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Rajapaksa’s appeal to Bhagwati

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has urged Chairman of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) Justice P.N Bhagwati to ensure that at least one of the 11 eminent persons is present in the country to observe the investigations and inquiries of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) set up by him to investigate human rights violations.

According to the President’s Secretariat, a letter on behalf of the President by his secretary Lalith Weeratunga was delivered to Justice Bhagwati recently following a row between the IIGEP and the Attorney-General’s Department on the degree of progress made by the COI and the latter’s involvement with the Commission.

A senior official in the secretariat told The Hindu that the letter reflected the Government’s confidence in the IIGEP and its desire for a more active role by the members.

There is no reference to the recent statement by Attorney-General C. R. de Silva that the IIGEP has “exceeded” its mandate and arrived at “misinformed, incorrect and partial conclusions”.

The official said the COI was engaged in a discussion with the presidential secretariat on issues raised by the IIGEP including the funds required for efficient functioning.

In media interviews in New Delhi, Justice Bhagwati took exception to the tone and tenor of the Attorney-General’s statement and said the members were unanimous on the issues raised.

In his letter to Justice Bhagwati, the Attorney-General had said, “I am concerned that your observations and comments are based on possible information given to you by some assistants to IIGEP members, who appear to be totally innocent of what is actually taking place in the Commission.” He had particularly taken exception to the observations of the IIGEP, which have been very critical of the progress made by the CoI. The IIGEP was established by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in February to oversee the investigations carried out by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (instituted in November) to looking into several high profile human rights violations which have occurred since August 2005.

The international group public statement issued on the second week of June said little progress had been made with the Commission of Inquiry.

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