UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay said the UN could conduct an effective investigation into reports of war crimes in Sri Lanka without visiting the country.

She made this remark in the light of reports that the Sri Lankan government would not allow UN investigation team to visit the country and gather information.

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"There is a wealth of information outside of Sri Lanka which can be tapped into," Pillay had told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an email response to questions.

"The credibility of the report will depend on it reflecting proper standards of corroboration of evidence, whether the team is allowed into the country or not."

Pillay cited Syria and North Korea as examples where, despite no access, investigations were carried out.

"Hardly anyone, apart from the Syrian and Democratic People's Republic of Korea governments, are questioning the credibility of these two inquiries, so I don't see why it should be any different in the case of Sri Lanka," she said.

Navi Pillay, who will soon retire from office, said, "Regrettably, there has been some serious misinformation and distortion.”

Media reports that investigators were denied visas by India and Thailand were false, said Pillay, adding that no one had applied for a visa for Sri Lanka or any other country.

The investigation's coordinator and members of the advisory board had been "subjected to personal attacks in some Sri Lankan media that were both distorted and inaccurate", she said.

The 12-member team is based in Geneva but will travel to other countries when necessary. They will collect information, including testimonies, and verify allegations of atrocities. The findings will be presented to the UNHRC in March.

Pillay said the investigation was essential to establishing who was responsible for violations and to hold them to account.

"It is important to understand that this investigation was set up for the benefit of all Sri Lankans, as an avenue to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation," she said.

"It is in this context that the Human Rights Council-mandated investigation should be viewed, rather than being seen as a confrontation,” she added. (With inputs from a Reuters report)