UN Undersecretary Pascoe calls on government to try or release the Tamil detainees

UN Undersecretary for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe has discussed the issue of detained LTTE suspects during his discussion with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and government officials.

Concluding his two-day visit to Sri Lanka , Pascoe said, “We believe that if there is evidence against the suspects they should be tried or otherwise released.”

He also called on the government to permit the ICRC to visit the detainees to look into their welfare.

  Pascoe observed that while the UN understood the concerns and obligations of the government to ensure national security, it also needed to act according to the accepted laws and norms.