Sri Lanka mulls fully implementing post-war recommendations

The Sri Lankan government is considering full implementation of the recommendations of a post- war commission, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said on Tuesday.

The commission known as the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was appointed by the former government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa following the end of a 30-year war in May 2009 between Tamil Tiger rebels and the military.

Rajapaksa's government refused to fully implement the recommendations of the LLRC, which resulted in some countries accusing Sri Lanka of failing to address accountability issues on the war.

In a statement issued at the conclusion of a brief visit to Sri Lanka, Sharma said he had discussed options for practical Commonwealth support for vital domestic processes in Sri Lanka, and welcomed the intent to establish a credible domestic investigation mechanism to probe incidents related to the war.

Sharma said that the purpose of his visit to Sri Lanka was primarily to reiterate and renew the Commonwealth's commitment to work in partnership with Sri Lanka to advance its own national plans.

"We have successfully identified areas where the Commonwealth will provide practical assistance as the country turns a new and transformative page in its history," he added.

Sharma noted the positive steps taken by the new Sri Lankan government since it took office last month.

"These include a commitment to fundamental governance reforms and strengthening the independence of national institutions; the appointment of civilian governors in the Northern Province and Eastern Province amongst other changes in the provincial administrations; and, the appointment of the new chief justice," Sharma said. Endi