The UN Rapporteur on executions Philip Alston, speaking to reporters at the UN, said that the Sri Lankan government has an issue with credibility and raised doubts over the outcome of a probe on human rights to be carried out by a panel appointed by the government.

In response to a question on self-investigations , he said that military investigations of allegations against their own activities did not enhance credibility. On one allegation, accompanied by a video, that the Sri Lankan military had conducted summary executions, the Sri Lankan Government had declared the video to be a fabrication based on what it called expert advice .

Two of those experts had been from the military, Mr. Alston noted. In addition that Government already had credibility issues due to its abandonment of an inquiry by independent investigators, on prior allegations, when those investigators had resigned, claiming that the investigation was not serious. Mr. Alston was initiating his own analyses of the tape. (UN)