New Sri Lankan army chief denies accusations of war abuses

Lt Gen Shavendra Silva faces allegations of grave rights abuses against Tamil rebels

Sri Lanka's newly appointed 23rd Army commander Lt General Shavendra Silva speaks in Colombo, Sri Lanka 26 August 2019. EPA

Sri Lanka's newly appointed army chief on Monday denied accusations of rights abuses under his command during the country's civil war.

Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, who became army commander last week, faces allegations of grave rights abuses during the war, which ended in 2009 after government forces defeated ethnic Tamil rebels who fought to create a separate state.

"I, of course, totally deny those allegations," Lt Gen Silva  said at his first media briefing since his appointment. "Those are allegations. Anyone can make any allegations."

The United Nations human rights chief, the United States and the European Union expressed concern last week about Lt Gen Silva's selection, saying it undermines the post-war justice and reconciliation process  that the government has promised to undertake.

Lt Gen Silva was in charge of the 58th Division, one of the groups that encircled the final stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the last stages of the war.

A 2015 investigation by the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights found that near the end of the war Lt Gen Silva was tasked with capturing the Putumattalan area from the Tamil Tigers. It found evidence that both a hospital and a UN hub were shelled.

The investigation cited witnesses as saying cluster-type munitions were used by the Sri Lankan armed forces in their attacks on Putumattalan hospital and the  UN hub. The government promised the UN Human Rights Council in 2015 that it would investigate the allegations and involve foreign prosecutors and judges, but nothing has been done so far.

Both the Sri Lankan military and the rebels have been accused of wartime abuses. The UN  has said  about 45,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed in the final months of the conflict.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said last week that Lt Gen Silva's appointment could impact  the ability of Sri Lanka to contribute to UN peacekeeping missions.

In Washington, a senior State Department official said last week that the United States was "deeply concerned" by Lt Gen Silva's appointment and was registering its objections. The official said the appointment could affect co-operation and improved military relations between Washington and Colombo.

The official also said the appointment "undermines Sri Lanka's international reputation and its commitments to promote justice and accountability". The official  said that  if Lt Gen Silva were to remain in the post,  his continued office might also hurt a planned $480 million (Dh1.1bn) Millennium Challenge Corporation grant, which is intended to help the country modernise its urban transport system and networks.