The critical resolution against Sri Lanka's human rights policies which was adopted by the UNHRC will take immediate effect with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights beginning the process to closely monitor the country, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The resolution titled 'Promotion of Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka' was adopted by the 47-member Human Rights Council after 22 members voted in favour of the document at the ongoing 46th UNHRC session in Geneva on Tuesday.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-rejects-un-move-to-protect-war-crimes-evidence-372574" hreflang="en">Sri Lanka rejects UN move to protect war crimes evidence</a>

India and Japan were among 14 countries that abstained from voting. Eleven countries, including Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and Russia, voted against the resolution. 
The resolution "will take immediate effect with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) beginning the process to closely monitor Sri Lanka", the Daily Mirror reported, citing UN sources.

"Monitoring Sri Lanka will be carried out immediately with existing staff while other related work will be implemented once the UN General Assembly approves funding later this year," the paper said.

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The resolution may not have an immediate impact on Sri Lanka but with over 40 co-sponsors, sources said that in the long term there could be an impact on trade with some countries and travel restrictions imposed on some officials as a result of the resolution, the paper reported.

The US, EU and a number of other countries were among the co-sponsors of the resolution, some with no voting rights in the UNHRC.

The resolution has called on the OHCHR to enhance its monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, including on progress in reconciliation and accountability, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its 48th session, as well as a written update at its 49th session.

The resolution was adopted despite intense lobbying by the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had dubbed it as an act of political vendetta moved by the Western nations against Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the majority of the countries in the UNHRC did not back the resolution.

"They (sponsors of the resolution against Sri Lanka) could harness only 22 votes, 25 countries do not approve it," Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday.

"Western South wants to dominate the global North" at a time the priority before all countries was to tackle COVID-19 pandemic by arranging vaccination, he said.

He said the European nations have failed to understand the ground reality of peace in Sri Lanka achieved after ending the LTTE's separatist campaign in 2009.

Sri Lanka's ambassador to UNHRC, M.C.A. Chandraprema, described the draft resolution as "unwarranted, unjustified and in violations of the relevant articles of the United Nations Charter."

He rejected the resolution as "divisive", saying it will polarise the Sri Lankan society and adversely affect economic development, peace and harmony.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's media of three major languages&nbsp;Sinhala, Tamil and English - on Wednesday reported the outcome of the resolution, with the Tamil press largely welcomed the document but remained unsure about its direction in terms of implementation.

While the majority Sinhala language newspapers appeared to show the resolution as one against Sri Lanka, the English papers dissected the content of the resolution.

"India, Japan skip vote on Sri Lanka resolution adopted at UNHRC,''&nbsp;read the headline of The Island. The defeat was the fourth suffered by Sri Lanka at the UNHRC since 2012, the paper said.

Sri Lanka was earlier defeated at three consecutive resolutions at the UN rights body when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's elder brother and incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was the country's president between 2012 and 2014.

India's decision to abstain from voting was questioned by a section of the Tamil media based both in Colombo and in the Northern capital of Jaffna. The Tamil press reporting on the outcome was positive in their quest to deliver justice to victims of the three-decade-long civil war.

Tamil activists were commenting on social media that India's abstention was meant to keep both the government and the main Tamil party TNA happy. They questioned how many member states abstained influenced by India's decision to abstain? One strong poser was if India had weakened the resolution so that it can comfortably abstain.

"This was a significant move by the HRC which signals a shift in approach by the international community. This resolution should send a clear message to perpetrators of past and current crimes that they cannot continue to act with impunity,? tweeted Abraham Sumanthiran, the TNA leading light.

The Tamil activists also queried what would the resolution entail? If it would subject Sri Lanka's alleged perpetrators to universal jurisdiction by a referral to the international crime court.

The English press opined that the resolution does not impose any sanctions on Sri Lanka. It said that the UN will create an office with an annual budget of USD 2.8 million to collect information about war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the country.

The Tamils alleged that thousands were massacred during the final stages of the war that ended in 2009 when the government forces killed LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The Sri Lankan Army denies the charge, claiming it as a humanitarian operation to rid the Tamils of LTTE''s control.

