UN's Navi Pillay visits Sri Lanka on fact-finding mission on war crimes

The United Nation's human rights commissioner, Navi Pillay, has arrived in Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission on war crimes.

Pillay's visit comes after the Sri Lankan government said she could visit former conflict zones.

As part of her week-long visit, Pillay is due to travel to former war zones in the north and east, and is also expected to hold talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Pillay is also expected to hold meetings with members of the Tamil community.

According to the BBC, the UN said at least 40,000 civilians, mainly Tamils, died in the final months of the conflict between the government and Tamil rebels, which ended in 2009.

Pillay's visit comes as Canada has called for a boycott of a Commonwealth summit scheduled to take place in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo in November.

The UK and human rights groups have also raised concerns over whether Sri Lanka should host the meeting, the report added.