In Sri
Lanka
Post-Rajapaksa,
Calls for
Accountability,
UN Still
Silent
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 8 --
On Sri Lanka's
election,
after Mahinda
Rajapaksa
conceded
defeat but
before 10:30
pm on January
8 in
Washington, US
Secretary of
State issued a
statement,
below.
Inner City
Press
published it,
and asked the
UN for its
comment. Told
to expect one
in the AM, New
York time,
Inner City
Press noted,
the earlier
the better.
Eight hours
later,
nothing.
Meanwhile Amnesty
International
has said that
"Sri Lanka has
for years
resisted all
international
efforts to
investigate
the conflict
years, and
instead relied
on domestic
investigation
bodies that
toed the
government
line. This has
to end – the
new government
should
cooperate
fully with the
UN
investigation.”
One might have
expected the
UN itself to
say this, and
perhaps they
still will.
Watch this
site.
In other
possible
routes to accountability,
talk of
seeking
justice in US
courts as to
several joint
American
citizens in
Team Rajapaksa
- or on the
team during
the 2009 "Bloodbath
on the Beach"
-- has picked
up. Some team
members have
reportedly already
left the
country: we'll
have more on
this.
Kerry
said:
STATEMENT BY
SECRETARY
KERRY
January 8,
2015
Conclusion of
Sri Lankan
Elections and
Election of
Maithripala
Sirisena
The Sri Lankan
people deserve
great credit
on the
successful
conclusion of
their
elections.
They turned
out in great
numbers to
exercise their
democratic
rights and
every vote was
a victory for
Sri Lanka.
The United
States
applauds the
Sri Lankan
Elections
Commissioner,
the security
forces, Sri
Lankan civil
society, and
the candidates
themselves for
making sure
this election
was not marred
by unrest and
for ensuring a
significant
drop in
campaign-related
violence. It
will be
important for
that effort to
continue in
the coming
days.
I commend
President
Rajapaksa for
accepting the
results of the
election in
the proud
tradition of
peaceful and
orderly
transfers of
power in Sri
Lanka. His
words tonight
about
accepting the
verdict of the
people and
moving forward
are important.
I look forward
to working
with
President-elect
Maithripala
Sirisena as
his new
government
works to
implement its
campaign
platform of a
Sri Lanka that
is peaceful,
inclusive,
democratic,
and
prosperous."
It's
done. But what
does it
portend for
the
Rajapaksas'
military /
diplomatic
corps, like
Shavendra
Silva and in
New York,
Palitha
Kohona?
, 
