Colombo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism has acknowledged a recent press release from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) titled ‘UK Sanctions for Human Rights Violations and Abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War’. The UK government has announced sanctions on four individuals, including three former military commanders from the Sri Lankan armed forces.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Sri Lanka, the UK FCDO press release mentions a commitment from the UK government made during the election campaign to ensure accountability for those responsible. The imposed sanctions involve an asset freeze and travel ban on the specified individuals, which the Sri Lankan Ministry views as a unilateral action potentially complicating ongoing national reconciliation efforts.

The Sri Lankan government is actively working to enhance domestic mechanisms for accountability and reconciliation, emphasizing that any historical human rights violations should be addressed through these domestic channels. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath communicated this stance to Andrew Patrick, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.