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Bhagwati panel report “motivated”

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Attorney-General C.R. De Silva has again taken exception to the recent statement made by the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) headed by Justice P.N. Bhagwati on the functioning of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights Violations and urged it to engage with the Commission rather than undermine public confidence with open statements.

The IIGEP earlier this week urged the Government to initiate urgent measures to make the functioning of the Commission credible. The A-G said the timing of the statement appeared to be “motivated” to coincide with the sixth session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The IIGEP was constituted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in February to oversee the functioning of the Commission he appointed in November

The decision to issue public statements pointing out the deficiencies due to legal and administrative deficiencies in the system has not gone down well with the Government. Colombo believes that the IIGEP has been unfair and its members are entirely influenced by their assistants in their observations.

Political and diplomatic observers here believe that the running battle of words between the IIGEP and the Commission is bound to reflect on the already fragile human rights situation.

On the contentious subject of the A-G assisting the Commission, he said the appointment of the Attorney-General was not based on political considerations.

“It was the Commission of Inquiry that invited the Attorney-General to nominate a few counsel from the Attorney-General’s Department to assist the Commission. The wishes of the independent Commission should be adhered to.”

On the issue of expeditiously establishing an effective witness protection programme, the A-G said the new draft legislation had been finalised and the Government would move it in Parliament.

Separately, the military claimed that Air Force launched an air strike at the LTTE’s Vishvamadu Base as the Tigers were engaged in attempting to salvage what remained from Friday’s air strike using vehicles. However, the LTTE alleged that one civilian was killed in the aerial bombing and five civilians were seriously injured.

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