London, 27 March 2012 - "Accountability is paramount for any long-term sustainable political solution in Sri Lanka. An International independent investigation into War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity committed during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka in 2009 is essential for this", said British All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT) today in a statement. It also sent a strong message to those who intimidated and threatened the members of NGOs undertaking human rights activities in the very council.

Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC, March 22nd, 2012 - Geneva, Switzerland - The British Tamils Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), and the United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcome resolution A/HRC/19/L.2, adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, today. “This resolution is a welcome first step towards accountability and peace in Sri Lanka. This is the first substantive UN resolution regarding Sri Lanka since 1987, and it puts the government of Sri Lanka on notice that the international community will no longer passively accept gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law”, stated Vani Selvarajah, spokeswoman for the diaspora organizations. “Though we would have preferred the resolution to establish an International Commission of Inquiry, we see this as an incremental first step towards establishing a proper mechanism towards accountability in Sri Lanka. Through this resolution, Sri Lanka has the opportunity to choose a path towards peace,” concluded Selvarajah.

British Tamils Forum - We demand that an independent international investigation is conducted, supported by comprehensive witness protection afforded to the Tamil community by a UN task force. We appeal to the UN to release the full report without further delay and implement with vigour the recommendations made by the advisory panel so as to restore the Tamil people’s faith in the international body to deliver justice. In addition to the recommendations by the panel, we the Tamil people demand that the UN demands from its members to reject the appointment of Sri Lankan emissaries who had served in the Sri Lankan armed forces during the war as well as political leaders who stand implicated in the war crimes and crimes against humanity in the genocidal war against the Tamil people.