Sri Lanka’s new President Maithripala Sirisena has replaced an ex-military with a civilian Governor in the Northern Province. Mr. Sirisena on Wednesday announced the appointment of H.M.G.S. Palihakkara as the new Governor on his website.

The Tamil-controlled provincial administration of the Northern Province has long accused the outgoing Governor, retired Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri, of preventing them from functioning freely and running a parallel local government.

In his election policy statement, Mr. Sirisena had promised a local investigation into war crimes allegations against the government and Tamil Tiger rebels in the final stages of the fighting.

A U.N. report said up to 40,000 Tamils civilians may have been killed in the final months of the fighting and largely blamed it on government shelling.