http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/03/21/news01.asp
Former AG Mohan Peiris says :
SL can face vote with confidence
‘India’s position to be taken holistically’ :
Chamikara Weerasinghe
A key member of the Sri Lankan delegation to the UNHRC sessions and former
Attorney General Mohan Peiris yesterday told the Daily News from Geneva that the
resolution could be put to the vote today, tomorrow or even on Friday(23). “ We
have every confidence that India will act in favour of Sri Lanka because it was
with India’s support that Sri Lanka has carried out most of its reconciliation
work,” he said.
“Besides there is no justification for what the US is doing since the Sri
Lankan government has done everything to implement recommendations in the
Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Report,” he explained. “What more can they ask
when the government has released over 10,000 LTTE cadres who had been arrested
during the last phase of the war and before, after they have been rehabilitated.
‘Thousands of internally displaced Tamils have been resettled in the North
and East as part of the government’;s reconciliation programme,” he said.
He added, “ India has played a vital role in these programmes. Indian helped
Sri Lanka to build 22,000 houses for the displaced under a programme by the
government to construct 45,000 housing units for them, “ Peiris pointed out. “
It is no secret to the international community that the government has committed
Rs 310 billion for the development of infrastructure in the Northern province of
which Rs 210 billion has been used to provide them with water, electricity,
sanitation and other facilities,” he said.
Sri Lankan delegation has explained its work toward national reconciliation
in detail at the Council, he added.
On being asked on the stance by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that
Indian will take a last minute decision whether to take action in favour of Sri
Lanka or not,when the full resolution is surfaced by the US, Peiris said ,
“India’s position had to be be taken holistically and we have every confidence
about India’s support as our neighbour and friend.”
Asked how they take the criticism levelled by various NGOs from Sri Lanka in
sideline events, he said these criticisms had no significant bearing because
this is what they have been saying over the years even after so much work has
been done by the the government to address those problems they usually talk
about even in Sri Lanka.