Sri Lanka to take action against war crimes

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Wednesday denied it targeted civilians while crushing Tamil Tiger rebels but said action would be taken if war crimes allegations contained in a new British documentary were true.

The Sri Lankan High Commission in London said images shown on Channel 4 on Tuesday night had not been verified as genuine and the disturbing footage could incite hatred among Sri Lankan communities.

However, it added that a local panel known as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was ready to take note of the claims and take remedial legal action.

"If the allegations levelled by Channel 4 or any other party are found to be genuine, the LLRC will take due note of all such cases and remedial measures will be taken by way of legal sanctions," the statement said.

There was no immediate comment from the government in Colombo on Wednesday, which is a religious holiday marking the arrival of Buddhism in the island 2,300 years ago.

But ministers have repeatedly denied all war crimes allegations.

The newspaper called for a political solution to address grievances of the Tamil minority, which has accused successive governments in Sri Lanka since independence from Britain in 1948 of discrimination in jobs and education.

Sri Lanka's ally, India, has also urged the Sinhalese-dominated government to move towards a political power-sharing arrangement with Tamils to address the root causes of the island's ethnic conflict.

The privately-run Island newspaper said the Channel 4 documentary was aimed at bolstering the claims of defeated Tamil Tiger rebels and reviving their separatist demands.

"What is called for is not a probe into the unsubstantiated allegations of war crimes against Sri Lanka but a thorough investigation into the Channel 4 videos whose authenticity is in question," the pro-government Island said.

Sri Lanka had previously insisted there would be no investigation because no war crimes had been committed by its troops while defeating the Tamil Tigers by May 2009.

However, army chief Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya earlier this month offered to probe any "specific allegations," but rejected the Channel 4 videos as fabrications aimed at discrediting his troops.

Sri Lanka has also refused to allow a three-member UN expert panel to visit the island nation to probe allegations that troops ordered civilians into "no-fire zones" and then shelled them.

The panel, however, reported in April that there were "credible allegations" that Sri Lankan troops killed thousands of civilians.

The Channel 4 documentary "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields", contained footage of what it said were prisoner executions.

It also showed the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appeared to have been sexually assaulted by government forces.

The programme also provided evidence to suggest that the Tamil Tiger fighters had also committed war crimes.

Two UN investigators have confirmed the video as authentic, but the Sri Lankan authorities maintain it is fake. The 50-minute film also included footage of the aftermath of the targeted shelling of civilian hospitals.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011