• Says then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited former UN SG and agreed to UN probe of HR violations
• States that Govt. betrayed country through such a move

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday said that it was the Government of then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa which first “internationalised” human rights issues when it invited Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General at the time, to the island just five days after the war ended in May

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa

2009.

Responding to a statement made by Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Premadasa noted that the President issued a joint statement with the UN Chief, in which the latter referred to violations of international human rights law. 

“The then-Government accepted this statement and pledged to look into these violations. The statement internationalised an internal issue that could have been resolved here. That was the first fault it committed,” he said.

Premadasa accused that Government of betraying the entire country within five days of the war victory by inking a joint statement with the UN Chief. 

“All that has followed since then has been because of this statement,” he added.

Govt. to inform UNHRC of intention to work towards closure of contentious resolution