Tamil parties turn down US call for internal ‘war crimes’ probe

Leaders representing three constituents of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have rejected the stand of the US, which favoured a domestic investigation mechanism on alleged crimes committed during the final stages of war.

The leaders of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), who met for four hours in Colombo, felt that justice would be possible only through an international probe, the Hindu Newspaper reported.

TELO’s national organiser M.K. Shivajilingam said the three parties did not trust in the domestic mechanism in view of past experiences.

He recalled that the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons constituted in February 2007 to examine certain instances of human rights violations that took place since 1 August 2005, could not complete its task.

He added that there were ways to circumvent legal restrictions in calling for a global investigative mechanism, given that Sri Lanka was not a signatory to the Rome Statute.

The TELO national organiser said that the three parties would have a meeting with the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi, the main constituent party, on this matter.

Responding to a query about the nomination of Members of Parliament through the National List, Shivajilingam replied that “it is a settled matter. There is no point in discussing it.”  

Asked why the three parties met without the ITAK, he said it was felt to arrive at a consensus among them on the issues discussed before pursuing them with the ITAK. (The Hindu)