SJB says ready to support govt. to implement local mechanism to investigate HR violations

By Yohan Perera

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday said it is ready to support the government to implement a local mechanism to investigate human rights violations that have taken place especially after the war and for a full and meaningful implementation of the 13th Amendment.

SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva told a media conference that his party was ready to support the government to implement the undertakings it had given to the international community and thereby set up a local mechanism to investigate human rights violations that have taken place especially after the war.

“The government should understand that most allegations that have been made against Sri Lanka at the OHRC of the UN are not what had taken place during the last stages of the war but what had taken place during the present regime. No one has said that the Sri Lankan security forces have deliberately committed war crimes but only targeted few persons,” he said.
“Our stand is that the Sri Lankan government should deliver the undertakings it had given to the international community, through a local mechanism. Also we are of the view that the 13th Amendment should be implemented to the fullest in a meaningful manner,” he added.

He also said the government’s argument that the vote on the resolution had reflected a conflict between Latin America and the West is wrong. “Only seven Western European nations have voted in favour out of the 22 nations that voted for the resolution. While only five Latin American nations have voted for it out of the eight nations. 

Only five out of six Eastern European nations have voted in favour while only three in the African region have voted for it while nine have abstained. Three Asian nations out of 134 have also abstained from voting. Therefore one cannot consider that the result of the vote reflects a division between the West and Latin America,” he said.

On a different note he said the government should stop the bulk import of coconut oil and stop the sale of such oil without proper packaging. He said there should be a proper tracing process to detect contaminated coconut oil.