Truth vs Hype: Sri Lanka - hope or illusion? Full autonomy to Tamil areas - Ranil

#SriLanka #RanilWickremasinghe promised autonomy to #Tamil areas #NDTV reports. #MY3 reforms should take place in April 2015 with new parliament.

Here is a full transcript of the interview of NDTV and PM Ranil Wicremasinghe and TNA leader R Sambandan (below NDTV transcript of Ranil) where the coalition partners have disputes in Tamil demands.

Source of transcript: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/rajapaksa-played-china-and-india-against-each-other-says-sri-lankan-prime-minister-ranil-wickramasin-650555

Here the controversial Tweet of #NDTV: "In principle, we have agreed to full autonomy to Tamil areas, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe tells NDTV"  The question arise here is who gave mandate to Ranil Wickremasinghe to give full autonomy to Tamils in North and East of Sri Lanka? People of Sri Lanka elected President #MaithripalaSirisena (#MY3) for #GoodGovernance, #Democracy and #AntiCorruption. Current parliament is not elected by #MY3 manifesto. If PM Ranil wants to decide future of Sri Lanka giving self autonomy to Tamil people he must be re-elected by people on #MY3 manifesto to parliament and win majority of votes in parliament to become as PM. Then only he can promise self autonomy to Tamil people. If he acts as a dictator in his PM capacity without consulting his coalition partners, he is mere another dictator. People will decide the fate of such dictators. Ranil Wickremasinghe once gave self autonomy to Tamils in 2002 and we as peace loving Sri Lankans saw how self autonomy worked in North and East. Tamils formed a separate state in Sri Lanka. We dont want that happen again!

රනිල් උතුර-නගෙනහිර දෙමල ජනතාවට ස්වයං තීරන අයිතිය දෙනව කියන්නෙ කාගෙන් අහලද? අපි ජනාධිපති වරයෙක් පත් කර ගත්ත. ඒ මෛත්‍රිපල සිරිසේන. දැනට තිබෙන පාර්ලිමේන්තුව මෛත්‍රි ආන්ඩුවේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති වලට පත් වුන පාර්ලිමෙන්තුවක් නෙවේ. එනිසා රනිල් අගමැතිතුමා වෙන්න නම් ජනතාව විසින් නැවතත් පත් කරගත යුතුව තිබෙනව. අගමැති ලෙස රටේ අනාගතය ගැන තීරන ගන්න ඕනෙ පවතින ගැටලු විසදන ප්‍රතිපත්ති ජනතාව විසින් අනුමත කරල ඔවුන් විසින් පත් කල පාර්ලිමේන්තුවක් විසින්. ඒ නිසා රනිල් මෛත්‍රීගෙ ප්‍රතිපත්ති වලින් ජනතාව අතරට ගිහිල්ල ජන්දෙ දිනාගෙන පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට තේරිල, පාර්ලිමේන්තුවෙ වැඩි ජන්දෙන් අගමැති ලෙස නැවතත් තොර පත්කරගත්තට පස්සෙ මේ වගෙ තීරනයකට ආවනම් සාදාරනයි. නැති නම් රනිල්ට කියන්න වෙන්නෙත් එකාධිපතියෙක් කියලයි. එකාධිපතියන්ට හිමිවෙන්න ඕනෙ ඉරණම ජනතාව දන්නව.

NDTV: Many believe that Maithripala Sirisena's dramatic victory in the Sri Lanka elections would not have been possible were it not for the support of Ranil Wickramasinghe, one of the most seasoned politicians in Sri Lanka and who's now back as Prime Minister for the third time- sworn in almost immediately after President Sirisena took charge. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Wickramasinghe for joining me and is that a fair assessment, that without you Sirisena would not have won? You are the true kingmaker of this election?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: The kingmakers are the people who wanted a change. They didnt want a king, they wanted a president and the abolishment of the executive presidency. So we decided to have a common candidate. The UNP was the largest party in the opposition and certainly ran the organisations on the ground outside the northern province.

NDTV: But you know the change many believe came peacefully, except news came that actually there was an attempted coup by former president Rajapaksa. Now you actually came to visit him here at Temple Trees, the official residence, early  that morning, where he finally conceded. Did he concede immediately or was there some sort of planned coup?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: President Rajapaksa sent me a message, wanting me to give him a telephone call . that he had lost the elections. I replied that I will come there and discuss the transition with him rather than do it over the phone. So when i came here, President Rajapaksa conceded defeat and we discussed the details of the transition.

NDTV: He didn't put up a fuss or anything?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: No there was no fuss when he met me, no.

NDTV: But you know the fact is that many believe that you are going to be the real power behind this throne; this is actually going to be a Ranil Wickramasinghe government, not a Sirisena government. Is that true?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: Well we have made Mr Maithripala Sirisena the President and the parties constituting the government will run that jointly.We want to bring an Amendment to the Constitution this month to abolish executive presidency. Then in June, most probably May or June, we'll hold parliamentary elections and the people can decide who should be the Prime Minister and head the government.

NDTV: Okay. You're saying that you're a transitionary government but many believe that it's a Wickramasinghe government because all the cabinet ministers are from your party.

Ranil Wickramasinghe: No the major party as I said was the UNP so therefore the major number of ministers are from the UNP. But, we did set apart a number of ministries to be offered to the members who supported President Rajapaksa in the SLFP.

NDTV: Now let's look at three big issues which India is concerned about. Number one is whether you will grant full autonomy to the Tamils or will that just remain a promise on paper?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: Well the agreement is that the 13th Amendment be implemented,  and that's the discussion we are having with the TNA. In principle all have agreed that the 13th Amendment should be implemented.

NDTV: You're okay with that?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: We are with that. We're only having discussions about the police powers and how it should function, that's all.

NDTV: But that's the key thing.

Ranil Wickramasinghe: No, police powers is a provincial subject but there are certain concerns Once we bring the independent commission in, how do we do that? To ensure that..there is big fear in the country, not only the North, that the nine ministers.. chief ministers may turn the police into their own private army. We're all concerned, even the TNA is aware of it, so we've got to have safeguards against it

NDTV: But you're not in principle against it? You're not in principle averse to granting full powers?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: The 13th Amendment will be implemented in full and then there's a question not only of an independent police commission; there's going to be independent public service commissions. So how that relates to the provinces also has to be discussed.

