Lawyers’ association in Sri Lanka vows to stifle attempts to revive separatism
Tuesday, 4 February 2014 00:01
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A lawyers’ association in Sri Lanka has vowed to work against the agenda of certain elements that attempt to destabilise the country and revive separatism.
The Sri Lanka Lawyers Association, a collective of seven lawyers’ associations, has made this remark in reference to a resolution adopted by the Northern Provincial Council to seek an international inquiry into the Government’s alleged war crimes.
Addressing a media conference held in Colombo last morning, Assistant Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Lawyers Association Attorney-at-Law Bandula Wellala said that according to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, a provincial council has no provision for bringing in an international resolution on human rights. He said that the adoption of such a resolution by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) controlled Northern Provincial Council was an invalid action targeting the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva.
Attorney-at-Law Saman Galappaththi said that certain local organisations were collaborating with the international organisations to bring in resolutions against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions while all communities within the country were living in unity after the end of 30 years of war today and the country was undergoing a rapid development process.
Attorney Manoj Gamage, Convener of the Sri Lanka Lawyers Association, said the lawyers’ front vehemently condemned such action and that they would take organised action against such moves.
Gamage condemning the statements being made by certain Catholic priests in the north said such statements created destabilisation in the country and disunity among the communities. Attorney-at-law Priyantha Karunathilaka pointed out that the people of the north now have the democratic freedom of establishing local government institutions after the end of the war and pointed out that international organisations were silent about the human right violations committed by the terrorist group LTTE.
