GL rejects Champika’s claim that MR brought in foreign experts
Posted on September 27th, 2015
Courtesy Island
Former Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris yesterday rejected as “totally false” a claim by Minister Patali Champika Ranawake that the former president brought in foreign experts (to investigate war related matters) long before Geneva.
“The government never brought foreign judges, prosecutors or investigators,” he said. “The mandate of Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, Geoffrey Nice, QC, and Prof. David Crane was to assist the Paranagama Commission with regard to international humanitarian and human rights law, customary international law and laws governing armed conflict.”
Explaining that they were brought to give advice based on their undoubted professional expertise, he said that it was open to the commission at all times to accept or reject their advice.
“They were only resource persons and were by no means judges having the right to decide matters on their own responsibility,” Pieris said. “It is a complete distortion to suggest any parallel between these two situations. The previous government would not have contemplated such a situation even for one moment.”
He said the resolution Sri Lanka was co-sponsoring in Geneva holds that there are reasonable ground for believing that Sri Lanka’s armed forces have committed some of the most serious offences known to international law such as widespread unlawful killing, systemic sexual and gender based violence, kidnapping, abduction and disappearances, recurring patterns of torture, calculated starvation of civilian population, denial of essential medical supplies and the recruitment of children to be deployed in war.
“This is the resolution we are co-sponsoring, Pieris said. “I can’t see how this is construed as a victory for Sri Lanka.”
September 27th, 2015 at 8:17 am
Prof. G.L. Peiris should have looked at Champika’s heuristic back ground. When he entered politics he was penny less. Some Australian woman, a millioner gave Ranawake big money to settle his divorce case. He has two daughters. All of them are in big universities in Australia. Suddenly this Australian woman died. Again no one knows how, poisoned etc. He has a big following in UK, Australia and Canada. He cannot come to USA and Canada because he has connections to terrorist groups. When MR became the President for the first time he venomontly oppose S.L. Gunasekara’s to be Sri Lanka’s UN ambassador. MR backed down so now Ranawake, thought he was going to be the next Prime Minister. MR later found out what a trust worthy partner he is. He acted as a double agent for the CIA, and he has this position today. I hope G.L. Peiris will get an updated news item from his staff and bring Ranawak’s background at the news conferences.
September 27th, 2015 at 9:20 am
Our thanks to GL for the truth.
There is an effort by the Yahap politicos to lump all troubles in Lanka on the past MR govt., but people know the truth of matters now. Defending MR govt a must in these instances.
Words are twisted, wrong wording is used and subtle means employed to blame the past MR govt. ! We do not buy that. In fact, the truth is pouring out, with accurate information. We know who kept the war with the LTTE going, and who stopped it. Proof is in the pudding, as they say.
September 27th, 2015 at 2:01 pm
What a foolish statement by Charmpaka. The 2 are different. These foreigners were ONLY ASSISTING the SL commission. They were not running the show.
He has to bark to keep his ministry.