Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda
Rajapaksa on Monday left for New York to attend the 66th session
of the UN General Assembly amidst a controversy over a UN
report alleging human rights violation by his forces during
the civil war against LTTE.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently submitted a
special report on Sri Lanka to the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights and also to the president of the UN Human Rights
Council, alleging human rights violation in the country.
The report accused both Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE of
committing war crimes and called for an independent probe.
Sri Lanka maintains UN chief's action was a violation of
the basic protocol of diplomacy as Colombo was not informed of
the decision in advance.
The external affairs ministry officials here said Sri
Lanka has asked its permanent representative at the UN
Palitha Kohona to register a strong protest on the issue.
Sources said Rajapaksa in his address was likely to
record his disappointment over the UN chief's action. His
address is scheduled for September 23.
Sri Lanka dubbed the report seriously flawed and prepared
at the dictates of the pro-LTTE diaspora living in the West.
PTI
First Published: Monday, September 19, 2011, 16:32