Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (center) addresses the nation along with Army Commander Shavendra Silva (left), Navy Chief Nishantha Ulugetenne (second left) and Airforce Chief Sudarshana Pathirana (right) during the Sri Lanka's 73rd Independence Day celebrations in Colombo on February 4, 2021. (LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI / AFP)

COLOMBO - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday said that his country will not succumb to any pressure in response to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last week passing a resolution presented by some western countries.

In a statement released by his office, President Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka will face the challenge without fear and that it will not succumb to pressure.

In a statement released by his office, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka will face the challenge without fear and that it will not succumb to pressure

Meanwhile, he noted that Sri Lanka's national development strategies are in place including environment-friendly projects such as for providing  electricity power to all households while boosting economy in the country.

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He said that therefore foreign and local forces who are against the country's progress are misleading the public. "If you give in to those lies the damage could be irreversible," he stressed.

The UNHRC resolution calls for accountability over incidents related to Sri Lanka's 30-year civil conflict between the government forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels who were militarily defeated in May 2009.

The resolution was passed at the UNHRC with 22 countries voting in favor, 11 countries against, and 14 abstaining.  

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