Rights violations: US sanctions SL commander

COLOMBO: The US has sanctioned former senior Sri Lankan Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda for “gross violation” of human rights during the brutal conflict with the LTTE, evoking a strong reaction from Colombo which said the “unilateral” move was “counter-productive”. The 70-year-old former Navy commander from 2005-2009 is the second senior defence official of such stature to be sanctioned by the US for human rights violations during the final battle with the LTTE in 2009. Karannagoda was later appointed Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Japan.