• TMTK’s Wiggy and TNA’s Sumanthiran say HRCSL has portrayed Northern demands inaccurately

Responding to the recent recommendations made by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that the Northern people are agreeable to an internal mechanism provided that the Truth Commission comprises members of competency and integrity, Tamil political parties in the Northern Province stated yesterday (6) that this does not fairly correspond to what the people in the North have been saying and noted that no local mechanism can bring justice to them. 

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Jaffna District MP and Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani (TMTK)  Leader C.V. Wigneswaran noted that most people in the North say that it has to be with international input. 

“None of them have said what the HRCSL recommends. They got hold of a few people who are supportive of the Government. There is no question of a local mechanism. This was done purposefully in order to give the impression that the Tamils are prepared to accept a local mechanism. No local mechanism can bring justice to us. You cannot get people who are non-partisan in these matters locally, but, since you have to have somebody who is non-partisan, internationally acceptable people should be there to investigate all these war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc. So, there is no question of local people being entrusted with such a job.”

Commenting on the same to The Daily Morning, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesman and MP President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran said: “I don’t think that it is a fair representation of what people have been saying. We as representatives of the people have always said that we don’t trust any local mechanism by itself. There were two factions to the conflict. Any Truth Commission must be independent. For it to be independent, it cannot comprise any one of those factions. We have constantly said this. I don’t think that anyone would have agreed to do it this way.”

Meanwhile, the HRCSL’s recommendations to President Ranil Wickremesinghe for implementation based on the HRCSL’s visit to the Northern Province from 16-18 February 2023 includes an internal mechanism, provided that the Truth Commission be comprised of members with competency and integrity, and to allow for the participation of the representatives of the victims without any control of the Government. The recommendation stated: “Despite the participants being in favour of an international mechanism for accountability and reconciliation, they were agreeable to an internal mechanism, provided that the Truth Commission be comprised of members with competency and integrity, and allows for the participation of the representatives of the victims without any control of the Government. The Act of Parliament establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission constituted under the powers of Parliament, should be equipped with sufficient powers to function independently and transparently and to address issues placed before them without any political interference.”