‘Civil war victims to get justice in Lanka’

Sri Lanka's ruling party on Thursday  pledged justice for thousands of victims of the country's three-decade-long civil war and maximum devolution of power, two key demands of ethnic minority Tamils, as it released its manifesto ahead of next month's general election.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) promised to work with the UN in ensuring justice for the victims and accountability for war crimes committed during the conflict that ended in 2009.

The UNP manifesto also pledged to respond under the local legal framework to the UN Human Rights 

Council reports on Sri Lanka, in cooperation with the UN member states and in consultation with Lankan ethnic and religious minority groups. 

UNHRC had passed three resolutions against former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's government for alleged human rights abuses during the final phase of the war against the LTTE and is due to release its findings into allegations of war crimes in September. Wickremesinghe, 66, appealed for support to strengthen the fight against corruption and ensure further reforms in the electoral process as he released the manifesto that also promises maximum devolution of power under a unitary state. 

“We shall take steps to devolve maximum power under a unitary state” the manifesto said.

Both promises are set to attract the Tamils, who constitute about 15 per cent of the country’s population, but could emerge as the kingmakers if the majority Sinhalese community is split between the two major national parties.