Sandasen Marasinghe and Disna Mudalige Courtesy The Daily News

The motion brought against the proposed investigation by a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) panel to investigate into alleged war crimes was adopted with a massive majority of 134 votes in Parliament yesterday.

Parliament debated the motion presented by Member of Parliament (UPFA) Janaka Bandara for two days.

The motion was passed with a majority of 134 votes. It received 144 votes in favour where as 10 members voted against.

Thirty seven members abstained from voting while 33 members were absent.

The TNA voted against while the UNP abstained from voting. The DNA and SLMC members were not present at the time of voting.

The division was asked by name by TNA Leader R. Sampanthan.

The motion stated: “That this Parliament resolves that the investigation to be conducted against Sri Lanka by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should not be carried out on the grounds that such a course of action is detrimental to the process of reconciliation and peace and that it erodes the sovereignty, dignity and stature of Sri Lanka”.

Speaking in Parliament on the proposal, Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha said the UNP is responsible for taking Sri Lanka’s internal terrorist conflict to the international community and urging them to intervene in the countries internal affairs.

He also said it was the UNP which encouraged foreign mediation, and entered into an agreement with terrorist leader Prabhakaran. It was the UNP that held talks in Oslo, Bangkok, Tokyo etc. This created an opening for outsiders to get involved in this matter. Minister Premajayantha further said: The members asked as to why this motion was delayed. The UNHRC wanted an investigation on alleged human rights violations. But we have held our own investigation through the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Coommission (LLRC).

The UNHRC requested for an investigation into the last phase of the operation.

But if they ask to investigate since 1988 what would be the outcome.

Who brought foreign observes here? Who entered into agreements with Prabhakaran?.

Who held conferences in Oslo, Bangkok and Tokyo?

It is the UNP which brought took this matter to the international sphere.

If the UNP properly managed the situation is 1983, then the Tamil people would not have left the country. But those who left the country willingly or unwillingly funded the LTTE. Therfore, the UNP is responsible for bringing foreign countries, to intervene into this matter and not the government.

The government did everything that the JVP requested for in 2006. They asked that the agreement between the UNP Government and Prabhakaran be cancelled. They asked that the LTTE be defeated and peace brought to the country which was successfully achieved bu us. Our leader had the backbone to take the decision. So if the UN holds an investigation against us for defeating terrorism all should oppose this move irrespective of differences. The question is will the UN hold an investigation if the government did not eliminate terrorism.

So if the opposition has no backbone to support this motion, the people who love the country will teach them a good lesson.

Technology and Research Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said all the communities should understand the malicious agenda of repeating the same scenario of Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq etc, in Sri Lanka and act together to go forward.

He made this observation participating in the debate on the motion that the investigation against Sri Lanka by the office of the UN High Commissioner for human rights should not be held.

The minister further said that attempts are being made by certain Western countries to violate Sri Lanka’s sovereignty not because of any compassion for any community, but to stifle the country’s forward march. They are not concerned about human rights.

Minister Ranawaka said various members of the international community have been attempting to interfere Sri Lanka’s internal affairs since 2009. Are these members who formulate the UNHRC report on Sri Lanka unbiased?

The objectives of these Western forces are plain to see.

The TNA members got an opportunity go back to their villages and engage in politics due to the victory gained by sacrificing the lives of 26,000 of our youth.

As has now happened in Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria. These countries are all facing total destruction due to Western intervention, and they are trying to do the same to Sri Lanka. They are not worried about Tamils.

“There issue has a history. The British massacred our people. They did the same in Afghanistan, Iraq. The British have human right violations reports brought against them.

“Therefore, if there is a particular matter to be solved, we are quite capable of solving it ourselves.

“Asia is experiencing a development boom which the West finds it very difficult to stomach. We have to unite and go forward together and defeat this international plot against Sri Lanka.

DNA MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake proposed an amendment to the motion at the end of the debate, and leader of the House and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva stated that the government disagrees with the proposed amendment. Thereafter a division was asked by MP Anura Dissanayake on the proposed amendment. The amendment was defeated with a majority of 95 votes. It received 49 votes in favour whereas 144 members voted against it. The UNP, DNA and TNA voted in favour. The SLMC members were not present at the time of voting.

Thereafter UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera presented an amendment to the motion on behalf of the UNP. That amendment too was rejected by the members of government benches.

Thereafter the motion was put on vote and it was adopted with the majority of votes. The motion had been signed by UPFA MPS Achala Jagoda, Malini Fonseka, Janaka Bandara, Udith Lokubandara, Shantha Bandara, J.R.P. Suriyapperuma, Nimal Wijesinghe, R. Duminda Silva and A.H.M. Azwer