No foreign judges in SL war crimes probe, says Fonseka

Colombo: Former Sri Lankan Army chief Sarath Fonseka, who led government troops to victory over the LTTE, on Thursday endorsed the view of President Maithripala Sirisena that there will be no foreign judges for war crimes investigation.[caption id="attachment_335903" align="alignleft" width="380"] Former Sri Lanka Army chief Sarath Fonseka. Reuters[/caption]"We have a Constitution and it does not allow foreign judges to operate in the country," Fonseka, now the Cabinet Minister of Provincial Development told reporters on Thursday."It will be a domestic mechanism but we are not averse to obtaining foreign expertise as appropriate," Fonseka said.Tamil rights groups have accused Fonseka and his troops for gross rights abuses during the final phase of the conflict they ended in 2009.The UN Human Rights Council in 2014 called for an international investigation with foreign judges, investigators and prosecutors.The Tamil political groups also demand international judges in war crimes probe claiming that Sri Lankan judiciary had historically failed to deliver justice.