UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay visits Sri Lanka

Colombo: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday visited parts of Sri Lanka’s northern region which has been battered by 30 years of war between the Tamil Tigers and the military. Among the areas she visited included Mullivaikal, which was where civilians were believed to have been killed during the war. Pillay also visited Jaffna town and met government officials as well as civil society members. [caption id=“attachment_1065759” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Navi Pillay. AFP.[/caption] At least two demonstrations were held during Pillay’s visit to Jaffna. The demonstrators urged Pillay through placards and posters to look into their family members reported missing during and after the war. Pillay, who is on a seven-day visit to Sri Lanka, said on Sunday that following her visit she would be reporting on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Pillay said that she is not visiting Sri Lanka to criticise the country but to look into human rights concerns. She said that she wanted to see if the government was complying with the human rights standards set to the whole world and accepted by the Sri Lankan government. IANS