Lanka being singled out, hounded: FM Peiris

Sri Lanka is being singled out and unfairly hounded by certain nations on its human rights record, the country's external affairs minister stated today.
Addressing a gathering here, G L Peiris said human rights was no longer based on moral or ethical issues, but on political ones.
The minister was referring to the expected resolution against Sri Lanka coming up at the UN Human Rights Council late next month.
Peiris cited numerous instances where Sri Lanka had been selectively targeted.
He said there was a need for uniformity in raising human rights concerns when some other countries are left alone.

Peiris said that despite the quests of a few to target Sri Lanka, other countries stood behind his nation to have its own national solutions to its specific challenges and circumstances and not impose external solutions.

The previous two UNHRC resolutions, both moved by the US and backed by the Western nations and India, urged Sri Lanka to address alleged human rights abuses during the last stages of the military campaign that crushed the LTTE in 2009.
The resolutions have sought commitments from Sri Lanka on reconciliation with the Tamil minority and human rights accountability.
A recent damning UN report has called for an international probe into allegations of war crimes during the final battle with the LTTE.

Sri Lanka maintains that the UN and Western nations are being misled by the pro-LTTE diaspora to take punitive measures against Colombo for defeating the Tamil rebels.