NDTV: The second is of course to do with the exaggerated pro China tilt by the Rajapaksa government. Will you rectify that? Because that's a matter of great concern for India.

Ranil Wickramasinghe: As far as we are concerned we will continue the tradition of a policy of friendship with India while we maintain our friendship with China, Japan and the other countries.

NDTV: But do you agree that the tilt towards China had gone a little too far during the Rajapaksa time? A lot of contracts were signed.

Ranil Wickramasinghe: I have always said that President Rajapaksa's regime tried to play China against India and India against China and they came a cropper.

NDTV: But what about the contracts? Many of these projects that Rajapaksa had signed during his time. The president was funded by the Chinese. You yourself have asked for investigations into some of them.

Ranil Wickramasinghe: We are looking into all foreign contracts and local ones and where there is corruption, we will certainly ensure we take action whether it be Chinese or any other country. We are also reviewing the port city project because we have not yet seen the feasibility study and the environment impact assessment. I asked..when i was with the opposition, I asked the government to table it in parliament. They didn't do so. Therefore we will have to look into the environmental and feasibility aspects.

NDTV: You will be looking into that? Do you believe there was corruption there?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: We're looking mostly into the two reports. Then we will know whether there has been corruption or not.

NDTV: What about the question of prosecution of war crimes?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: Our position has always been that whatever we do has to be within our domestic jurisdiction.

NDTV: So you're saying no international probe is going to be allowed?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: No, we're saying the jurisdiction to try any person who's committed a crime lies with Sri Lanka.

NDTV: So your stand remains the same as the previous government? A UN probe is not welcome; you will do your own  internal probe?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: No, UN can give its probe. We'll engage the UN on these issues. That's the difference. We're going to engage the UN Human Rights Council on these issues. All we're saying is any criminal jurisdiction must be exercised in Sri Lanka. Any civil jurisdiction has to be exercised in Sri Lanka. Only the Sri Lankan courts can determine this issue. The same as India or USA. We are no different from anyone else but we will restore the independence of the judiciary.

NDTV: Okay, but you concede that these war crimes did take place?

Ranil Wickramasinghe:  Whatever the violations of human rights, we are looking into it. Anyway, the UN is going to send its own reports so there after we will decide what we're going to do. But we will have engagement and the UN report is not about going to the international criminal court. It's about whether violations took place or not.

NDTV: Is Sri Lanka essentially a unitary state? A Sinhala state? Or is it a state that includes all its people? This is a concern that was there with the previous regime. There are concerns whether there's going to be any change in that position.

Ranil Wickramasinghe: The 13th Amendment is on the basis of the present Constitution which India has accepted.  It's unitary and it's Sri Lankan. It's a country for Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, everyone. And that is accepted by everyone here.

NDTV: Will former president Rajapaksa face justice for the charges that have been leveled by you during the campaign or has there been some kind of a deal that has been done?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: Yeah, we are looking into everything and if we need to take action, we will take action.

NDTV: You will? And right now what would you say is your single biggest challenge as Prime Minister?

Ranil Wickramasinghe: Our challenge now is first to get the Constitutional Amendments through.

NDTV: Right

Ranil Wickramasinghe: And to give the relief to the people and restore democracy.

NDTV: Right. Prime Minister, I wish you all the very best. It's a challenging time for Sri Lanka, but a remarkable one. Thank you.

Story First Published: January 18, 2015 22:31 IS

Here is a transcript of interview between NDTV and TNA leader R Sambandan

You Tube link http://youtu.be/iWuT6MMOjAg?t=9m08s

NDTV: One of the reasons credited for President Sirisena's (#MaithripalaSirisena) victory was the fact that  the coalition of Tamil Parties known as the #TNA (#TamilNationalAlliance) came out and endorsed him (#MiathripalaSirisena) at the very last minute leading to an over whelming vote for him in the Tamil areas of the North and the East of Sri Lanka. But are you convinced that that is going to result in this finally bein able to meet the demands of the Tamil population of Sri Lanka which is concrete greater autonomy?

SAMBANDAN: We have discussed it (Autonomy to Tamils) with the President after the election. Other political leaders in the alliance are aware of the Tamil position.

NDTV: What did he (President Sirisena) say when you spoke to him?

NDTV with TNA Leader R Sambandan

SAMBANDAN: I think he is positive.. I am not... eh... saying that.. eh... he would... eh..  do everything possible and.. eh.. that eh,, I am confident that he'll (President Sirisena) come up with an excellent scheme of devolution or what ever...

NDTV: What's that meaning?

SAMBANDAN: We want something more credible..

NDTV: So, then you are talking about something?

SAMBANDAN: which would give us power in the areas of our competence...

NDTV: Which is? like what?

SAMBANDAN: Jurisdiction and subvention of what sense. We will take care in the provinces in a manner that will enable  the provinces where adequate measures of self rule (for Tamils) regarding matters of economic concerns, social concerns, cultural concerns, political concerns,

NDTV: So police power, land power... all that?

SAMBANDAN: Of course YES.

THAT MEANS:

-FULL AUTONOMY TO TAMIL PEOPLE WAS DEMANDED BY TNA AND AGREED BY #MY3 COALITION.
-RANIL WICKREMASINGHE AND MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA HAVE AGREED TO ABOLISH  13A AND ABOLISH EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Movement for a just and righteous society in Sri Lanka

Original post: Ven. Sobitha — a Buddhist puts his finger on Lanka’s ‘civilisational crisis’

Most Venerable Maduluwave Sobitha Thera has set up an organization called “Peoples’ movement towards a just and righteous society” to ‘bring democracy back to Sri Lanka.’ Ven. Sobitha Thera says that in order to sustain democracy in the country it is essential that a peoples’ movement, geared towards the creation of a just and righteous society, is brought to power.

In an interview with LAKBIMAnEWS, the thera said: “If a country is governed according to democratic norms and principles then such governance should be evident to everyone.”

Excerpts of the interview:
But it is not so anymore. The first is the independence of the judiciary. It is now clear to the country that there is no more independence within the judiciary. It has become way too politicized. The public is aware how some people withdraw court cases they have filed at the eleventh hour, just when a case is about to be called. In fact cases are withdrawn by the Attorney General (AG). In some instances, when an appeal is lost, such cases are withdrawn. So where is the democracy in such a situation, you tell me? Everyone in this country has to abide by the law. There has to be a mechanism whereby the independence of the judiciary is protected at all times. Some of the Supreme Court judges, once they retire are showered with top posts along with excellent perks. They know that when they retire they are going to be well looked after. Such expectations and hopes should not be given to SC judges. They should lead quiet lives once they retire.