The critical resolution against Sri Lanka's human rights policies which was adopted by the UNHRC will take immediate effect with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights beginning the process to closely monitor the country, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The critical resolution against Sri Lanka's human rights policies which was adopted by the UNHRC will take immediate effect with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights beginning the process to closely monitor the country, according to a media report on Wednesday. The resolution titled 'Promotion of Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka' was adopted by the 47-member Human Rights Council after 22 members voted in favour of the document at the ongoing 46th UNHRC session in Geneva on Tuesday. Also read| Sri Lanka rejects UN move to protect war crimes evidence India and Japan were among 14 countries that abstained from voting. Eleven countries, including Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and Russia, voted against the resolution. The resolution "will take immediate effect with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) beginning the process to closely monitor Sri Lanka", the Daily Mirror reported, citing UN sources. "Monitoring Sri Lanka will be carried out immediately with existing staff while other related work will be implemented once the UN General Assembly approves funding later this year," the paper said. The resolution may not have an immediate impact on Sri Lanka but with over 40 co-sponsors, sources said that in the long term there could be an impact on trade with some countries and travel restrictions imposed on some officials as a result of the resolution, the paper reported. The US, EU and a number of other countries were among the co-sponsors of the resolution, some with no voting rights in the UNHRC. The resolution has called on the OHCHR to enhance its monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, including on progress in reconciliation and accountability, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its 48th session, as well as a written update at its 49th session. The resolution was adopted despite intense lobbying by the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had dubbed it as an act of political vendetta moved by the Western nations against Sri Lanka. Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the majority of the countries in the UNHRC did not back the resolution. "They (sponsors of the resolution against Sri Lanka) could harness only 22 votes, 25 countries do not approve it," Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday. "Western South wants to dominate the global North" at a time the priority before all countries was to tackle COVID-19 pandemic by arranging vaccination, he said. He said the European nations have failed to understand the ground reality of peace in Sri Lanka achieved after ending the LTTE's separatist campaign in 2009. Sri Lanka's ambassador to UNHRC, M.C.A. Chandraprema, described the draft resolution as "unwarranted, unjustified and in violations of the relevant articles of the United Nations Charter." He rejected the resolution as "divisive", saying it will polarise the Sri Lankan society and adversely affect economic development, peace and harmony. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's media of three major languages Sinhala, Tamil and English - on Wednesday reported the outcome of the resolution, with the Tamil press largely welcomed the document but remained unsure about its direction in terms of implementation. While the majority Sinhala language newspapers appeared to show the resolution as one against Sri Lanka, the English papers dissected the content of the resolution. "India, Japan skip vote on Sri Lanka resolution adopted at UNHRC,'' read the headline of The Island. The defeat was the fourth suffered by Sri Lanka at the UNHRC since 2012, the paper said. Sri Lanka was earlier defeated at three consecutive resolutions at the UN rights body when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's elder brother and incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was the country's president between 2012 and 2014. India's decision to abstain from voting was questioned by a section of the Tamil media based both in Colombo and in the Northern capital of Jaffna. The Tamil press reporting on the outcome was positive in their quest to deliver justice to victims of the three-decade-long civil war. Tamil activists were commenting on social media that India's abstention was meant to keep both the government and the main Tamil party TNA happy. They questioned how many member states abstained influenced by India's decision to abstain? One strong poser was if India had weakened the resolution so that it can comfortably abstain. "This was a significant move by the HRC which signals a shift in approach by the international community. This resolution should send a clear message to perpetrators of past and current crimes that they cannot continue to act with impunity,? tweeted Abraham Sumanthiran, the TNA leading light. The Tamil activists also queried what would the resolution entail? If it would subject Sri Lanka's alleged perpetrators to universal jurisdiction by a referral to the international crime court. The English press opined that the resolution does not impose any sanctions on Sri Lanka. It said that the UN will create an office with an annual budget of USD 2.8 million to collect information about war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the country. The Tamils alleged that thousands were massacred during the final stages of the war that ended in 2009 when the government forces killed LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. The Sri Lankan Army denies the charge, claiming it as a humanitarian operation to rid the Tamils of LTTE''s control.

