In a letter addressed to President Maithripala Sirisena during last week, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) said the Army had breached an agreement to vet military personnel being sent for UN peacekeeper positions around the world.
HRC Chairperson Dr. Deepika Udagama said the commission and the tri-forces had jointly agreed to a vetting process for Sri Lankan troops being sent abroad.
They saw the vetting process as important, because the UN had previously accused a number of Sri Lankan forces on a peacekeeping mission to Haiti, of sex crimes.
However, Dr. Udagama said she and other commissioners were appalled to discover that 49 soldiers had been deployed to Lebanon in February, before their vetting was finalised.
“We were astonished in this regard, since the Army was clearly aware that no Army personnel could be deployed for UN peacekeeping operations without being subjected to vetting by the Human Rights Commission,” she wrote.
“Deploying soldiers who have not undergone the vetting process is a violation of the agreement made with the Human Rights Commission,” she added.
Reached by phone Monday, Army spokesperson Brigadier Sumith Atapattu declined to comment, except that the military believed it had followed the proper procedures.
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