AI has reportedly raised concern over the killing of 17 aid workers

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has discussed the prevailing human rights situation with Secretary General of Amnesty International (AI) Irene Khan.

They have discussed the ruling by truce monitors that Sri Lanka military was responsible for the killing of 17 aid workers in Mutur on 04 August.

The United Nations has warned to pull out unless the authorities take immediate action to find the perpetrators.

But the government categorically rejected the ruling by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

Minister in charge of Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, told BBC Sandeshaya that nobody can ask the government to bypass the country’s law.

“According to the law, we need permission from the relatives to exhume the bodies. But only two families have given their consent”.

The government has no intention of sweeping the matter under the carpet, he said.

The minister told bbcsinhala.com that the government has invited Australian specialists to conduct the investigation, so that nobody could question the outcome.

Irene Khan has also raised concern over the plight of hundreds of thousands being displaced in the north and the east, sources said.

More than 220,000 have been displaced within weeks due to the escalating violence, the UN said on Thursday.

There was no official statement on discussions held.