UN begins monitoring Sri Lanka after adverse resolution at rights body: Report

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday approved giving Sri Lanka two more years to set up a credible war crimes investigation into the island nation's brutal civil war.

The UN's top rights body approved without a vote a resolution to postpone discussing the implementation of an official probe into crimes committed during the 37-year guerilla war, which ended in May 2009.

Sri Lankan government troops were accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the war.

A 2015 UN Human Rights Council resolution gave Sri Lanka 18 months to establish a credible investigation. Colombo secured a two-year extension in 2017 that expires this month.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned earlier this week that Sri Lanka could slip back into conflict unless it addressed the "worst crimes" during the final stages of its ethnic war.

She told the Human Rights Council that Sri Lanka was yet to set up the special judicial mechanism as promised four years ago to try war criminals.

"Continuing impunity risks fuelling communal or interethnic violence, and instability," she said. "Resolving these cases, and bringing the perpetrators of past crimes to justice, is necessary to restore the confidence of victims from all communities."

She noted a "lack of progress in setting up a special judicial mechanism to deal with the worst crimes committed during the 2009 conflict".

Speaking to the council Thursday, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana hailed the resolution, describing it as "a mark of recognition of Sri Lanka's political commitment and progressive steps already taken by the government since 2015."

British Ambassador Julian Braithwaite, whose country was one of the main sponsors of Thursday's resolution, agreed the text recognised "some very real achievements against (its) commitments in the past two years."

But, he added, "it also recognises that in a number of important areas, implementation remains a work in progress."

He hailed Sri Lanka's affirmation that it remains determined to deliver on its commitments, and said the co-sponsors of the resolution, which also included Canada, Germany, North Macedonia and Montenegro, stood ready to provide support in the process.

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday approved giving Sri Lanka two more years to set up a credible war crimes investigation into the island nation's brutal civil war.

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday approved giving Sri Lanka two more years to set up a credible war crimes investigation into the island nation's brutal civil war. The UN's top rights body approved without a vote a resolution to postpone discussing the implementation of an official probe into crimes committed during the 37-year guerilla war, which ended in May 2009. Sri Lankan government troops were accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the war. A 2015 UN Human Rights Council resolution gave Sri Lanka 18 months to establish a credible investigation. Colombo secured a two-year extension in 2017 that expires this month. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned earlier this week that Sri Lanka could slip back into conflict unless it addressed the "worst crimes" during the final stages of its ethnic war. She told the Human Rights Council that Sri Lanka was yet to set up the special judicial mechanism as promised four years ago to try war criminals. "Continuing impunity risks fuelling communal or interethnic violence, and instability," she said. "Resolving these cases, and bringing the perpetrators of past crimes to justice, is necessary to restore the confidence of victims from all communities." She noted a "lack of progress in setting up a special judicial mechanism to deal with the worst crimes committed during the 2009 conflict". Speaking to the council Thursday, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana hailed the resolution, describing it as "a mark of recognition of Sri Lanka's political commitment and progressive steps already taken by the government since 2015." British Ambassador Julian Braithwaite, whose country was one of the main sponsors of Thursday's resolution, agreed the text recognised "some very real achievements against (its) commitments in the past two years." But, he added, "it also recognises that in a number of important areas, implementation remains a work in progress." He hailed Sri Lanka's affirmation that it remains determined to deliver on its commitments, and said the co-sponsors of the resolution, which also included Canada, Germany, North Macedonia and Montenegro, stood ready to provide support in the process.

United Nations rights body grants Sri Lanka war crimes probe extension

War crime investigations backed by some Western countries and the United Nations will exacerbate the differences between Sri Lanka&#39;s two main ethnic groups instead of uniting them, former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Monday.&nbsp;

As defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, oversaw the defeat of the separatist, predominantly Hindu Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) by the government military in a 26-year war.&nbsp;

Gotabaya Rajaksa, the most influential government officer in the Rajapaksa government, has been accused of committing war crimes in the final weeks of the conflict ended in May 2009.

