Sri Lanka "astonished" at UN Secretary General's statement
Thursday, September 11, 2008, 3:21 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sept 11, Colombo: Sri Lanka says it is astonished at the statement made by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "in which he seems to be expressing concerns about recent military activities in Sri Lanka."
“Since there have been hardly any civilian casualties during the recent offensives in Sri Lanka, it is possible that the Secretary General was prompted by reports of large numbers of civilian casualties in other theatres of war, which misled him into believing that all forces fighting terrorism are alike. It is to be hoped however that, even while he might want to send a message to other countries, he will study the Sri Lankan situation carefully in the future,” Peace Secretariat Secretary General Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha said in a statement.
He also said, “Perhaps, with knowledge there will come wisdom, and he will publicly acknowledge the extraordinarily good record of the Sri Lankan forces in this regard, their careful selection of military targets, the paucity of even collateral damage.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had earlier expressed deep concern over escalating violence in northern Sri Lanka and the humanitarian impact of the clashes on civilians.
