'Defiant' Rajapaksa says Sri Lanka would 'take own time in probing alleged HR abuses

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reacted defiantly to Britain's call for an inquiry into alleged human rights abuses.

Speaking on the second day of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa said people living in glass houses should not throw stones at others.

According to the BBC, British PM David Cameron had urged Rajapaksa to ensure an independent inquiry or face a UN investigation.

The abuses are alleged to have been committed mainly against Tamils since the end of the war in 2009.

Rajapaksa's response to Cameron's remarks was not as direct as that of some of his colleagues but he still seemed indignant.

Pro-government commentators have pointed to alleged abuses under British colonial rule to suggest Britain has no moral right to criticise Sri Lanka, the report said.

According to the report, Rajapaksa made an oblique reference to Bloody Sunday, when 13 civilians were shot dead in Northern Ireland by the British army in 1972.

He said some investigations took 40 years to emerge, referring to an inquiry into the shootings which reported in 2010 and laid responsibility for the events on the army.

Rajapaksa also accused his critics of ignoring deaths during the period of the civil war.

He said the end of the war has brought peace, stability and the chance of greater prosperity to Sri Lanka.