Wigneswaran against a domestic mechanism to probe war crime allegations

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) strongly opposes a domestic mechanism to probe the war crime allegations, the Chief Minister of Northern Province C.V. Wigneswaran says.

Responding to reporters in Jaffna, the Chief Minister said a domestic mechanism can be considered only if international judges are present.

Wigneswaran made these comments when BBC questioned him on what he discussed during his meetings with ambassadors of six countries and delegations of European Union, who visited him from time to time.

President Maithripala Sirisena recently reiterated his stance that there will be no foreign judges in the domestic mechanism which is to be established to probe the alleged war crimes and human right violations during the three-decade long conflict with the Tamil Tiger terrorists.

“We don’t need foreign judges. We can resolve any problem within the country without foreign intervention,” the President re-iterated commenting on his previously declared position. “If necessary, we can obtain foreign technical support, but without commitments or conditions attached,” the President said.

According to the Chief Minister, at present there is no atmosphere in the country for justice to be done, not just in courts but everywhere else as well.

The Chief Minister said so far any request made by the Tamil National Alliance as a political party from the government has not been fulfilled and added that the Tamil People’s problems cannot be resolved while depending on the protests by nationalist parties in the South.

Wigneswaran said he apprised the international delegates visiting the North that the only solution to the ethnic problem of Tamils is to merge the North and the East and establish a federal government system.

The Chief Minister further said that he plans to present all the facts before the next session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.