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.
