UN rights chief Pillay to visit Lanka

Colombo: UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay will visit Sri Lanka later this month to take stock of the country`s progress on reconciliation with the Tamil minority since the end of the island`s ethnic conflict.

Sri Lanka is looking forward to Pillay`s visit, Human Rights Envoy and Plantation Minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe said. Pillay is expected on August 25 on a week-long visit. Samarasinghe said Sri Lanka was hopeful that Pillay would provide a balanced and objective report on the island to the UN Human Rights Council`s next session in September. The Sri Lankan envoy added that Pillay would be able to see the progress made by Sri Lanka in the reconciliation sphere since the civil war with the LTTE ended 4 years ago. Sri Lanka would also record the progress of its own Human Rights Action Plan and the progress in the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission with the UN rights chief. Pillay`s Lanka visit assumes importance in the back drop of two successive US-sponsored UNHRC resolutions against Sri Lanka. Both resolutions were backed by India and they urged Sri Lanka to achieve progress on reconciliation with the Tamil minority. Pillay has visits planned to the north, the former war zone, and will meet political leaders and civil society members. PTI