{"id":166358,"date":"2016-08-13T02:19:08","date_gmt":"2016-08-12T20:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=166358"},"modified":"2016-08-13T15:30:29","modified_gmt":"2016-08-13T10:00:29","slug":"wikileaks-president-can-appoint-a-new-commission-to-look-at-complaints-gota-tells-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wikileaks-president-can-appoint-a-new-commission-to-look-at-complaints-gota-tells-us\/","title":{"rendered":"WikiLeaks: President Can Appoint A New Commission To Look At Complaints: Gota Tells US"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIn an October 6 meeting with Ambassador, Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/span><\/a> said the president ‘could’ appoint a new commission to look at complaints or use some existing mechanism, such as an ombudsman. He also noted that, contrary to widely held impressions, the army had investigated and prosecuted individual soldiers for individual crimes (presumably stealing, rape, murder, etc.) committed during the war, and Major General Peiris heading the military legal department could provide more information. (NOTE: Embassy will be following up with the general as soon as possible. END NOTE.)\u201d the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/a>

Former secretary to the MOD – Gotabaya<\/p><\/div>\n

The Colombo Telegraph found the leaked US diplomatic cable from WikiLeak database. The Cable is classified as \u201cconfidential\u201d and written by the Ambassador Patricia Butenis on October 7, 2009.<\/p>\n

Read the cable below for further details;<\/p>\n

VZCZCXRO4278
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\nDE RUEHLM #0938 2801244
\nZNY CCCCC ZZH
\nO 071244Z OCT 09
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\nC O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000938<\/p>\n

SIPDIS<\/p>\n

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA\/INSB<\/p>\n

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10\/08\/2019
\nTAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM PTER EAID MOPS CE
\nSUBJECT: JUSTICE MINISTER, DEFENSE SECRETARY DISCUSS
\nACCOUNTABILITY\/RECONCILIATION MECHANISMS<\/p>\n

Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA A. BUTENIS. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D)<\/p>\n

\u00b61. (C) In an October 7 meeting with Ambassador, Justice
\nMinister Malinda Moragoda said the 1987 Youth Commission,
\nwhich looked at the roots of the JVP uprising, might be a
\nmechanism that Sri Lanka could use to get at the questions of
\naccountability and reconciliation. In response to
\nAmbassador’s query about how the Sri Lankan government (GSL)
\nwould respond to international expectations to put in place a
\nmechanism to address concerns about accountability following
\nthe release soon of the Department’s war crimes report to the
\nSenate, Moragoda said that President Rajapaksa had been
\nconsulting widely on the question. Moragoda said the GSL
\ncould not address directly the question of war crimes, per
\nse. But they were looking for some mechanism to allow people
\nto register and get responses on complaints. The president
\nand Moragoda discussed whether the Youth Commission model
\nwould work. The focus, Moragoda stressed, would be on
\nreconciliation. He also noted that the president had the
\nconstitutional power to appoint commissions and could
\nproceed. In the same breath, however, he reiterated that
\ngetting at war crimes directly was “hard,” a political
\nreality that was further complicated by the upcoming
\npresidential elections (expected in mid-January).<\/p>\n

\u00b62. (C) Moragoda went on to discuss his impressions of Tamil
\nviews on accountability. He noted that 25 percent of his
\nconstituents were Tamils, and he was looking for ways to get
\nmoderate Tamils more involved in the rehabilitation of former
\nLTTE soldiers and others. He believed that the Tamils in Sri
\nLanka were interested in “moving on,” whereas those in the
\ndiaspora were less so inclined. Ambassador encouraged the
\nGSL to make greater efforts to reach out to the Tamil
\ndiaspora community and get them involved again in Sri Lanka’s
\nreconciliation and re-development. Moragoda in response
\ntouched briefly on the diaspora funding of a rehabilitation
\nprogram through IOM. He concluded by reiterating that
\npushing hard on the accountability issue could undermine the
\nreconciliation process and “polarize” Sri Lankan society.<\/p>\n

\u00b63. (C) In an October 6 meeting with Ambassador, Defense
\nSecretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the president “could”
\nappoint a new commission to look at complaints or use some
\nexisting mechanism, such as an ombudsman. He also noted
\nthat, contrary to widely held impressions, the army had
\ninvestigated and prosecuted individual soldiers for
\nindividual crimes (presumably stealing, rape, murder, etc.)
\ncommitted during the war, and Major General Peiris heading
\nthe military legal department could provide more information.
\n(NOTE: Embassy will be following up with the general as
\nsoon as possible. END NOTE.)<\/p>\n

BUTENIS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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