He has denied all the allegations against him.&nbsp;

A UN&nbsp;panel has said around 40,000 people, mostly ethnic minority Tamils, were killed in the war&#39;s final phase. Families in the former northern war zone still complain of thousands of enforced disappearances during that time.

Gotabaya made his comments four days after the UN&nbsp;Human Rights Council said Sri Lanka must make more progress towards meeting commitments to establishing a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during the country&#39;s civil war.

The United Nations originally asked Sri Lanka to have foreign judges run the war crime probe focussing particularly on the last few days of the conflict. But President Maithripala Sirisena later said he would not agree to having foreign judges.&nbsp;

&quot;How can you talk about investigations and foreign judges at the same time bringing these communities together?&quot; he told a Foreign Correspondents Association of Sri Lanka late on Monday.

&quot;By trying to do these things, you only try to bring people apart. If you think like that, there won&#39;t be reconciliation at all. After a war, what can we do? Going back and harping on these things will never bring communities together. That will widen the gap.&quot;

He also said that when Tamils talk about war crime probes, ethnic majority Sinhalese speak of the massacre of Buddhist priests and police and the horrors they experienced during the war, and that could slow the postwar healing process.&nbsp;

The government has already launched some related investigations into alleged war crimes, but ethnic-minority Tamils have complained about the sluggish pace of probes.

Former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa&#39;s government rejected visas that would have allowed U.N. investigators to visit the island nation.&nbsp;

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 67, also denied allegations that he was involved in maintaining death squads, in attacks on journalists, and in some financial misappropriation during the war.&nbsp;

Under the new government, he is facing police and financial crime investigations.

As defence secretary, he was the highest-ranking civil servant in Sri Lanka&#39;s Defence Ministry.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Gotabaya Rajaksa has been accused of committing war crimes in the final weeks of the conflict ended in May 2009

War crime investigations backed by some Western countries and the United Nations will exacerbate the differences between Sri Lanka's two main ethnic groups instead of uniting them, former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Monday. As defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, oversaw the defeat of the separatist, predominantly Hindu Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) by the government military in a 26-year war. Gotabaya Rajaksa, the most influential government officer in the Rajapaksa government, has been accused of committing war crimes in the final weeks of the conflict ended in May 2009. He has denied all the allegations against him. A UN panel has said around 40,000 people, mostly ethnic minority Tamils, were killed in the war's final phase. Families in the former northern war zone still complain of thousands of enforced disappearances during that time. Gotabaya made his comments four days after the UN Human Rights Council said Sri Lanka must make more progress towards meeting commitments to establishing a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during the country's civil war. The United Nations originally asked Sri Lanka to have foreign judges run the war crime probe focussing particularly on the last few days of the conflict. But President Maithripala Sirisena later said he would not agree to having foreign judges. "How can you talk about investigations and foreign judges at the same time bringing these communities together?" he told a Foreign Correspondents Association of Sri Lanka late on Monday. "By trying to do these things, you only try to bring people apart. If you think like that, there won't be reconciliation at all. After a war, what can we do? Going back and harping on these things will never bring communities together. That will widen the gap." He also said that when Tamils talk about war crime probes, ethnic majority Sinhalese speak of the massacre of Buddhist priests and police and the horrors they experienced during the war, and that could slow the postwar healing process. The government has already launched some related investigations into alleged war crimes, but ethnic-minority Tamils have complained about the sluggish pace of probes. Former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa's government rejected visas that would have allowed U.N. investigators to visit the island nation. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 67, also denied allegations that he was involved in maintaining death squads, in attacks on journalists, and in some financial misappropriation during the war. Under the new government, he is facing police and financial crime investigations. As defence secretary, he was the highest-ranking civil servant in Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry. (Reuters)

War crime probes will hinder Sri Lanka's reconciliation: Former defence secretary