UN human rights chief Navi Pillay today slammed Sri Lankan ministers who have accused her of supporting ethnic Tamil separatists, terming their allegations as "deeply offensive".
"They have claimed...I was the Tamil Tigress in the UN. This is not only wildly incorrect, it is deeply offensive. This type of abuse has reached an extraordinary crescendo during the past week," Pillay said.
Pillay said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had apologised to her for the statements made by his ministers.
Three Sri Lankan ministers have questioned the impartiality of Pillay, accusing her of supporting ethnic Tamil separatists because of her own Tamil background.
Navi Pillay, a South African of Indian-Tamil origin was on a week-long visit to Sri Lanka to review its progress in investigating alleged abuses during the long civil war between government troops and separatist Tamil rebels that ended four years ago.
Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa said that after she completed her visit, Pillay would prepare an "extremist and unjust report" that is unfair to Sri Lanka because of her ethnicity.
