Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission
Encyclopedia
Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is a commission of inquiry
appointed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa
in May 2010 to look into events of the Sri Lankan Civil War
between February 2002 and May 2009.
"To inquire and report on the following matters that may have taken place during the period between 21st February, 2002 and 19th May, 2009, namely:
The LLRC was originally required to produce its report within six months (November 2010) but this deadline was extended by a further six months (May 2011) due to the large number of members of the public wanting to give evidence to the LLRC. There are reports that the deadline might be extended by a further six months due to public demand.
have been banned from covering the proceeding. Only few Tamils were allowed to testify before the commission and several others including those whose relatives were missing after being seen surrendering to Sri Lankan Army in Vanni were not allowed to testify have called LLRC a hoax to deceive International opinion. Tamil National Alliance however is expected to testify through it says it does not expect a positive result. Human Rights Watch
has said that commission has no mandate to undertake any serious war crimes and seen as ploy to deflect International calls for a probe rather than truly ensure accountability and further cited to total lack of witness protection making it difficult for victims to testify without fear of reprisals.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...
appointed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
in May 2010 to look into events of the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
between February 2002 and May 2009.
Background
Following the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in May 2009 there had been mounting international pressure for an inquiry into the final stages of the civil war in 2009 in which it is alleged thousands of civilians, possibly as many as 40,000, were killed. There were also calls to look into the root causes of the civil war and meaningful reconciliation. The Sri Lankan government rejected calls for an independent international inquiry but instead on 15 May 2010, nearly a year after the end of the civil war, President Rajapaksa appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.Mandate
The mandate of the LLRC was as follows:"To inquire and report on the following matters that may have taken place during the period between 21st February, 2002 and 19th May, 2009, namely:
- The facts and circumstances which led to the failure of the ceasefire agreement operationalized on 21st February, 2002 and the sequence of events that followed thereafter up to the 19th of May, 2009.
- Whether any person, group or institution directly or indirectly bear responsibility in this regard;
- The lessons we would learn from those events and their attendant concern, in order to ensure that there will be no recurrence;
- The methodology whereby restitution to any person affected by those events or their dependants or their heirs, can be affected;
- The institutional administrative and legislative measured which need to be taken in order or prevent any recurrence of such concerns in the future, and to promote further national unity and the reconciliation among all communities, and to make any such other recommendations with reference to any of the matters that have been inquired into under the terms of the Warrant."
The LLRC was originally required to produce its report within six months (November 2010) but this deadline was extended by a further six months (May 2011) due to the large number of members of the public wanting to give evidence to the LLRC. There are reports that the deadline might be extended by a further six months due to public demand.
Members
The LLRC's eight members are:- 1. C. R. De SilvaC. R. De SilvaChitta Ranjan De Silva, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was a former Attorney General and Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. He is the current Chairmen of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission...
(chair) - Attorney GeneralAttorney General of Sri LankaThe Attorney General of Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan government's chief legal advisor, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. The Attorney General is usually a highly-respected Senior Advocate, and is appointed by the ruling government. The current Attorney General is Mohan...
(2007-209); Solicitor GeneralSolicitor General of Sri LankaThe Solicitor General of Sri Lanka is a post subordinate to the Attorney General of Sri Lanka. The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by four Additional Solicitors General.-List of Solicitor Generals:...
(1999-2007); Deputy Solicitor General (1992-97) - 2. M. T. M. Bafiq - senior attorney at law
- 3. Chandirapal Chanmugam - Secretary to the TreasuryMinistry of Finance and Planning (Sri Lanka)The Ministry of Finance & Planning and the Treasury of Sri Lanka is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy, economic policy and long term planning...
(1987-88) - 4. Karunaratne Hangawatte - professor at the Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nevada, Las VegasUniversity of Nevada, Las VegasUniversity of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
- 5. H. M. G. S. Palihakkar - former Permanent Representative to the United Nations; former Secretary, Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka that conducts and manages Sri Lanka's relations with other countries...
- 6. Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama - former High Court Judge
- 7. A. Rohan Perera - former Legal Advisor, Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka)The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka that conducts and manages Sri Lanka's relations with other countries...
- 8. Manohari Ramanathan - former Deputy Legal Draftsman
Criticism
Human rights groups feel it has a limited mandate and as it has been appointed by the Sri Lankan Government hence it will not be independent enough and it has been has been constituted to look into why the ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government broke down in 2002 and the commission is under government interference.Further all earlier probes and commissions have come to nought with nobody really being held accountable. It is also seen as a tool to discredit the opposition UNP as Ranil Wickramasinghe signed the ceasefire agreement with the LTTE in 2002 and Ranil Wickramasinghe has not yet been invited to give eveidence before LLRC. International media including the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
have been banned from covering the proceeding. Only few Tamils were allowed to testify before the commission and several others including those whose relatives were missing after being seen surrendering to Sri Lankan Army in Vanni were not allowed to testify have called LLRC a hoax to deceive International opinion. Tamil National Alliance however is expected to testify through it says it does not expect a positive result. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
has said that commission has no mandate to undertake any serious war crimes and seen as ploy to deflect International calls for a probe rather than truly ensure accountability and further cited to total lack of witness protection making it difficult for victims to testify without fear of reprisals.
See also
- Alleged war crimes during the Sri Lankan Civil War
- Truth and reconciliation commissionTruth and Reconciliation CommissionThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...