Police force politicized
Secondly, the police force has to be entrusted with the task of maintaining law and order devoid of political influence.

Today the police force has become politicized so much so that there is no independence for the police force in the country to carry out their job.

The best example is the underworld leader, Julampitiye Amare, who despite over 100 warrants against him, could not be apprehended by the police. He moved openly while brandishing firearms. Under whose authority did he do this, or how could he do this?

It is clear to the public as to who is shielding whom. The police later said that Amare had only five warrants. In that case, wasn’t that number of warrants sufficient to arrest him? The unfortunate incident at Katuwana occurred due to Amare being allowed by the government and the police to roam freely. There are scores of other instances that could be cited to justify claims that  the Police Department has become politicized, from the very top to the lowest ranks.

Using clout to flout rules
Third, there is no use in conducting elections under the present system of elections. Conducting polls sans an independent election commission leads to blatant violations of all election rules when polls are conducted. No election rules can be enforced without the establishment of an independent election commission.

It is the incumbent government that is using its clout to flout all such rules. This has been true in the past, it is true at present and it will be the case in the future as well unless the situation is transformed,” said Sobitha Thera.

Independent commissions

The thera (see main story) also said that even the LLRC recommendations have highlighted the setting up of independent judicial, police, election and state service commissions, and bemoaned the fact that the government has done nothing proactive to address these issues.

He maintained that if independent commissions are set up they will also go a long way towards establishing democracy in the country and will pave the way for a lasting solution to the national issue as well.

“The Executive President could overrule any laws or acts adopted by parliament. Such is the authority and power vested in him. Even in the Mahinda Chinthana it has been clearly stated that the Executive Presidency will be abolished. This was even stated by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga,” Sobitha Thera observed.

The Chief Incumbent of the Kotte Sri Naga Vihara said that the onus is on the government to set up and activate the independent commissions if they are sincere or genuine in their efforts to establish democratic norms and principles in the country.
He also emphasized that the government had invited the wrath of the international lobby vis-a-vis the Geneva resolution that was passed early this year due to it not being sincere in its efforts to traverse the path of democracy.

“Clearly the government has failed in allowing the people to live in peace and sans any fear. There were scores of incidents that took place in the past where people were allegedly abducted by white vans, etc. Now this too is a form of terrorism that is being unleashed in the country and the government is not determined to eradicate it though they wiped out Prabakaran’s terrorism. What we are requesting from the government is to look into these issues seriously. This was the same message given to the government by both the UNHRC in Geneva and the LLRC report, (LLRC is Lessons Learned Reconciliation Commission)” the thera averred.

Ven. Sobitha Thera said that it is time for all Sri Lankans to put aside their differences, whatever they may be and force the government of the day to adhere to democratic principles and maintain democracy in governance.

He also urged ministers and MPs to raise a voice from within the government circles towards this end.
“This request carries no party, race, caste, creed or affiliation. It is the crying need of the hour of all Sri Lankans. Justice is our religion. Equality is our religion. Independence is our religion and freedom is our religion. It is about time that the people take to the streets to achieve all of these,” he affirmed.

Maduluwave Sobitha Thera insisted that he is not interested in setting up a joint opposition.
“This should not be construed as the setting up of a joint opposition. That is entirely different from what we are planning right now. We do not have political undertones or connections. We encompass all citizens in this country without discriminating anyone under any circumstance. All are welcome - irrespective of who they are,” he asserted.

Related Posts:

1.  UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON DEMOCRACY
2. LLRC-REPORT (pdf file 407 pages)
3. Darusman Report (UN Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka War Accountability) pdf 243 pages, 31 March 2011
4. What is UN panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka 
5. Critic on LLRC: Statement on the Report of Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission
6. Recommendations of LLRC report implemented - Dr. Kohona
7.  TNA rejects LLRC report as failing to meet international standards of accountability and right of victims to truth, justice and reparations
8. Democracy and Human Rights: UN
9. Human Rights

Exposed: The Southern cells of the LTTE terror network

(ORIGINAL POST PUBLISHED ON Friday, 16 February 2007. COURTESY DAILY NEWS )

Exposed: The Southern cells of the LTTE terror network

BLASTS: The entire country was puzzled when five bombs exploded almost simultaneously in Kiribathgoda, Wattala, Rajagiriya, Nugegoda and Dehiwala on January 24, 2006. No one was injured in the relatively minor blasts which took place at night.
The explosions that rocked the suburbs that day remained a mystery as Police could not make any breakthrough in their probe.
However, they came to the conclusion that a single organisation was behind all five explosions.
As time passed those low-scale explosions turned into a trivial matter not only for the people but also for the Security Forces and the Police as suicide bombs dominated the entire scene overshadowing all the other incidents in Colombo.
But there was a worrying factor for the Security Forces and the Police.

The second batch of the Revolutionary Liberation Organisation comprising, 1. Dinesh Buddhika Kalapalage alias Jagath, Talapalakanda, Deniyaya. 2. Gunaratna Adhikari Mudiyanselage Priyantha Goonaratna alias Parakrama, Udagammana, Divulapitiya. 3. Weerakoon Mudiyanselage Suranji Pradeep, Meetotamulla, Wellampitiya. 4. Mannadhi Pathirannehelage Sarath Janaka Manamendra, Divulapitiya. 5. Jayaratna Mudiyanselage Udaya Shamal Costa, Pahalabiyanwila, Kadawata. 6. Mohammed Lalith Seneviratna, Hokandara, during their visit to Elephant Pass.

The recovery of claymore mines one after the other in Colombo and suburban areas put them in an uneasy situation.
Those claymore mines posed a major threat to civilian life given the situation that arose after the Kebithigollewa bus bombing. But the people were fortunate enough as none of these claymore mines could do any harm. The Security Forces connected the LTTE to all these incidents since it was the only organisation which promotes violence to achieve their so-called objectives. Therefore, the Security Forces and the Police doubled their alertness towards disruptive elements in the country consequent to the two bus explosions in Nittambuwa and Hikkaduwa which killed several innocent civilians and injured many more. They detected more claymore mines, weaponry and ammunition and patiently monitored the situation.At last the Security Forces made a breakthrough that solved all those puzzles.


