The Sri Lankan government is on a collision course with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (OHCHR) Navanetham Pillay over what Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona yesterday called "unsubstantiated allegations’’ on the number of civilians killed and wounded on the eastern flank, particularly in no fire zones designated by the government.

Addressing a hurriedly called press conference at the Information Department, they rejected Pillay’s assertion that 2,800 civilians including children may have been killed and 7,000 wounded since January 20, this year.

Samarasinghe said that they were disappointed the unprofessional way the OHCHR issued Friday’s statement on the basis what Pillay categorized as a range of credible sources.

Had she being genuinely concerned this should have been raised with him when he had a one-to-one meeting with her in Geneva on March 4, he said. If this information hadn’t been available at that time, she could have raised it subsequently with Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Geneva, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke, he said.

He pointed out the absurdity in having an OHCHR’s Representative in Colombo when no consultations take place before extremely serious accusations are made.

Samarasinghe said that the army had taken losses due to Sri Lanka’s bid to minimize civilian casualties. He asserted that the entire area held by the LTTE could have been liberated much earlier had the armed forces not taken into consideration the civilian presence in the last bit of territory the Tigers are clinging on to behind a human shield.

Samarasinghe and Kohona acknowledged that Pillay couldn’t be involved with the LTTE, but the fact remained that her accusations essentially corresponded with pro-LTTE TamilNet coverage of the war and statements issued by persons supportive of the LTTE.

Kohona said that Pillay’s statement would only strengthen the call to declare an immediate ceasefire. That would be to the LTTE’s advantage, he said, adding that the armed forces had brought the LTTE to its knees, he estimated the area under LTTE control around 35 sq. km. He asserted that attempts were still being made to rescue the LTTE now struggling on the Vanni front.

Dr. Rohan Perera, a senior consultant to the Foreign Ministry, said that there was absolutely no basis for Pillay’s assumption that Sri Lankan armed forces’ action could be categorized as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Kohana said that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Army Chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka had assured that the civilians trapped in the war zone wouldn’t be targeted. This was said in the context of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appreciating the Defence Secretary’s assurance to that effect.