Colombo rejects UN Expert Panel report, dubs it as “Darusman Report”

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 14:49 GMT]
Colombo government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday issued an official statement, stating that the conclusions of the externally constituted “Darusman Panel” working from New York should not take precedence over the conclusions, still awaited, of the domestic [LLRC] process. The statement said that the material could be looked at by the LLRC should it wish to do so, depending on its own assessment of the contents. “The public release of the Report at this stage is divisive, and disrupts our efforts to reinforce peace, security and stability in Sri Lanka. It feeds into the political agendas of interested parties,” the release by the External Affairs ministry in Colombo said.

The full text of the statement from the Sri Lankan government follows:

The Government of Sri Lanka refers to the release by the UN Secretary-General of the “Darusman Report” on accountability in Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka reiterates its position that the “Darusman Report” is fundamentally flawed in many respects and that among other deficiencies, the Report is based on biased material, which is presented without any verification.

Following the end of conflict, the Government of Sri Lanka, has given the highest priority to post-conflict reconciliation, rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. The Government is in the process of addressing these challenges and has recorded significant success on many fronts, including in the resettlement of internally displaced persons, restoring livelihood in conflict affected areas, release of former child soldiers recruited by terrorists, rehabilitation of detainees, de-mining, restoring democratic processes in the North and East as well as in the reconstruction of housing and infrastructure. We are moving gradually and confidently forward along a process that will consolidate national unity and progress.

The public release of the Report at this stage is divisive, and disrupts our efforts to reinforce peace, security and stability in Sri Lanka. It feeds into the political agendas of interested parties.

The Government of Sri Lanka however notes that the Secretary-General has correctly acknowledged the primacy of domestic responsibility in this regard. The Government has put in place of its own accord a domestic mechanism dealing with a range of issues relevant to the conflict with a view to promoting reconciliation and confidence among people. UN Member States have welcomed this measure. Furthermore, the Government has established an Inter-Agency Committee consisting of seven key Ministries in order to proceed with the interim recommendations of the domestic mechanism, the LLRC. The objective of the Government is to provide urgent relief and to engender a sense of confidence among the people affected by the conflict and give impetus to the reconciliation process. The areas in which action has already commenced relate to land issues, law and order, administration and language issues as well as socio-economic and livelihood issues. These actions have been initiated as a follow-up to the matters identified through the LLRC, deriving from testimony received from affected civilians in the country including from former conflict areas. The conclusions of the externally constituted “Darusman Panel” working from New York should not take precedence over the conclusions, still awaited, of the domestic process.

The “Darusman Report” refers to many issues which are alleged to have occurred in Sri Lanka and which are currently subject to a domestic process. This material can be looked at by the LLRC should it wish to do so, depending on its own assessment of the contents.