Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage slammed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s new report, which claims the UN has decided to set up an evidence-gathering mechanism for Sri Lanka.
Bachelet stated in her report that her office has decided to open an office in Sri Lanka for evidence collection, and that her office has begun implementing the aspects of Resolution 46/1, with a start-up team carrying out preparatory work since April 2021.
“We are not going to allow that to be operating in Sri Lanka,” he said adding that this mechanism run by outsiders will not be allowed in Sri Lanka.
“It’s against the UN mandate, and the United Nations Human Rights Commission has no entitlement to run an evidence gathering mechanism in other countries,” he stressed.
Colombage asserted that since a domestic mechanism is taking shape and the process is on-going, Sri Lanka cannot allow another parallel mechanism introduced from outside and that would never occur.
He pointed out that this matter has been explained clearly to the Rights Chief. “We will do everything locally and no international mechanism of that nature will be allowed,” he reiterated.
He recalled how the 2015, the Government of the time had co-sponsored a hybrid mechanism to probe war crimes allegations, agreed and tried to allow foreign judges to set up a special Court in Sri Lanka. But such mechanism was also rejected then and that will never be allowed too, he reiterated.
He also said this Government is ready to face the UNHRC session and challenge what comes may. The UNHRC raised various allegations related to human rights on Sri Lanka, adding that however, about 95 per cent of matters are related to domestic politics and affairs. “We have a Parliament, a Cabinet, a President elected by the people and we are a democratically elected Government. There is no dictatorship or a military run government in Sri Lanka, so the country has the right to take decisions on the behest of the elected government and the people of the country. But when the very domestic policies are being questioned by the UNHRC, a conflict erupts. We have clearly stated to the UNHRC Commissioner, that a country’s internal or domestic affairs cannot be challenged by the UNHRC and it has no relevance to her Office.