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Global Tamil Forum (GTF) praises the adoption of the latest UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on Sri Lanka, which is a significant and historic step towards achieving truth, accountability and justice for the victims of the armed conflict on the island. International community must make it absolutely clear to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government what the consequences will be if they do not co-operate and/or wilfully obstruct the investigation. Since inception GTF has consistently called for an independent international investigation of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both sides to the armed conflict, which ended in May 2009. As an independent international investigative mechanism, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been authorised to conduct a comprehensive inquiry in Sri Lanka, which will investigate the allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces in the last years of the civil war. Tamils across the world are thankful to the United States for leading the three resolutions on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, since 2012, and to all those co-sponsors and voting members of the Council who supported the resolution. GTF is also grateful to the role the UK Government has played, particularly the UK Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Mr David Cameron MP, for raising international awareness of the current plight of the Tamil people in the island during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka last November and since that time. We understand the hard work and commitment that has been undertaken by many diplomatic staff from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the United States State Department and elsewhere to make this resolution a success.
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