Sri Lanka Tamil party disputes government's claims on implementing LLRC recommendations

Sri Lanka's major Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says that contrary to government statements, there's no progress in the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendation.
TNA parliamentarian, Attorney-at-Law M. A. Sumanthiran said the National Action Plan doesn't even deal with half the constructive recommendations of the LLRC. He observed that the more important recommendations have been studiously left out. "Even the ones dealt with by the National Action Plan have not been implemented except the one on teaching Sinhala and Tamil in schools, which has commenced in some schools," he said. As for the impact of resolutions adopted on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Sumanthiran explained that it will be determined by how the government reacts to this. He observed that if the government "acts responsibly at least at this stage and engages constructively with the international community, we can do ourselves a favor and deal with all outstanding issues that hinder genuine reconciliation with the help and assistance of the international community." "The people of this country will have to ask themselves the question as to why the very countries that banned the LTTE and helped the government win the war, are now applying pressure to settle the six-decade long ethnic issue by peaceful means," Sumanthiran said. "His Excellency the President acknowledged that there were serious allegations of violations of human rights that needed to be inquired into as early as 26th May 2009, when he undertook to do that in the joint communiqué he issued along with the Secretary General of the UN. At the same time several undertakings were given in Geneva at the UNHRC by Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. It is precisely those undertakings and promises that need to be fulfilled," he added. The government however says, it has implemented 50 percent of the recommendations made by the LLRC. According to the government, all the IDPs have been resettled as the demining is coming to a completion. Further the military presence has been considerably reduced in the North and East, while the government is in the process in handing over the land it had taken from the Tamil civilians or paying compensation for the land it needs for security purposes. The government said out of the 12,000 ex-combatants only 396 are remaining in rehabilitation camps and another 225 are under legal proceedings. President's Special Human Rights Envoy, Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in his address to the UNHRC said the LLRC recommendations are being implemented by the corresponding implementing agencies under the short, medium and long term goals based on priority considerations within specified time frames. He said the government has allocated a budget line of 763 million rupees for 2013 to fund a substantial number of LLRC recommendations. -->