The Sri Lankan delegation is prepared to effectively face any challenge rising up against the country at the United Nations Human Rights Council session next week, Plantation Minister and President’s Special Human Rights Envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
The Minister told Ada Derana that the delegation led by him will also comprise Ministers Nimal Siripala De Silva and Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, MP Sajin Vaas Gunewardene, the Attorney General and several other officials.
The UNHRC sessions scheduled to begin on February 27 will continue till March 23 while Samarasinghe says that time has been reserved to make an official statement on behalf of Sri Lanka on the opening day.
He stated that they intend to point out the steps Sri Lanka has taken on human rights development as well as respond to allegations against the island nation during that statement.
Especially a report prepared by the Department of Census and Statistics, to prove allegations of 40,000 civilian casualties during the final stages of the humanitarian mission are false, has been released and in no manner can it be accused of being biased, the Minister further stated.
Because the statistics were prepared with the involvement of government officials of Tamil ethnicity serving under state institutions such as the Northern Province government agent office and District Secretariat, the report is impartial, Mahinda Samarasingheemphasized.
When Ada Derana inquired from the Minister regarding rumors that Britain’s Chanel 4 is preparing to screen another video during the Human rights session, he replied that “if such a video is screened I am prepared to respond to it”.
