EU calls for probe into possible rights violations in Lanka

Brussels/Chennai/Sydney: The European Union on Monday called for an independent investigation into alleged violations of human rights law in Sri Lanka's war and a "fully inclusive" political settlement following the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the 27-nation bloc was appalled by the loss of innocent lives and the high numbers of casualties, including children, in fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels.

"As the fighting draws to an end, the EU... calls on the president of Sri Lanka to outline a clear process leading to a fully inclusive political solution, based on consent, equality and rule of law," EU foreign ministers said in a statement.

At a meeting in Brussels the ministers stressed the need for respect of international humanitarian and human rights law.

"The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through an independent inquiry. Those accountable must be brought to justice," their statement said.

The Sri Lankan military said yesterday its troops had won the final battle in a 25-year separatist conflict. Special forces troops killed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran as he tried to flee the war zone in an ambulance early Monday, state television reported.

While calling the Tamil Tigers a terrorist movement using civilians as human shields, the EU said human rights had to be respected in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile in Chennai, India, there was a mixture of relief and frank disbelief as news came in of Prabhakaran's death. Some in this Tamil Nadu capital said it was long in coming, while others simply refused to believe it was true.

Unwilling to take chances, the establishment tightened security all over the state and especially in Chennai, where the issue of Tamil Eelam, or a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka, has always been an emotive one.

Security was particularly stepped up around the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in the heart of the city, making it difficult for people who lived and worked in the area.

And in Sydney, Australia, a Sri Lankan student had acid thrown in his face and was in an induced coma after a home invasion early yesterday sparked by the conflict in his troubled homeland, police said.

Police appealed for calm among the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Australia's largest city following the attack and a brawl on Sunday involving up to 50 people.

Media reports said the Sinhalese man was fighting for his life and likely to lose his eyesight.