International Inquiry: Has Volker Forgotten?

At the end of his fourday visit to Sri Lanka, UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk did not make any statements regarding international inquiries during his press conference in Colombo.

- Karvannan

Before coming to the press conference, he had met and spoken with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

At that time, the President's media division announced that Türk had praised the current government's efforts towards reconciliation and national unity and stated his office was ready to provide cooperation.

Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Commissioner did not express any critical comments about the current government's actions.

He stated that he was observing the changes and hoped that these changes would continue to be genuine. This indicates that he has tried to avoid efforts to blame or accuse the government and push it away.

For 16 years, governments in power in Sri Lanka have failed to fulfill accountability and reconciliation efforts.

It appears that Volker Türk understands that the past governments' failure to act sufficiently or to work with dedication towards that goal has created difficulties for the current government to move forward.

Past governments had branded genuine accountability for wartime violations as an act of betrayal. Therefore, it seems he believes there are difficulties for the current government to rush in moving this forward.

Whether that is right or wrong is another matter.

However, at his press conference in Colombo, he emphasized that justice must be delivered to those affected by the violations in Sri Lanka, and accountability must take place. While he stated that the pain of the affected must be addressed and brought to an end, he never mentioned anywhere that an international inquiry is necessary to do so.

This has disappointed some who advocate for an international inquiry.

At the same time, Volker Türk has stated that the Sri Lankan government has the responsibility to achieve accountability, that the government must fulfill it, and that foreign assistance should be obtained to ensure justice is delivered according to international standards.