War crimes probe delayed due to impending polls in Lanka

Sri Lanka's proposed war crimes probe into the alleged human rights violation on the LTTE has been postponed till September as the governement is now focusing on impending parliamentary elections, the Foreign Minister said today.
Mangala Samaraweera said the contours of a domestic investigative mechanism will be finalised in time for the September UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva when Sri Lanka's rights record will beunder the microscope.
President Maithripala Sirisena had earlier said that an domestic mechanism to look into allegations that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final phase of the island's separatist war would be ready by this month (June).

However, Samaraweera told reporters that a delay in dissolving parliament and calling fresh election was one of the reasons for the delay in setting up the domestic investigative mechanism.
He said the government had expected the current parliament to be dissolved by April, but there had been delays in getting work done through the legislature where the government does not enjoy a majority and must depend on opposition support.
The minister also suggested that the current parliament which the new president inherited from his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa could be dissolved, as early as tonight clearing the way for an election by late August.

"Only the President and God knows when the parliament will be dissolved, but I hope it will happen in a matter of hours and we can have an early election," Samaraweera said amid speculation that the 225-member assembly could be dissolved at midnight.
Sri Lanka is under intense pressure to probe allegations that up to 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed by troops led by former leader Rajapaksa in the final months of fighting which ended by May 2009.