In May 2010 President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Palihakkara a member of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission . Palihakkara appointment was criticised because , as Sri Lanka 's Permanent Representative to the United Nations , he represented the government and defended the actions of the Sri Lankan military during the final months of the civil war when both sides of the conflict are alleged to have committed war crimes
alleged to have committed war crimes
Alleged war crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War
H. M. G. S. Palihakkara