While Sri Lanka continues celebrations of its defeat of the rebel TamilTigers, the international community is calling for the country, run bythe Sinhalese majority, to be sincere in its pledge for nationalreconciliation. The primary focus is on the treatment of 300,000 Tamilsin displacement camps in the north.
A national ceremony to honor the heroesof the just-ended quarter century civil war opened with prayers offeredby Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian clergy.
It was adisplay of social unity the government is eager to propagate in wake ofthe failed quest by Tamil rebels to split the island.
Both the military and the Tamil Tigers are accused of targeting civilians during the war's climax.
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa, speaking to the tens of thousands of Sri Lankans onthe grounds of the Parliament, spoke in defiance of such internationalcriticism.
The president praises his military commanders forthe victory but notes there are those trying to haul Sri Lanka beforethe war crimes tribunals. Mr. Rajapaksa says he is even "willing to goto the gallows" for the sake of the nation.
The United Nations Human Rights Council is expected to discuss the issue next week.
Inthe first independent account of what the last combat zone in Sri Lankalooks like, the chief aide to the U.N. Secretary-General has describedthe area as "almost eerie."
Vijay Nambiar says he circled, in a helicopter, the northeastern strip of coast land for 20 minutes.
"Italmost looked like a ravaged area. There were a large number ofvehicles which were burned," said Vijay Nambiar. "Large sections of thearea, the trees were burned. And the clusters of the tents in the camp,which is so closely concentrated together, all seemed to have beenvirtually battered."
Nambiar added as best as he can tell it did not appear civilians were still in the camp when it was destroyed.
U.N.Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, during a brief visit Saturday, isscheduled to tour a camp housing displaced Tamils, fly over the finalcombat zone and meet with the Sri Lankan president.
Nambiar saysthe visit by his boss will focus global attention to the conduct duringthe conflict, the plight of the 300,000 Tamils displaced by the finaloffensive and the government's pledge to improve social and politicalconditions for the minority community.
"The world is watchingthe actions that have been taken and the actions that will be taken, isbeing taken by the government," said Nambiar.
According to theUnited Nations, the quarter-century long civil war led to the deaths ofbetween 80,000 and 100,000 people. It says more than 7,000 civiliansare believed to have been killed in the final months of the war.
SriLanka's Defense Secretary says the conflict, since 1981, resulted inthe deaths of 24,000 military personnel. During the final battle, earlythis week, the government claimed it wiped out the top leadership ofthe rebels, including LTTE founder Velupillai Prabhakaran. Defenseofficials say his body has now been cremated and the ashes scatteredinto the air to prevent any final resting place becoming an attraction.