( General Secretary of the majority group of the LSSP Lal Wijenayake)
Political parties associated with the Old Left movement claim there was no basis for the communal campaign that was presently being carried out by forces which were rejected by the people on 8 January and 17 August.
The Majority Group of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Alternative Group of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) noted that these forces were attempting to create communal tensions to sabotage the reconciliation process at this crucial juncture.
General Secretary of the Majority Group of the LSSP Lal Wijenayake and President of the Alternative Group of the CPSL D.W. Subasinghe said that there were serious allegations of human rights violations, the truth of which should have been determined after a credible domestic investigation under our laws by our regular courts and/or special commissions.
Wijenayake and Subasinghe said it afforded some relief to see that the contentious resolution co-sponsored by the Government of Sri Lanka, and adopted in 2015 in Geneva, while expressing concerns on the ability of the Sri Lankan criminal justice system to ensure accountability, diluted the demand for a hybrid court and has committed Sri Lanka to an investigation by a domestic judicial mechanism with the participation of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and investigators from Commonwealth countries.
They added that it was also significant that the resolution emphasized the facets of truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence rather than on punitive action.
“It is significant that the resolution shows the commitment of the United Nations Human Rights Council to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. This is specifically mentioned and it is also evident that our commitment is to work within the framework of our Constitution and its judicial mechanism. The process of seeking truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence will be of help in the process of reconciliation. Therefore, it is our view that the resolution has to be worked out in such a way that our sovereignty and independence is not compromised and we see ample space to do it within the process of seeking, truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence,” Wijenayake and Subasinghe added.
(Original caption: Old Left slams attempts to sabotage reconciliation) BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody / Ceylon Today