Acting on a tip-off received by the 112 Brigade and after a months long investigation and exercise of patience, the Army arrested Mohammed Lalith Seneviratna alias Mola Seneviratna, a former JVP activist who unsuccessfully contested the 1994 General election along with Ajith Kumara for the Gampaha district under JVP banner.

Along with Mola Seneviratna two more suspects Sudu Hewage Nihal Serasinghe alias Ragala Nihal, a resident of Rajagiriya who was married to a Tamil woman from Ragala and Mayadunne Arachchige Sisira Priyankara, a resident of Panadura and the treasurer of the leftist Trade Union of the Railway Department were also arrested.


The arrest of Seneviratna and Sisira Priyankara triggered controversy in trade union and media circles in Colombo due to their media and journalistic backgrounds. Many media organisations and trade unions jumped to the conclusion that an innocent journalist and a trade union activist have been arrested or rather abducted by unidentified men.
However, Seneviratna and Priyankara proved their guilt in their confessions to the Army, completely silencing the people and the organisations that hastened to blame the Government and the Security Forces without examining the background of these people.
Seneviratna revealed how he formed the Revolutionary Liberation Organisation when he lost faith in the path adopted by the JVP after entering Parliamentary democratic politics.

The prime aim of their organisation, in their words, was to “prevent the country from falling into the hands of imperialists” and they firmly believed in an armed struggle to protect the country.

Though some years passed after the formation of the organisation they failed to form a constitution. However, the organisation had several co-secretaries for administrative, political, military and intelligence.

It increased membership through their family links, trade union links and media links. According to latest revelations they have used street dramas and drama training centres to recruit new members. The most shocking part of his revelation was the path they selected to approach their goal. Mola Seneviratne explained how he developed contacts with the LTTE through a person called Ravi and how they received training in weapons and use of explosives from LTTE Intelligence Wing deputy leader Kapila Amman.They revealed how three batches of their organisation comprising 12 people underwent training in weapons and use of explosives with the LTTE in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.The photographs show the second batch of the Revolutionary Liberation Organisation undergo weapons training in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu with LTTE members.

This threesome admitted that their organisation was responsible for the following crimes:
*Placing of claymore mine near STF camp, Ganemulla
*Placing of claymore mine at 9th Mile Post, Mahara
*Placing a claymore mine and a time bomb aiming an Army vehicle in Koggala
*Exploding time bombs at Kiribathgoda, Wattala, near Castle hospital, Nugegoda and Dehiwala
*Placing of time bomb at Radawana
*Exploding a time bomb at the IOC Filling station at Piliyandala
*Throwing a hand grenade at IOC filling station at Mount Lavinia
*Throwing a hand grenade at IOC filling station at Kadawatha

In addition Seneviratna has also admitted that he worked as a freelance journalist for Minister Mangala Samaraweera from 1996 to 1998. They have received claymore mines, weapons and explosives from Tiger cadres and have distributed those weapons, claymore mines and ammunition among their members.They fell into the hands of the LTTE and became a cat’s paw of the LTTE in the South. They helped the LTTE to accomplish what they could not otherwise have achieved in the South.

The most alarming factor is that the LTTE had used this organisation to collect intelligence on vital economic and military centres in the South. Apart from the supply of weapons and ammunition the LTTE has also sent funds worth Rs.1 million and in turn the organisation invested money at various business establishments.
One such business establishment was found in Kadawatha area and steps have already been taken to freeze these assets by obtaining a Court order.After these three key suspects were handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Division, the Criminal Investigations Department made another eight arrests after February 8. The TID arrested two men from a hideout in Nivitigala, two from Habaraduwa, two from Kadawatha and one from Kotadeniyawa. The TID arrested Priyantha Nugawela, an employee attached to the Railway Department and his brother-in-law, a conductor who assisted Priyantha to conceal ammunition buried in their compound.

Sanjaya Sugathchandra of Kuleegedara, Kotadeniyawa a friend of Suranjith Pradeep of Wellampitiya and Priyantha Gunaratna of Divulapitiya both of whom have been trained in weapons and use of explosives were arrested at a hideout in Nivitigala Police area on February 13.The TID on February 9 also arrested the Grama Niladari of Balawela, Badalagama Sarath Janaka Manamendra who had undergone weapons training under the LTTE in Kilinochchi.

In addition, Hewadadallagodage Keerthi alias Podi Malli of Habaraduwa was also arrested by the TID on February 12 and based on his interrogation Ravindra Lasantha Kumara of Habaraduwa too was arrested. Police recovered one pistol with 13 live bullets.The TID also recovered weapons cleaning material and a 21-metre long detonator cord from Sisira Priyankara’s house in Panadura. Sisira Priyankara who was the President of Left oriented trade union of the Railway Department has played an active role in the recent strikes in Railway Department. Police recovered one micro pistol with six rounds of live ammunition from his locker at the Railway Department in a search carried out subsequent to his arrest.A further recovery was made on February 12 from the principal suspect Lalith Seneviratna which included a USB drive, a computer and a hard disk.

The USB drive contained the photos of the principal suspect and his group members taken during LTTE military training and during their visit to Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass.
The CID and the TID has deployed more teams in search of the members who had gone missing.
Though initially it was believed that this organisation comprised only Sinhalese, more roots have been found in the estate sector too with the involvement of estate Tamils. The organisation was in the process of increasing its membership in many parts of the country by training new recruits after deploying those who had already undergone weapons and explosive training with the LTTE.

Therefore, it is believed that the organisation could have been used as the cat’s paw of the LTTE to carry on their activities in the South using trained Sinhalese as their agents, hoodwinking the Security Forces and the Police.

Further interrogation of these suspects has revealed that they have been engaged in planning a big calamity in the South in the coming days specially on the day CFA is due to complete five years (February 22). But it is not yet confirmed what type of disaster they had planned in the South.
Therefore, the credit should go to the Security Forces and the Police for exposing such a terror group even though unfounded and baseless allegations are levelled against them without a proper knowledge of what is going on.

Certain foreign INGOs and organisations are in the habit of the blaming the Security Forces for violating the human rights and making Security Forces and the Police responsible for so-called abductions.
And even some politicians knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly have become a part of the LTTE stage-managed campaign against the Security Forces, jumping to the conclusion that the Security Forces have violated human rights.

