The UN Human Rights Council’s decision to give the new government 6 months to cooperate with the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL), in view of gathering more information, and defer the publishing of the UN inquiry into mass atrocities till September, has been met with mixed reactions. Whilst Colombo celebrates what it sees as a diplomatic coup, human rights groups have cautiously welcomed the prospect that more evidence can be found. However, Tamil victims, witnesses and campaigners for justice have expressed deep disappointment that justice, denied to them for so long, is delayed once again.

Describing it as a “difficult decision”, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s acknowledged the inevitable disappointment of witnesses, but said the decision was based on the promise of “broad cooperation” by the new government and the prospect of “a stronger and more comprehensive report”. Mr Zeid’s unequivocal statement that the deferment was “for one time only” and his personal commitment to ensure its release at the Council’s 30th session is welcome. However, despite the new government’s very basic promises (outlined in the foreign minister’s letter to Mr Zeid), the Tamil people’s deep scepticism that it will deliver on them remains palpable - nowhere more so than in the North-East.

(All photos: Sri Lanka Army)

The Sri Lankan military continues to involve itself in activities involving school children and their education, across the Tamil regions in the North-East of the island.

Soldiers from regiments which stand accused of commiting mass atrocities, stationed in Batticaloa, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, organised several activities in the last few weeks, involving young school children, despite Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, telling delegates gathered at a conference in Washington last week that "involvement of the military in civilian activities has ceased".

Troops from the Special Forces Regiment, based in Kilinochchi organised a trip to Colombo from February 11-12, for 37 children from Kanagapuram Central School to visit a photographic exhibition about the military, also taking them to a Buddhist stupa in the Viharamahadevi Park, named after Sinhala king Dutugamenu’s mother.

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera will visit China later this month, the first high-level visit to Beijing since the new government came to power in January.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Mr Samaraweera would meet his Chinese counterpart and other officials on his Feb 27-28 trip.

"We hope to use the opportunity of this visit by Foreign Minister Samaraweera to have a further deep exchange of views on the future of Sino-Sri Lanka ties under this new situation," Ms Hua told media on Tuesday.

According to Sri Lanka's Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Samaraweera will undertake the visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Hugo Swire urged the Sri Lankan government to use the time gained by the deferral of the Sri Lanka inquiry report to work with the OHCHR to ensure the investigation is “thorugh and consistent”.

Speaking the day after the deferral, Mr Swire welcomed the opportunity for Sri Lanka to contribute to the report, as per its commitment to engage with the investigation, reiterating the UK’s commitment to see the report published in September.

“The UN investigation is a vital part of the process of addressing the grievances of those affected by the conflict and of achieving lasting peace in Sri Lanka. And we recognise how important this report is for many communities in Sri Lanka and around the world who are looking for answers. That’s why we, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have made clear that the report must be published and discussed by September 2015 and we will stick to that,” he said.

“The UK wants to see reconciliation in Sri Lanka. That’s why we argued last year for a UN investigation into alleged war crimes and it is why we supported the deferral of this report for six months.”

The Tamil National Alliance has demanded the return of Tamil land in the North-East, occupied by the military in so-called High Security Zones, by the start of the UN Human Rights Council session in March, as promised by the new government ahead of the presidential elections.

“Before the election the new government pledged it will release land occupied by the military and the people will be resettled [in those land],” MP MA Sumanthiran said, according to the Uthayan.

“However not an inch of land has been released, in Sampur, Keppapilavu, Mullikkulam, Paravippanjaan and Vali North, land which the government promised will be returned,” the MP charged.

Mr Sumanthiran rejected the recent announcement of the release of 1,000 acres of land in Vali North and the building of a model village, implying the move was made to show progress ahead of Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.