Sri Lanka seeks India's support in facing key UNHRC resolutions over LTTE row

The Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government in Sri Lanka has sought help from India to counter allegations raised by the UN rights body over Sri Lanka's "repeated failure to ensure justice for the victims and promote reconciliation after the end of armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Lanka was defeated at three consecutive resolutions at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva when Gotabaya's brother  Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President between 2012-2014.

The Gotabaya government had officially withdrawn from co-sponsoring the previous resolution undertaken by the previous government. Instead, it demanded a probe on the international level into the alleged war crimes committed by both the LTTE and the government troops, during the last phase of the civil war that ended in Sri Lanka, in 2009.

SL failed to ensure justice to war victims: UNHCR

'Promotion of Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka' is on the list as agenda item 2 for the discussion in UNHRC on Monday, officials were quoted as saying by PTI. The  High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet last month submitted a report on Sri Lanka where she stressed that "Domestic initiatives had repeatedly failed to ensure justice for victims and promote reconciliation. Despite commitments made in 2015, the current Government, like its predecessor, had failed to pursue genuine accountability processes."

Trying to defeat false accusations, hope India will support Lanka: Gotabaya

However, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry in clarification said "Over the years, various allegations have been levelled against our country, alleging human rights abuses. We have been cautious about this. After our government was elected, a Presidential Commission has been appointed to investigate human rights allegations." The ministry further in its statement sought co-operation from India and said "We are trying to defeat the false accusations levelled against us, and many friendly countries have joined hands with us in this. We hope that India too will support us this time."

Moreover, the Indian position on elections to Sri Lanka's north and eastern provincial councils has also been reflected in the draft resolution that reads "to ensure that all provincial councils including the northern and eastern provincial councils are able to operate effectively in accordance with the thirteenth amendment to the constitution of Sri Lanka."

India's response to Michelle Bachelet's report on Sri Lanka

After a conversation on a call with Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Indian PM Narendra Modi has also escalated India's current positioning on the matter, in the UN. In a statement on the report by the Bachelet, India observed "The Sri Lankan government has articulated its position on these issues as well, in the evaluation of these, we should be guided by a commitment to finding a lasting and effective solution to this issue."

Furthermore, India's Permanent Representative in UNHRC, Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey said "We call upon Sri Lanka to take necessary steps for addressing such aspirations, including through the process of reconciliation and full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka."