India wary of Northern Provincial Council’s resolution
Thursday, 12 February 2015 02:23
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India has taken note of a resolution passed by Northern Province Council (NPC) calling for an international investigation into alleged acts of genocide committed against the Tamils since the country’s independence from the British in 1948.
Indian officials have said that it was too early to gauge its importance to the reconciliation process already initiated by President Maithripala Sirisena’s new Government.
In the resolution, the NPC has urged the team appointed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the war in Sri Lanka, to comprehensively investigate and report on the charge of genocide in its submission to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2015.
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Indian officials are studying if the genocide resolution would affect the Geneva conference of the UNHRC and could lead to a resolution against Sri Lanka being tabled.
According to the officials, India is not for a war crimes probe against Sri Lanka and would be keen to see any such resolution put off so as to allow the new Sri Lankan Government time to implement its promises to the Northern Province.
Any attempt to challenge the new Government in Colombo with an international genocide investigation at this point could “complicate matters,” sources in New Delhi have told The Hindu.
Sources told The Hindu that the issue of reconciliation and rehabilitation for the Tamil-dominated areas will be a key issue when President Sirisena meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week.
“The Government will be keen to discuss the new Government’s plans as well as the just-started talks on repatriation of 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees living in India.”
President Sirisena will visit India from 15 to 18 February, his first international engagement since he was sworn in.
