UN talks tough on reform in Sri Lanka

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay began her visit to Sri Lanka, focusing on government progress on reforms pertaining to accountability, including pending court cases against former Tamil Tiger cadres, an official said Monday.

She discussed legal aspects of detainees, victim and witness protection, government inaction against the rise of religious hardliners, delays to introducing a right to information act and rolling back the contentious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Xinhua reported.

Following her arrival here Sunday, Pillay met the chief justice, the attorney general and the justice minister before meeting National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara.

Pillay remained tight lipped during her exit from justice minister's office despite being mobbed by the media.

Subsequently, Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem briefed reporters on the wide ranging discussions he had with Pillay.

Hakeem acknowledged that issues relating to criminal justice as well as on legal and institutional reforms were touched upon, particularly in relation to Sri Lanka's own accountability report, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commissioner report.

"She posed a few politically related issues pertaining to the recent incidents of intolerance, particularly religious intolerance by attacks on mosques," he told the media.

Hakeem assured Pillay that the Victim and Witness Protection Bill had been submitted to the cabinet for a second time after refinement as suggested by the attorney general's department.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose regime has been under allegations of war crimes since the end of a three-decade war in 2009, earlier this month appointed a special commission to investigate war time abductions.

Hakeem said government officials had explained to her in detail about special attention being taken to speedily dispose of the pending cases against former Tamil Tigers, some of whom are already in judicial custody while others are being held under special PTA provisions.

"We have shown her our commitment to try and dispose of these cases as speedily as possible including special courts that we have been able to sanction.

"I think she was happy with our responses, the fact that we are able to engage with her so freely is a great source of pride to us," he said.