an international accountability mechanism for war crimes.
“President Sirisena has guaranteed us that he would not let any authority to implement laws against soldiers,” claimed National Academic Bhikshu Forum (NABF) Convener Maduruoye Dhammissara. “However, such laws were implemented soon after President Sirisena’s guarantee of not doing so.”
Despite Maithripala Sirisena’s speech at the UN General Assembly this week, the monk said he was wary that the international community would intervene to prosecute Sri Lankan soldiers for war crimes, and rejected the notion of international involvement in an accountability mechanism for mass atrocities, as agreed to by Sri Lankan in a UN resolution.
Sirisena has repeatedly pledged to ensure Sri Lankan soldiers are not tried for war crimes and rejected terms of the UN resolution that his own government co-sponsored.