Setting aside their slogans at demonstrations and protests, it should be questioned whether they have made a proper and impartial analysis of the whole situation.
In the final analysis even the Southern media also have become a part of the LTTE propaganda machine to discredit the Government, Security Forces and the Police as the LTTE in a very subtle way has used them to achieve their aims.

The most prominent feature in this campaign is that these media organisations too are playing a vital role in promoting the cause of the LTTE by sympathising with the people who have been “abducted in white vans” as they say, without making any effort to find out their background.

The most amusing factor is that all these so-called abductions have been perpetrated by people arriving in white vans. According to Government Defence Affairs Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the idea is to give the impression that Government and the Security Forces are behind these so-called abductions.
What should be uppermost in the public mind at this moment is to see whether there was any complaint from a single political party or organisation to suppress them as had happened during the terror period in the late 1980’s. So far no political party or organisation had made any complaint against the Government. The only worrying factor they were having is the so-called abductions.

When going deeper into these allegations, it is obvious that the LTTE was indirectly behind these agitations though several organisations are in the front line.The prime aim of the LTTE is to prevent the Security Forces and the Police from arresting suspected LTTE cadres who had arrived in the South from various parts of the Wanni with ulterior motives. The LTTE made use of Southern politicians and also the Sinhala civilian organisations so effectively to cover up their attempt to launch a surprise attack on the Colombo Port.
These politicians and civil organisations coupled with certain media organisations are still making an effort to blame the Navy saying they have fired upon innocent fishermen.

In fact, they are still playing to the tune of the LTTE managed campaign, to cover up their plan which they launched using the fishermen to guide the LTTE boats to the Colombo Port. However, the Navy still stands firm that the arrests made by them were correct given the number of weapons recoveries they made after the detection of the boat. It is high time for the public to think twice before jumping to hasty conclusions about the steps taken by the Security Forces and the Police and keep faith in them since they have so far taken the correct measures to strengthen the security of civilians. And they should be grateful to the Security Forces and the Police for taking effective measures for creating a more secure environment for a peaceful life.

India Responsible for Dividing Sri Lanka, Training LTTE Terrorists - JR ...

India Responsible for Dividing Sri Lanka, Training LTTE Terrorists - JR former SL President 1985. In 1985, during an Interview with BBC former President of Sri Lanka MR. J R Jayawardene says that India is training Tamil Tigers (LTTE terrorists) in India to capture Sri Lanka. India is accountable for more than 200,000 civilian deaths in Sri Lanka and directly  caused two civil wars (LTTE (1982-2009) & JVP (1988-1990) ) in Sri Lanka. The LTTE was defeated in 2009, still India causes Eelam tension in Sri Lanka by Tamil Nadu politicians and Tamils/ fishermen. video link

0:00 BBC:Rajiv (India PM) attempts to force him to sit down and negotiate with Tigers (LTTE terrorists).

0:06 JR: I think we can deal with them. But we need the sympathy of the world, we need the support of India. Because their (Tamil Tigers) training camps are in India, they have been trained in India, and they are operating from India. They move about freely in India. And I dont think they should allow to do that, to use violence against as a friendly state.

0:23 But thats how you feel about it. But within Sri Lanka you have no alternative BUT to fight the guerrillas until you defeat them militarily?

0:29 JR: Until they give up arms, yes. Nothing else I can do.

0:34 BBC: But the danger would be that in the process of defeating them militarily supposing that you can do it, then you are alienating a lot of Tamil opinion. Which at least these people are Tamils. No we dont want them to be killed.

0:44 JR: I dont think so. I think am not afraid of alienating Tamil opinion. I am afraid of alienating public opinion of the world, your country (British) and other countries including large section in India have a wrong impression of what is happening there (Sri Lanka) as an Ethnic conflict. It is not an ethnic conflict, it is a conflict of one people who wants to capture the "whole of Sri Lanka". Not a portion. "The whole of Sri Lanka" and make it a Marxist sate.

In 1987 Sri Lanka's former President Mr J.R.Jayewardene was pushed by India. India Invaded Sri Lanka's air apace by sending Kfir fighter jets dropping weapons (LTTE) and food to North-Eeast of Sri Lanka.

(New York Times, June 03, 1987) SRI LANKA THREATENS TO HALT INDIAN BOATS BEARING TAMIL RELIEF. Sri Lanka and India appeared headed for a confrontation tonight as the Government here ordered its armed forces to intercept a shipment of supplies from India to ethnic Tamils in the north.

Brushing off the Sri Lankan threats, India proceeded with preparations for the delivery of ''humanitarian assistance'' by an unarmed flotilla of 20 fishing boats scheduled to leave the southern Indian port of Rameswaram on Wednesday morning.

India said it had warships stationed on the Indian side of the Palk Strait, which separates the two countries, ready to move if the Sri Lankans tried to stop the shipment. ''If they try to stop those boats, God help them,'' an Indian official said.

Subsequent in August 1987, Sri Lanka had to agree with India due pressure on Sri Lanka and no support from International community. The prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi came to Sri Lanka to bring about a solution to the Tamil armed problem which was ceated by India. Indo-Lanka Peace accord was signed in 1987 against the will of the nation and the Government. Rajiv Gandhi was hit by  Navy sailor's riffle butt while Rajiv was inspecting the Guard of Honour. As a result of Indo-Lanka Peace Accord (1987) the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Forces) was sent in to Sri Lanka by India. The peace accord was very unpopular among the Sri Lankan folks. A civil war erupted between Govt abd JVP in South killing over 60,000 Sinhalese people while LTTE war in North during 1988-1990).

In 1990 President Sri Lanka R. Premadasa and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi were murdered by LTTE suicide bombers.

In 2009 under the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa Sri Lankan Security forces defeated LTTE and the day of victory was announces on 19th May 2009.

True Facts of Sri Lanka War by Gotabaya

The full Speech of Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the launching of the report titled ‘Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis’ July 2006 - May 2009 held on August 1 in Colombo. 
"The purpose of today’s event is to officially release the report that has been compiled by the Ministry of Defence on the Humanitarian Operation. The purpose of this report is to set out the factual background and operational context, which brought peace to Sri Lanka by liberating our people from the brutal terrorism of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the LTTE, in May 2009.

