The domestic mechanism to investigate allegations over the war will be in place by June, President Maithripala Sirisena said.
He also said that a new Parliament will be in place by September this year.
Speaking to media heads today, the President said that international investigators will not be allowed into Sri Lanka to investigate the war.
Instead, he said the domestic mechanism will be setup by next month and the local laws will deal with those accused of human rights abuses.
“We have had talks with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the investigations. As a government we have told them we will not agree foreign investigators coming into Sri Lanka. However we will take advice from the High Commissioner’s office and conduct a domestic investigation,” the President said.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is expected to submit a report on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council at its September session.
“We need to brief the Human Rights Council in September on the domestic mechanism. So the mechanism will be in place by June. We will ensure our sovereignty is protected in the human rights investigation,” Sirisena said.
Parliament will be dissolved after an agreement is reached on the 20th Amendment to the constitution and the Constitutional Council. the President at the same meeting.
“There are some pending issues to be addressed by the current Parliament. Once those issues are addressed Parliament will be dissolved and elections will be held. We should have a new Parliament by September,” he said.th.
The President did not say when Parliament will be dissolved and when elections will be held but he was confident that the outstanding issues will be addressed and elections will be held soon.
( Thanks to Colombo Gazette)