Post war Sri Lanka is divided in to two countries say, Vasudeva Nanayakkara. Cabinet Minister of National Languages and Social Integration. Addressing a seminar to demand implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) the minister said that democratic institutions in the North and the East of the country have become ineffective.
“The war was waged to stop the division of the country. What we have created are two countries instead of one” says the minister.
No democrasy in the North
“There is a different administrative system in the North where there is no democratic rule. In the East we have democratically elected bodies but they had failed to implement democratic practices”. The Minister argued at the seminar organised by the Peoples Democratic Forum claiming that there is a different type of government in the rest of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) welcomed US proposals to put pressure on Sri Lanka to implement the LLRC recommendations.
Maria Otero, the most senior US official to visit Sri Lanka since 2005, said she discussed the recommendations made by the LLRC with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday.
US pressure
“We are glad that US are putting pressure on the government”, M. A. Sumandiran, TNA parliamentarian told the BBC Sinhala Service.
Maria Otero met president Rajapaksa
“TNA backs a domestic process to implement the LLRC recommendations. We should ask for an international probe only after a failure of that,” says the MP.
“It is a step by step process. It will take time. They took thirty years in Cambodia.”
The US will support efforts to get Sri Lanka to implement a government commission's conclusions in relation to the civil war, Maria Otero, US Under Secretary General of State told journalists in Colombo on Monday.
UN Human Rights Council
“I confirmed the United States will support a resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in March that provides an opportunity for the Government of Sri Lanka to describe what it intends to do to implement the LLRC's recommendations and advance reconciliation, as well as address accountability, human rights and democracy concerns,” added Ms Otero.
Both Tamil Tiger rebels and the army have been accused of abuses during the final phase of the war in 2009.
BBC Sinhala
“The war was waged to stop the division of the country. What we have created are two countries instead of one” says the minister.
No democrasy in the North
“There is a different administrative system in the North where there is no democratic rule. In the East we have democratically elected bodies but they had failed to implement democratic practices”. The Minister argued at the seminar organised by the Peoples Democratic Forum claiming that there is a different type of government in the rest of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) welcomed US proposals to put pressure on Sri Lanka to implement the LLRC recommendations.
Maria Otero, the most senior US official to visit Sri Lanka since 2005, said she discussed the recommendations made by the LLRC with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday.
US pressure
“We are glad that US are putting pressure on the government”, M. A. Sumandiran, TNA parliamentarian told the BBC Sinhala Service.
Maria Otero met president Rajapaksa
“TNA backs a domestic process to implement the LLRC recommendations. We should ask for an international probe only after a failure of that,” says the MP.
“It is a step by step process. It will take time. They took thirty years in Cambodia.”
The US will support efforts to get Sri Lanka to implement a government commission's conclusions in relation to the civil war, Maria Otero, US Under Secretary General of State told journalists in Colombo on Monday.
UN Human Rights Council
“I confirmed the United States will support a resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in March that provides an opportunity for the Government of Sri Lanka to describe what it intends to do to implement the LLRC's recommendations and advance reconciliation, as well as address accountability, human rights and democracy concerns,” added Ms Otero.
Both Tamil Tiger rebels and the army have been accused of abuses during the final phase of the war in 2009.
BBC Sinhala