The report begins with a detailed analysis of the LTTE, including its true nature and its growth and sophistication over the years and the threat it posed to all Sri Lankans. The LTTE was a vicious terrorist group that suppressed democracy in the areas it dominated, killed all its rivals and assassinated moderate Tamil politicians and intellectuals and spread terror throughout Sri Lanka with its many attacks on innocent civilians. Raising funds through its international criminal network, the LTTE not only had the ability to use semi-conventional tactics on land, but also acquired sea and air dimensions to strengthen its offensive capability.

ඇමරිකානු කොටි ජාලයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා

Read http://www.divaina.com/2010/09/05/defence.html

KP-Diaspora programme operated by SL Military Intelligence: Doctor Arudkumar

Updated on 12 Oct 2011
[TamilNet, Monday, 28 June 2010, 21:31 GMT]
Sri Lankan Director of National Intelligence, Major General Kapila Hendawitharana, the longest serving intelligence officer of the military, is in charge of the covert and overt programme of dividing and conquering the Tamil diaspora, alludes British Tamil doctor Velauthapillai Arudkumar, who visited the island recently as part of a ‘Tamil diaspora visit’ organised by Colombo through Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP. TamilNet releases an exclusive video interview with Dr. Arudkumar taken two days ago, in which he reveals the details of the trip. SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Maj. Gen. Hendawitharana and External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris, all spoke in a well-synchronised way. Military counterinsurgency and 'post-war development' are intertwined aiming at Tamil subjugation, the doctor infers in his interview Dr. Arudkumar was one of the nine diaspora Eezham Tamils who visited the island from 6 countries between 15 June and 20 June. KP and his associates in the diaspora played a crucial role in mobilising this diaspora group to have talks with the Sri Lankan government on post-war rehabilitation of civilians and former LTTE cadres in detention. The doctor says he made the decision as an individual to explore the opportunity to help the uprooted civilians, people incarcerated and those held in detention camps. Earlier, he had served the people of Vaakarai in Batticaloa for four weeks after the 2004 tsunami catastrophe. "I am not a politician. I only wanted to help," he said.

But, after sensing the intentions behind the Sri Lankan military intelligence, the foreign minister and the defence secretary, and experiencing the restrictions put in place, his decision was not to succumb to the tactics of Colombo. They will only bring their mindset into you, attempt to divide and destroy you. They will misuse your intentions for their advantage, especially in convincing the West that the Tamil diaspora is now cooperating with them, the doctor said. KP told the diaspora visitors that one should be satisfied with what is being offered and should look after the civilians and the former cadres. He was sounding 'spiritual' and was criticising the political initiatives of the diaspora.

The TNA speaks only about political solution and Tamil Nadu leaders are jokers (koamaa'lika'l), is the opinion reflected in the speeches of Kapila, Gotabhaya and KP, says the doctor. The visitors were told of outside interests in the land of the North and East. When asked who were those outsiders, the reply pointed at India. Dr. Arudkumar thinks there is an intention in the Sri Lankan side to bring in a rift between Eezham Tamils and India / Tamil Nadu.

"Even if you can't, we will bring the diaspora to cooperate," the visitors were told with arrogance and confidence.

Tamils have no right to ask for political solution and they should accept whatever that is given, was the attitude of the government side, and it was like treating Tamils as slaves, says Arudkumar, adding that when such was the attitude he felt embarrassed to see KP’s gesture of embracing Gotabhaya at the meeting.
The terms like transnational, united, federal, etc, are sensitive terms and they should be avoided. From South Africa to Japan, countries have so many other models. One should go to the grassroot to find the solution, professor G.L.Peris told the visitors. One should not talk about the 'past' or 'history', but should cooperate to build the country together. Mahinda has got a mandate from the [Sinhala] people, was the response from the government side when the visitors began talking about political solution.

When KP was asked about his arrest, he told the visitors that he was arrested by the Malaysian authorities, interrogated for two days and was flown to Colombo with Sri Lankan intelligence officer Sam, a subordinate of Kapila Hendawitharana. Sam was also present at the meetings. Kapila Hendawitharana in his conversations mentioned that he had met KP back in 2006, says Dr. Arudkumar, who describes the intelligence chief as the 'master mind'. KP was giving details of different personalities in various countries and was talking about properties and money associated with them. When Arudkumar asked why couldn't the Sri Lankan government release the frozen TRO money for the use of the resettlement of civilians, Kapila Hendawitharana responded by saying that the visitors should first start bringing in the diaspora money.

The number of people to be rehabilitated varies from one government agency to another, between 190,000 to more than 300,000. Perhaps the needs are different for them to cite different numbers, politics on one hand and money on the other. The visitors were taken to Palaali military base and were briefed by the commanders there before being taken to Raamaavil in Thenmaraadchi where they met resettled families. But, there were intelligence operatives. Visitors were not allowed to meet civilians in Ki'linochchi. When visiting Cheddiku'lam internment camp in Vavuniyaa, the visitors wanted to see Zone-4 of the camp, but they were only taken to Zone-2. While talking to the families in the camp we were able to detect that some people had been planted among the IDPs to interact with us, the doctor said. When there are already a number of organisations working for rehabilitation what was the need for Tamil Rehabilitation Centre (TRC) initiated by KP, asks the doctor, reasoning that it was to show the outside world that the diaspora is now politically with the government. Even while we were on our visit there was talk that many more diaspora groups were going to come. What I tell them is that it is of no use. KP can do very little, Dr. Arudkumar said. Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana During Chandrika Kumaratunga's presidency, Kapila Hendawitharana was in charge of the military intelligence. He played a crucial role in getting the renegade LTTE commander Karuna to work with the Sri Lankan military intelligence and in launching covert operations against the LTTE, resulting in a series of assassinations. His unit was mainly responsible for the serious violations of the clause 1.8 of the Ceasefire Agreement by deploying paramilitary operatives against the Tigers. After repeated complaints from various actors, he was transferred and posted to Thailand as Defence Attaché. Later, when Rajapaksa came to power, he was made the intelligence chief to coordinate with Gotabhaya and Fonseka.

As the Sri Lankan diplomatic establishments across the world are extensively militarised in recent times, diaspora circles fear that a major covert operation against diaspora Eezham Tamils is already in progress and that the KP programme is only a tip of the iceberg.

