(PTI) China and Pakistan have backed Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council as Colombo sought to prevent the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s special panel report from being discussed at the session on Monday.
Plantation Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who heads the government delegation at the 18th session of the UN Human Rights Council, told the state owned – Lakhanda – radio on the telephone that China and Pakistan had spoken in support of Sri Lanka.
"Pakistan pledged their support on behalf of the Islamic nations numbering 54 while China was also strong in their backing. The Maldivian president is also here in support of us," Samarasinghe was quoted as saying.
Sri Lanka was aiming to prevent the UN chief’s special panel report, which was issued in April and accused both the government and the LTTE of war crimes, from being taken up at the council session that began today.
Colombo dismissed the panel report as pro-LTTE propaganda by the vested interests in Western countries backed by the pro-LTTE elements.
The minister said Sri Lanka outlined its progress made in the rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement at the end of the war with the LTTE which ended two years ago.
"In a short period of two years there is only a 7000 of the 294,000 internally displaced people left to be resettled. While we had rehabilitated a majority of 11,600 LTTE suspects we have ensured better living conditions to everyone," Samarasinghe said.
He said later in the day they were hoping to screen a video documentary compiled by the government in response to the documentary by UK?s Channel 4 TV which showed visuals of serious rights abuses committed by the government troops against the LTTE.
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