Govt. seriously concerned about IIGEP statement

by Don Asoka Wijewardena
The Chairman of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons, India’s ex-Chief Justice P. N. Bhagawatti, had written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa clarifying the position taken by the IIGEP in its sixth public statement, which stated that the Sri Lankan government did not have political and institutional will to investigate 17 incidents of human rights violation in which people were killed, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told a media conference at Ministry auditorium yesterday.

He said President Rajapaksa had expressed the government’s serious concern over the IIGEP statement. The government had consistently maintained an unequivocal stance on the alleged violations, which were included in the warrant of the Commission of Inquiry. Human rights violations should be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action to prosecute and punish any persons found to have violated human rights would follow. However, such punitive measures, should they be warranted by the evidence disclosed by the Commission, would only be taken after due process of law in keeping with the highest standards he said.

Minister Samarasinghe said that the government was extremely worried about the statement made by Bhagawatti about the government of Sri Lanka. He had also accused that the Presidential Commission of Inquiry had gone beyond the mandate vested in the Commission. It was a derogatory statement which had tarnished the image of the government. Had Justice Bhagawatti clarified this before the government would have saved a lot time in dealing with the matter.

Minister Samarasinghe said that the Sri Lankan government was of the view that observations and conclusions of this nature were beyond the mandate of the IIGEP in so far as it was merely required to perform an observational and advisory function to ensure that Commission’s proceedings met with international norms and standards. The government believed that such statements by the IIGEP could be perceived as having political overtones. This could have led to reasonable inferences that the IIGEP‘s statement was made in fulfillment of other agendas inimical to the government of Sri Lanka. Such statements could have strengthened the hand of those who were working to bring discredit to the government of Sri Lanka, he said.

Attorney General C. R. de Silva said that Justice Bhagawatti had clarified the controversial statements made by the IIGEP. His clarification mentioned that the IIGEP had not accused the Sri Lankan government and what had been conveyed in the statement was the IIGEP’s apprehension regarding absence of political will. IIGEP had never said there was absence of political will on the part of the government and it was merely an apprehension which was voiced by the IIGEP in view of facts before them.

De Silva added that IIGEP had also appreciated the good work done by the Commission. It had been doing highly valuable service and IIGEP had the best co-operation from the members of the Commission.

He said the government would like to express its gratitude to Justice Bhagawatti for the clarification and to reassure the IIGEP that the people of Sri Lanka and the international community would remain steadfast in their determination to support the Chairman and Commission in ensuring the completion of the work of the Commission of Inquiry.