Source: Tamil Net: KP-Diaspora programme operated by SL Military Intelligence: Doctor Arudkumar

Related articles:
KUMARAN PATHMANATHAN a.k.a. KP IS STILL A HARD CORE TERRORIST WHO DOESN’T DESERVE ANY MERCY
http://www.tamilnewsnetwork.com/2010/06/28/kp-diaspora-programme-operated-by-sl-military-intelligence-doctor-arudkumar/





Tags: Dr Arudkumar Velauthapillai, Kapila Hendawitharana, KP, KUMARAN PATHMANATHAN, LTTE, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, Sri Lanka, sri lanka expats, Sri Lanka News, Sri Lanka War, tamil diaspora, Eezham Tamils, tamil eelam, tamilnet, Counter Terrorism, LLRC, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, KP Arrest,  tiger trap, TRO, Sri Lanka reconciliation, TAG, IDP sri lanka,

Congratulations Mr President Mahinda Rajapakse - A Note With Love

Dear Mr. President Mahinda Rajapakse,

Congratulations! You have won the Sri Lanka Presidential Election 2010. You have been rewarded by the people of Sri Lanka for the promises you delivered. You deserve that. You have been a great leader to the nation by delivering promises you made and defending us not only from the most ruthless terrorists but also from foreign intimidations. We elected you as our next president because we thought you stood out of other candidates. You are more resourcefull serving the national interests. The most of the people endorsed you as the president because you eradicated terrorism in Sri Lanka. You have won the trust of the people. We admire you for restating democracy and reuniting our country.

It s also worth looking at past term (2005-2009) and reflect on shortcomings. Among other issues constant criticisms and allegations about media freedom, corruption, nepotism, political harassments, thuggery, murders, abductions and abuses of state media take significant impact on our people. People tolerated, sacrificed for the sake of war. We do not consider “war crimes” allegations of west during last stage of war since it was not intended but happened in a war situation. But we do aware that there is room for improvements in maintaining law and order in the country and democracy, tolerance for criticisms and opinions. The hard earned tax money of poor people needs to be utilized for the betterment of very same people and not for a group of people. We overlooked those allegations because you showed us how steady you are in decision making on national interests.

Today is the moment of glory, the moment of a birth of a national leader; one country, one law and one president. A leader, not for one group but to all the citizens despite to whom they have voted.

When it comes to “all”, it means different interests and needs, young and old, Tamil and Sinhalese, Christians and Muslims. A good leader would choose what is best for all.

The most important priority at the moment are the development in the North and East, national reconciliation and a political solution has to be taken within undivided Sri Lanka. There are people who have suffered three decades of war and their lives have to begin from scrap; from zero. Providing them basic needs, such as; food, clothes, shelter, medicine, health care, jobs and education will help them to understand us as a nation and seek their help to rebuild the nation.

There is increased violence, thuggery, intimidations, murders that need your immediate attention to bring perpetrators to justice and make Sri Lanka a better place to live. The bureaucracy of civil administration, murderers who walk-free because of corrupted system, decades dragging civil law cases sucking money out of poor people etc are burdens to poor people and are more important than banning adultery movies. We assume you are smarter than Taliban extremists, we do not wish to have extreme restrictions, we as Buddhists, respect freedom of speech and beliefs. In short we are thirst of democracy. So please educate every citizen about laws, rights and obligations, so you can reduce abuse of law and violence in the Country.

Mr. President, do not take extreme paths; neither extreme Buddhism nor extreme Islam. Stay in the middle path, the path where we all can walk freely! Then you will find hearts of all people, and we shall treat you as our king!!!

We sent you this message not to humiliate you but to congratulate you and to let you know that we love our president and our country. We hope you have an ear for us to listen what we got to say! We wish you all the best, the strength and the determination to deliver the promises you mentioned in your 2010 manifesto!

Subha Anagathayak!

NoEalamInSL
27.01.2010

No victor has ever been tried before a War Crimes Tribunal - Dr. Kohana with BBC Hard Talk

No victor has ever been tried before a War Crimes Tribunal



Foreign Secretary and newly appointed Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona speaks to Hard Talk about the new challenges facing the country following the defeat of the LTTE.

There’s now evidence that KP not only procured arms for the LTTE but for other illegal and terrorist organizations in the world.

Q: The Sri Lankan government very successfully carried out the capture of the man called ‘Asia’s biggest human right’s violator’, this is seen largely as a positive direction in weakening the LTTE global network. How useful has the information received from him turning out to be in this process?

The capture of KP was certainly a major boost for the government. Now we have in our custody the man who succeeded Prabhakaran to the leadership of the LTTE and the one who had access to the LTTE’s criminal network. The LTTE had a major illicit trading empire which included drug running, gun running and people smuggling. KP was both in the centre of this as well as the major procurer of arms for the LTTE. There’s now evidence that he, not only procured arms for the LTTE but for other illegal and terrorist organizations in the world. So capturing KP was a major blow to the LTTE, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that its overseas structure has been crippled. There are many other elements who work for the LTTE and are still roaming around especially in the western countries. We have information on them and we hope to work with friendly governments in order to bring those persons within the law. As long as these persons remain free the LTTE’s criminal network will continue to function where intimidation, illegal fund raising and extortion will continue to flourish. So it is important to bring these other criminals also to book as soon as possible.

Q:As the Chief Arms dealer KP under Prabhakaran was also in charge of setting up and coordinating the LTTE overseas branches. And as the man behind the raising of funds, buying arms and shipping them so successfully, for a large part of the group’s military his contribution for the growth of the LTTE is not small. In your opinion how serious a crime are these and what form of legal action would you ideally see taking place against him?

Some of these things he’s alleged to have done are criminal activities, and therefore the full force of the law will have to bear on him. But I will leave the details to the more competent, to deal with the legal aspects.

Q:Would you say there was a change in the attitude of the global intelligence agencies following the defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka?

