UN statement unsubstantiated - govt.

Posted by Lasantha Janaka on Saturday, March 14, 2009


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Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe says certain statements made by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay have been based on pro LTTE website 'Tamil Net'.

"We are disappointed and dismayed over the unprofessional statement," said the minister talking to media on Saturday.

Commissioner Pillay's statement on Friday said more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and 7,000 wounded in the fighting over the last two months.

Minister Samarasinghe said that these figures correspond to the figures appeared on pro-LTTE website 'Tamilnet' , and the UN report is ,therefore, unsubstantiated.

The minister also denied that government forces were firing into a safe zone.

He said that UN could have consulted the Sri Lankan authorities, the UN resident representative based in Sri Lanka and himself, as the minister of human rights before making such statements about the war situation in Sri Lanka.

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