Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne today made a controversial statement at the weekly Cabinet press briefing when he said that international experts could be involved as judges if the government gives its consent.

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Speaking at the weekly cabinet press briefing, Senaratne said that international experts could contribute to an investigation as observers, technical assistants, legal experts or judges, but they can be involved only with the consent of the Sri Lankan government. Therefore, there should not be any unnecessary fear or doubt on such a mechanism, he said.

However, this is the first time that the government has indicated the possibility of international judges being used in the investigation. The government, until now, clearly said that the cases regarding war crimes allegations will be heard by Sri Lankan judges.

Meanwhile, Senaratne also said that requesting foreign expertise was nothing new in Sri Lanka and has been done in the past in several high-profile murder investigations.

Senaratne also argued that the Paranagama Commission Report is even more critical than the Office of the High Commission of Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) report. If the Paranagama Report was released before the UNHRC Resolution, the latter could have been even more critical of Sri Lanka, he argued.

The Paranagama Report clearly states that the white flag incident, the Channel 4 documentaries and incidents such as the death of Charles and Isaipriya should be investigated, Senaratne said. The UN report does not mention specific incidents and is therefore less critical, he added.

Senaratne also pointed out that the UN has not mentioned any specific time frame for the investigation. It cannot be done in haste and will take a certain period of time, he pointed out.