NewsPresidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa today (Oct 15) said he will not accept Sri Lanka's 2015 agreement with the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged war crimes, as it was signed under a different government. Responding to a query, the former Defence secretary also said he would not accept the agreement as a document signed by the state, since his party has publicly expressed its objection towards the document. Rajapaksa, who will contest from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, rejected allegations of war crimes, during his tenure as defence secretary, when LTTE cadres surrendered to the Sri Lanka Army during the final stages of the war. He claimed that some 13,800 LTTE cadres who surrendered had been “rehabilitated” and “re-integrated” to society under the previous government. Rajapaksa insisted that it is time to move forward and “forget about hanging onto all old allegations”.

Source: Sunday Times October 15, 2019 09:22 UTC