UN report: Sri Lanka committed war crimes

PETALING JAYA: War crimes were committed by the Sri Lankan army in the final days of the 30-year bitter civil war with Tamil separatists, a United Nations report revealed.The bloody conflict which drew to an end in 2009, saw the Sri Lankan troops deliberately targeting civilians, aid agencies and hospitals, the United Nations investigation found.In a news report by The Sydney Morning Herald, it was stated that the a three-member expert panel led by former Indonesian attorney-general Marzuki Darusman, delivered the report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week. But, it is yet to be made public.
It has also called for an independent investigation of ”credible” allegations of war crimes resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians – far higher than previous estimates.The UN report into the final six months of the 30-year conflict that ended in May 2009 found more than 330,000 people were trapped by the fighting as remnants of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were encircled by government forces.

It said the Sri Lankan troops ”shelled on a large scale in three consecutive No Fire Zones, where it had encouraged the civilian population to concentrate … It shelled the United Nations hub, food distribution lines and near the Red Cross ships that were coming to pick up the wounded.”But the report also noted that the LTTE executed civilians who attempted to escape the conflict zone after February 2009, significantly adding to the number of casualties. The LTTE also forcibly pressed civilians into fighting to fill its declining ranks.

The UN committee was not allowed into Sri Lanka to investigate, was denied permission to interview Sri Lankan officials and given no access to official documents.But through photographs, video and testimony, the committee concluded the civilian death toll was likely much higher than the 7,000 previously quoted.The Sri Lankan government has rejected the 196-page UN report as ”fundamentally flawed”.

”Among other deficiencies, the report is based on patently biased material which is presented without any verification,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.Sections of the investigation leaked at the weekend to Sri Lanka’s The Island newspaper.The report said the Sri Lankan government’s own investigations to date did not meet international standards

 
Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/04/22/un-report-sri-lanka-committed-war-crimes/