Exclusive: Ranil Drops Mangala From UNHRC Resolution Implementation Monitoring Body

JUNE 21, 2017

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday submitted a cabinet paper to establish a ministerial central coordination and monitoring mechanism to implement UN Human Rights Council recommendations.

Ranil and Mangala

Interestingly, the man who has done all the hard work re UNHRC resolution over the last two and a half years, the former Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera has not been appointed to this vital committee.

Prime Minister has proposed the following cabinet ministers under his chairmanship to the committee, they include; Ravi Karunanayake, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sagala Ratnayaka, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Tilak Marapone, Ruwan Wijewardene and Harsha De Silva.

At the time the paper was submitted, Minister Malik Samarawickrama has said this must be a mistake, as Mangala Samaraweera’s name should also be there. Then President Maithripala Sirisena said if that is the case then appoint another SLFP Minister to the committee along with Samaraweera. Accepting Sirisena’s suggestion, Susil Premajayanth’s name was proposed, however following this, Samaraweera had refused to be part of this committee, citing he has lots of work at the Finance Ministry.

Meanwhile when debating the Office of the Missing Person’s bill in parliament today, Mangala wasn’t allowed to make a speech.

“This whole scenario tell us what direction Wickremesinghe wants Sri Lanka to take regarding reconciliation and implementing UHNRC resolution,” a cabinet member who spoke to Colombo Telegraph on condition of anonymity said.

“With regard to Wickremesinghe’s committee, apart from Harsha de Silva, everyone else in the committee named by the Prime Minister are against the implementation of the UNHRC recommendations,” he further pointed out.

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