04.44 pm, Thursday May 24 2012

Greens want Sri Lankan envoy recalled

08:06 AEDT Wed Oct 19 2011
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The Australian Greens want the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia recalled as the federal police consider a dossier on alleged war crimes.

Fairfax reports the brief of evidence from the Australian arm of the International Commission of Jurists links the high commissioner and former navy Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe to the shelling of unarmed civilians at the end of Sri Lanka's bloody civil war in 2009.

Mr Samarasinghe has told Fairfax that human rights groups and other pro-Tamil campaigners are being manipulated by the Tamil diaspora in Australia.

Greens leader Bob Brown says the government can reject diplomatic nominations on the basis of war crimes.

He wants Prime Minister Julia Gillard to ask the Sri Lankan government to recall Mr Samarasinghe and if they don't, to expel him.

Greens senator Lee Rhiannon says Australia needs to show it won't turn a blind eye to allegations of war crimes.

"There is mounting evidence the High Commissioner was implicated in war crimes when he was naval chief of staff and commander of the Navy's eastern and northern areas in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war," she said.

"My office is in direct contact with two Australian Tamils who witnessed artillery fire from the sea where the Sri Lankan Navy were patrolling into densely populated civilian areas."

The Greens think there should be an independent investigation into the allegations.

 

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