Lanka must confront demons of the past

Sri Lanka must "confront and defeat the demons of its past", the UN human rights chief yesterday said at the end of a visit to assess the island's progress in investigating war crimes.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Sri Lanka had come a long way since this time last year, when former president Mahinda Rajapakse was ousted after a decade in power.

But he said opinions differed about the extent of the progress, with police in some areas still resorting to "violence and excessive force" and new cases of torture continuing to emerge.

He urged the country's armed forces to face up to the "stain on their reputation" by addressing allegations of war crimes during the 37-year ethnic conflict that ended in 2009, including the killing of tens of thousands of civilians.

"Sri Lanka must confront and defeat the demons of its past. It must create institutions that work, and ensure accountability," said Zeid.

Zeid is due to deliver two assessments to the UN Human Rights Council in June and March 2017.

The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution late last year calling for an investigation into atrocities committed by both the government-backed military and Tamil Tiger separatists. A UN report in September described horrific wartime atrocities committed by both the Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels during the conflict which claimed at least 100,000 lives.