Sri Lanka assures transparency with human rights chief

The Sri Lankan government on Wednesday assured full transparency during the ongoing visit of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. Government Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said Pillay was given all that she asked for during her visit and the government hopes the visit will be an eye opener for her. Pillay arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday and on Tuesday she visited the war-torn north of the country and had discussions with government officials as well as civil society. She also met families of people reportedly missing during the battle between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the military. Silva said that several allegations had been raised against the government but the government was not shaken. He said that Pillay now had the opportunity to see for herself the ground situation and reach a conclusion accordingly. The minister also said the government hopes Pillay will give a fair and balanced report on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva following her visit to Sri Lanka. He was of the view that her impression on Sri Lanka should be positive from what she sees on the ground. Pillay was invited to visit Sri Lanka by the government and following a tour of the north she traveled to the east on Wednesday and will be having meetings in Colombo on Thursday and Friday. Sri Lanka ended its civil conflict by defeating the Tamil Tigers four years ago but human rights groups have been accusing the military of committing human rights abuses during the conflict.