By Ananth Palakidnar
President Maithripala Sirisena has expressed dismay over the ‘genocide’ resolution calling for a UN inquiry to investigate alleged war crimes and the recommendation for prosecution by the …International Criminal Court (ICC) passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), when he met EPDP Leader, Douglas Devananda and NPC Opposition Leader, S. Thavarasa on Tuesday (10).
Former Minister Devananda, along with former Deputy Chairman of Committees, M. Chandrakumar and Thavarasa officially met President Sirisena for the first time at the Presidential Secretariat.
Thavarasa told Ceylon Today that President Sirisena was of the view that the ‘genocide’ resolution passed by the NPC seemed to have gone beyond the limitations of the Provincial Council.
“The President, accompanied by his adviser and Eastern Province Governor Austin Fernando during his meeting with the EPDP leader and his delegation, said the alleged war crimes could not be called as genocide and the NPC has rushed for the resolution, when the new government has just embarked on its reconciliation process,” Thavarasa said.
He also said the President was keen on addressing the immediate problems such as the land issues and the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North and East.
According to Thavarasa, the EPDP leader had succeeded to a greater extent in regaining the lands from the Security Forces in the North and he also pointed out to the President that the resettlement of the IDPs in their original lands and the release of the Tamil political prisoners must be expedited.
Commenting on the EPDP’s stance on the proposed General Election in the middle of this year, the EPDP spokesperson said the party will go independently or think of forming an alternative Tamil political front to face the polls.
Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) General Secretary and ITAK Leader, Mavai Senathiraja, told Ceylon Today the TNA welcomed the ‘genocide’ resolution. “The war crimes were committed during the previous Rajapaksa regime.