Report impartial, acceptable to all:
External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris stated in Parliament yesterday that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) Report is prepared with transparency whereas the Darusman Report is not.
He also stated that the Darusman Report had many flaws but the LLRC report has been prepared with responsibility. Minister Prof G L Peiris made this observation yesterday joining the committee stage debate on the Appropriation Bill under the finance heads of the Defence and Urban Development Ministry.
The External Affairs Minister also said that there were factual discrepancies of the incidents that took place during the last phase of the humanitarian operation against the LTTE in the Darusman Report and the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
The minister said that the LLRC report is transparent and the way that data was gathered had been outlined properly. However, the Darusman Report fails in mentioning the way it procured data for that report. This absence of methodology of gathering data alone makes it an irresponsible report. The LLRC report is impartial and acceptable to all those who need to know what really happened. Though the Darusman Report says it obtained data from people, it fails to mention who these people are, Prof Peiris said. The evidence mentioned in the Darusman Report is not credible and authoritative when compared to the LLRC report.
‘The LLRC report reveals so much facts that we must take into account. The LLRC report highlights the way the LTTE had fixed their artillery in areas inhabited by civilians. This made it very difficult for the advancing troops to separate them from the people.
Apart from that the terrorists used people as a human shield by parking their vehicles in areas close to hospitals.
They were not following any laws or principles but our troops were adhering to the laws of the country and international norms of engagement throughout their mission.
Source: Daily News, December 20, 2011
