http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11B/Nov20_1321801707CH.php


The President has said that he will present the much-awaited report of the Commission to the parliament making it a public document.
The Sunday Times today reported that the LLRC will ask the government to investigate certain incidents that may have occurred during the final stages of the war.
The President in a recent interview to Indian media said the government will take actions without shielding anyone if the LLRC finds any human rights violations during the war which ended in May 2009.
The eight-member Commission commenced its sessions last year and has recorded thousands of oral and written submissions from a cross section of society on the period between 2002 and 2009.
The LLRC held its first sittings on August 11, 2010. In November 2010, the President extended its mandate till May 15, 2011. The Commission wrapped up its work on November 15, 2011.
During the hearings conducted in Colombo and field locations in the Northern and Eastern provinces, the LLRC recorded testimonies from over 1,000 people from all walks of life including military personnel, general public, war victims, scholars, religious leaders and civil society leaders. In addition, the Commission received over 5,000 written submissions.
International human rights organizations Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch have questioned the credibility of the Commission saying that Sri Lankan government's inquiry into the country's civil war is fundamentally flawed and provides no accountability for atrocities.
The LLRC has invited the AI and the other human right watchdogs, the International Crisis Group (ICG) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) to come before it but they turned down the invitation.
The United States recently said that it has high expectations for the LLRC report and noted that the report will be of 'highest quality'.
The United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, Jr. traveled to Sri Lanka in early September to ensure the Commission's work is thorough and credible.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)