Monday, March 12, 2012


Colombo, Mar 11 (PTI) Sri Lanka today dismissed as unfounded and unfair a US move at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to censure Colombo over alleged crimes against humanity during the final stages of the ethnic conflict. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the powerful Defence Secretary, said the accusations of human rights violations levelled by the international community is unfounded and unfair. Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the president Mahinda Rajapaksa who spearheaded the successful military campaign against the LTTE, was addressing a gathering at a Buddhist temple in the suburb of Maharagama. He cited the examples of families of two senior LTTE members -- SP Thamilselvan and Soosai -- who are being cared for by the military. "Thamilselvan's and Soosai's families are well looked after. Their children attend school. We even cared for the parents of Prabakaran (former supremo of LTTE Velupillai Prabakaran)," Rajapaksa said. Thamilselvan was the LTTE's political commissar while Soosai was the leader of the LTTE's feared sea Tigers. Prabakaran's parents were provided military accommodation at the end of the conflict. Their families were among tens of thousands of civilians who crossed over to the government control areas from the LTTE territory as the war was drawing to a close. In an obvious reference to the US-sponsored motion against Sri Lanka at the on going Human Rights sessions in Geneva, Rajapaksa called for unity to face the international threat. The US move seeking to commit Sri Lanka to a credible accountability mechanism over alleged rights abuses. The Sri Lanka government has described the move as an impingement on the country's sovereignty. The government supported a nationwide demonstrations last month to denounce the American move for fresh war crimes probe.