President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge has said that Sri Lanka cannot use an American method for resolving issues in the island nation. He said Sri Lanka has a Sri Lankan way of doing it.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mr. Weeratunga reiterated that the Sri Lankan armed forces neither targeted civilians nor used heavy weapons during the final months of the conflict. The President Secretary denied any such targeting of civilians by the Sri Lankan armed forces, or even the use of heavy weapons in the final months of the war, although he acknowledged there could have been “collateral damage” during the fighting when the Tamil Tigers were using civilians as human shields.
When asked about alleged large scale killings, Mr Weeratunga said that there was no record that hundreds of people were killed during the final stages of the war. Such a judgment can be passed but he emphasized that there was no record that hundreds of people were killed during the final stages of the war.
He likened the threat of an international inquiry into war crimes to the sword of Damocles hanging by a thread over Sri Lanka. He argued the government has only had 18 months to implement the LLRC recommendations. Mr. Weeratunge warned that if that process was mishandled, it could trigger renewed conflict.
After the 30-year Sri Lanka wants sustainable peace. It is a very delicate process. He added that reconciliation is not a task that can be achieved in a day or two.
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