Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said today that the Sri Lankan Government does not consider any deaths that had occurred in combat during the country’s civil war as constituting ‘War Crimes’.

 

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet press briefing, he said that the government is open to investigating excesses that may have been committed by people using the war as cover.

 

No government could fight a war if it started investigating deaths that occurred during fighting, Senaratne stressed.

 

However, he pointed out that if there are cases where people waving white flags had been shot, or if abductions, murders and rapes had been committed using the war as cover, those incidents should definitely be investigated under a domestic investigative mechanism.

 

Minister Senaratne said he personally believed ‘war is a crime’ in its entirety. However, he added that it would be wrong to probe the conduct of military personnel over deaths that occurred as a result of combat.

 

If there were military personnel who used the war as cover to commit such crimes disobeying orders, then even the military would not object to them being punished as such persons are a disgrace to the military, Senaratne said.