Sri Lanka External Affairs Minister slams Amnesty International for having a political objective against the country

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris slammed the right group Amnesty International (AI) saying that the organization has a political objective to hurt Sri Lanka, it economy and its people.

During the discussion following his Keynote Address of the 1st International institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)-Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry Dialogue on Tuesday, the Minister said the organization is not objective, not dispassionate but it has a political objective against Sri Lanka.

Referring to an AI release, a week before the European Union was to take a decision on the GSP+ tariff concession to Sri Lanka, the Minister asked why the AI chose that moment to highlight the alleged war crimes and other human right violations.

"Why the choice of that moment, was it not deliberate desir to hurt Sri Lanka, hurt our economy, to hurts thousands of people who are working in garment factories?" he asked.

The AI with it actions is not hurting the government of Sri Lanka with one bit but they are hurting thousands of poor people of the most vulnerable segments of the Sri Lankan community who are dependent on garment factories for their livelihood, the Minister pointed out.

"That is what Amnesty International is doing, it is not objective, it is not dispassionate, and it has a political objective," Prof. Peiris said.

He was responding to question posed by the AI on the progress of the witness protection bill in Sri Lanka saying that AI declined the invitation of Sri Lanka's Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) due to the concerns over the bill.

Minister Peiris in response said the witness protection bill is something that is desirable in the country, but Sri Lanka is certainly not going to accept the terms given by the organization.

"What is your moral authority to dictate to us what we should do in our country?" the Minister asked.

"These are the things that people in our country have to decide in accordance with their own priorities," Minister Peiris said adding that the bill was presented to the parliament and it was referred to a committee.

The External Affairs Minister said there are many complex provisions in the bill that require detailed examination.

"We are doing that in accordance with our own priorities and certainly not to any dictate by the Amnesty International or any body else," the Minister said.