Widening scope of panel meant for double checking: Lanka

Sri Lanka today said the appointment of a three member international panel to advice a commission probing the issue of missing persons is meant for double checking the facts.
"This is to double check that we are right. We are only double checking. This is not re-correction," said Keheliya Rambukwella, the Minister of Information and the government spokesman told reporters.
"We have always maintained that our troops did not commit any crime," he said.
A three-member international experts body comprising Desmond de Silva, Geoffrey Nice and Professor David Crane was appointed to advise the disappearances panel headed by former Sri Lankan judge Maxwell Paranagama.

Asked what role the foreign experts will play in the panel, Rambukwella said: "The advisors are there to endorse our findings. Just because there are foreign experts it does not mean we have to take their advise. Either we can take their advise or not (take them)."
The decision to expand the mandate of the disappearances commission to probe if any person, group or institution had been responsible for any violations of international humanitarian law or international human rights law assumes much significance.

The move comes in the wake of the commencement of work by the UN rights body international investigation panel on Sri Lanka's alleged human rights violations during the final phase of the military conflict.

The UN Human Rights Council in late March had mandated the appointment of the international investigation team to probe Sri Lanka's rights accountability.
The move was publicly opposed by Sri Lanka claiming it was impeding its sovereignty and vowed non-cooperation to the work of the UN investigation.