Int'l probe on SL would do more harm than good - Wall Street Journal

There is a real danger that an international war-crimes investigation on Sri Lanka would do more harm than good, the Wall Street Journal states.

The Wall Street Journal states :"The greater risk is that the international response will tip Sri Lanka closer to losing peace."

"The prestigious and influential WSJ adds: 'As the fighting neared its conclusion, the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam used thousands of civilians as human shields to try to thwart the Army's advance. A three-man panel assembled by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has investigated allegations of atrocities at that time. The bulk of the U.N. report concerns charges that the government didn't do enough to avoid killing civilians and may even have targeted them."

'These are serious allegations that deserve an airing. It's hard to see how Sri Lanka can build a stable multi-ethnic society as long as members of its Tamil minority believe they were victims of crimes that have been shoved under a carpet,' it said.

But that is where international parties are in danger of running off the rails.

The report calls for a more formal U.N. investigation, perhaps culminating in a war crimes tribunal.

That call has been echoed by various human rights groups and may find a sympathetic hearing among some governments. It could prove to be the wrong approach for Sri Lanka. The "international community" already is deeply discredited in many Sri Lankan eyes for its failure to stand against the neo-Marxist Tigers as they waged bloody battle on Sinhalese and Tamil civilians alike. As the war neared its conclusion, foreign powers criticized the military effort without ever offering a plausible alternative.

The international community would do better to focus on building the institutions that will eventually allow Sri Lankans to grapple with their own war history.

Sri Lanka is at a critical moment as it emerges from a decades-long war and rebuilds its politics and economy.

Leaders abroad have to tread carefully, lest they inadvertently push the country back into sectarian strife.