The Government yesterday (9), refuted allegations made by two TNA Parliamentarians S. Shritharan and Shanthi Sriskandarajah that Sri Lankan Security Forces used cluster bombs and chemical weapons during the last stage of the war.
The TNA MPs during the Second Reading of Chemical Weapons Convention (Amendment) Bill, while claiming that there is evidence to the effect, queried as to why the Security Forces are afraid of an international inquiry if these allegations are not true.
Shritharan said that several persons in the Killinochchi area show signs of wounds on their skins that proved that …chemical weapons had been used while Sriskandarajah called for an international investigation regarding the matter.
In response, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene expressed his regret over the statements made by these MPs.
He said, “We all saw that during the recent floods in the North, the Sri Lanka military worked tirelessly to save the people. But politicians like former Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran who share racist views have been seen making numerous allegations against the security forces and are trying to bring them to disrepute. This is just sad.
The Sri Lankan forces did not use chemical weapons during the war and although there are allegations that cluster bombs were used there has not been any evidence found to prove this allegation. Hence, we refute these allegations.”
The State Minister said that Sri Lanka is capable of handling any investigation on its own. It is true that the Government maintains good relations with other countries, but we do not dance to their tune, he said.
Courtesy: Ceylon Today
