Sri Lanka to continue right probe despite panel quitting

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka said on Tuesday it will continue an official probe into rights abuses despite the withdrawal of foreign observers who criticised a "lack of political will to find the truth".

The foreign observers, who oversaw the Presidential commission of inquiry into rights abuses, had said in March that it would quit operations in Sri Lanka, citing government interference.

The withdrawal piled more pressure on Colombo over its rights record during the 25-year civil war, which has flared anew in the past year.

Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the government was committed to ensuring the completion of the work of the Commission.

"This commitment remains unwavering, despite the decision taken by the members of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) to prematurely relinquish their mandate," Samarasinghe said.

"They have gone beyond their mandate. The reports issued by them had so many factual mistakes and misleading information."

A presidential commission into rights abuses, including a massacre of 17 aid workers in 2006 that Nordic truce monitors blamed on security forces, was ordered following global calls for action.

The IIGEP, which had its concluding press conference on Tuesday, quit citing government unwillingness to implement its recommendations to bring the probe up to international standards, lack of financial stability, government interference and slow process.

"We have exhausted our ability to make a useful contribution," said Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, a member of IIGEP.