Sri Lankan President and accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa has told the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the internal issues of Sri Lanka should be resolved through an internal mechanism of the country. He further says the Tamil Diaspora would be invited for discussions to resolve the issues.
According to the Sri Lankan President Media Division, accused war criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa explained the Secretary-General that the compensation paid to the victims, the transfer of lands back to the owners and the massive development carried out in the North and East Provinces since 2009 under the guidance of President (accused war criminal) Mahinda Rajapaksa and the opportunity given to democratically elect the representatives to the Northern Provincial Council.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed the Secretary-General that the government would take immediate action with regard to missing persons and expedite the efforts such as issuance of death certificates.
Gotabaya pointed out that many youths who were arrested as suspects over terrorist activities were released after he came to power. Gotabaya informed the Secretary-General that legal action would be expedited with regard to rest of the personnel who could not be released, and that he would not hesitate to grant a presidential pardon to the Tamil youths who have been in custody for a long time, taking into account their long-term detention and after the legal process was completed.
Gotabaya stated that his objective is to strengthen the democracy in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, there are no baton attacks or use of water cannons on protestors under his government. A separate area has been set aside for protesters near his office. Gotabaya Rajapaksa also explained the engagement with civil society organizations to bring about development and reconciliation in the country.
