Ban Ki Moon’s spokesperson said he expects that a long-awaited UN report on alleged war crimes committed during the tail end of the Sri Lanka’s counter-insurgency campaign will go public. Bits of the report have been leaking out to local newspapers –and it paints a damning picture of the behavior of the Sri Lankan government’s final assault on territory controlled by the Tamil Tigers. Tens of thousands of civilians were likely killed. There is pretty strong evidence collected by human rights groups and journalists that the government deliberately targeted civilians.
When the Secretary General finally releases the report, expect some over the top responses from the Sri Lankan government and its supporters. Back in July, government-sponsored protesters blockaded the UN building in Colombo and burnt Ban Ki Moon in effigy after he merely announced he was forming a panel to look into the war crimes allegations. So, if that was the reaction back then, expect something even more unhinged this time around.
Stay tuned.