At certain times we ourselves were a little confused about the attitude of certain countries, especially certain friendly countries, because we couldn’t understand the vehemence with which they appeared to want to rescue the remnants of the LTTE, forgetting that this country had suffered for 27 years from terrorism. There wasn’t a single day in those years when a child could go to school without the parents fearing for their safety or people to work without worrying if they will return alive. Terrorism was pervasive in this society and the LTTE was at the root of it. Here we were on the verge of eliminating this group and certain countries were calling for a cessation of hostilities ostensibly to save the civilians. But the government itself succeeded in saving the vast majority of the civilians without much harm coming to them, despite the fact that it was the LTTE that had herded those civilians as a human shield. So this did cause some consternation in our ranks and we still do not understand the motive behind this. I find it very difficult to believe that it was only the humanitarian angle for the simple reason that the government’s clearly stated goal was to save the people who were held hostage by the LTTE. In any other situation I’m sure the world would have supported without any hesitation what the government was doing. But in this case there was all this ambivalence which caused us much confusion. But thankfully that episode is over and the great majority of the people held hostage are rescued and they are in government care and the LTTE is no more. Our goal now is to re-establish our relations with all the countries with whom we had enjoyed good relations in the past. We will work at it and will try to explain the reasons for what we did and when we did it. Again I must underline the fact that this country suffered from terrorism for a long time and our goal was to end that suffering. You can already see the results; just beyond here there are children playing on the Galle Face Green once again. When was the last time we saw that. I think the transformation brought about by the proactive policy adopted by the government in dealing with the LTTE has borne fruit already within a short period and I’m sure all the other issues that people are criticising us for will be resolved in the same manner.

Q:Are you saying that the pressure brought about by some of these countries have lessened now?

I think the pressure by and large is much less now, but I get the impression that some elements are trying to scratch that old wound and continue to seek to rectify whatever they failed to do, in the days leading up to the end of the conflict. We have seen the latest report by the Amnesty International which is so replete with inaccuracies. It is almost unbelievable. The way that they have compiled that report, and the manner in which an alien cultural framework has been imposed to pass judgment, have got their facts wrong, and also concocted certain facts and situations, make me wonder where this Amnesty International has gone. It used to be a respected organization.

Q:So who is really at fault in that aspect? Is it the failure of our own Missions in those countries that have failed to counter the propaganda that have so successfully come out of the LTTE funded members of the Tamil Diaspora?

I think there is a combination of factors. First and foremost there are those in the West who still feel that Asians and Africans can’t get anything right without their assistance. I have to be very blunt about it, I’ve lived in the West for 25 years and I do understand their thinking. So when we did not respond to their views I think there was a feeling of being let down, so that feeling of disenchantment continues. Secondly the LTTE and its apologists have continued to feed a certain line to the liberal minded Westerners. And they have very happily adopted this line because the liberal mindset is intrinsically inclined towards the ostensible underdog. They tend to champion the causes of the oppressed and the discriminated or even ostensibly discriminated. So this was a happy combination of circumstances for the LTTE. The LTTE’s stories were happily lapped up by certain elements of the liberal west.

Then thirdly, of course we have to work hard as a government and as a Foreign Ministry to convey our message to these elements in the West. And when we say we I should not limit this just to the Foreign Service. The LTTE has no Foreign Service but it does manage to get its message very successfully to the West. There are thousands of Sri Lankans in the West who appear to be happy to leave everything to the government. There are of course others who have worked tirelessly on behalf of the country despite living abroad. We need to get our message across to the world in a much more organized and consolidated manner so that the disinformation continuing to be propagated by the LTTE and its sympathizers can be nullified to some extent. As I said before the current mindset is a result of a combination of factors and not a result of one single element.

Q:Analysts believe that with the intelligence developed by debriefing K.P., the Sri Lankan government should be able to dismantle the entire international network of the LTTE. But would you say enough is being done by your representatives in these countries to nab the LTTE fund collectors and ensure that they are either prosecuted or extradited to Sri Lanka for trial?

It is never enough. We are working hard but we need to do more because there are times when your best is not enough. We have those working here very hard, doing late hours, and I do know that our missions diligently do as they are asked to do and work very hard but we still need to do more to ensure that the remnants of the LTTE are not allowed to gain life and rid the world of this scourge.

Q:How much harder is this task made with the refusal by certain countries to support your work? Would you say this has also been a contributing factor?

The vast majority of the countries supported our work solidly and we received absolutely and unqualified support from countries like India, Pakistan, China and Russia and the Asian region and some further afield, not just to support our task but also in the Human Rights Council. The Sri Lankan resolution won handsomely in the UN Council and those who championed the opposite view were disgraced literally. There was a clear message sent to the international community that Sri Lanka’s cause was not something to be sneered at but applauded. And that message went across very clearly from the Human Rights Council and I hope this message is heard ad taken seriously by those concerned.

Q:How much a concern would these calls of being tried for war crimes etc be today as opposed to the pressures the government felt during the UN resolution?

I think these are misguided messages for the simple reason that if you look at the history of war crimes there isn’t one instance where a winner of a war has been tried before a Tribunal. They have always been set up for losers. And if you were to take winners then the start would have to be taken elsewhere. Sri Lanka did not drop atom bombs or destroy entire cities during the war. I think these are just misguided and it is far better if we left these emotional comments aside and get back to rebuilding our society and reconciling our people and getting back to life.

Q:Similar arrests are expected of LTTE activists in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, India and even in Scandinavia and very likely also in Norway in the coming year. What special difficulties do you foresee especially in the Scandinavian countries given their continued support towards the LTTE? How can you ensure that these countries are no longer made safe havens for senior LTTErs?

We will continue to work with them. I would never say there was no support. I wouldn’t say that the LTTE was ever endorsed by Norway; they were the acknowledged facilitator of the peace talks and their argument was that as facilitator it was not in a position to take sides. Our goal it to get all our friends on board to get back to our old friendships before terrorism raised its head.

Q:A statement issued by US Assistant Secretary of State Bob Blake following a meeting with the Tamil Diaspora in the US, had gone on to recommend that the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil diaspora community in America should ‘engage one another on political reconciliation and reconstruction’. What in your opinion is the necessity to ‘engage’ the Tamil diaspora in the US when the more practical approach would have been to directly engage in talks with the Tamils living in Sri Lanka’s North and East? Is this a situation that the government is comfortable with?

I have my own views on that. The government has engaged expatriate Tamils in a very constructive manner. The government in February brought in a representative group of Tamils with whom we had a dialogue for 2 days. We continue to do that. Every time the Foreign Minister or I go overseas we make it a point to talk to Tamil representatives, especially in countries where there is a large concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils. We continue to do that in the hope that we may win back as many of our people. Our approach has succeeded to a great deal. Today we have many Tamils inquiring about investing in Sri Lanka about recovering their lost properties. I learnt from the BOI recently that there are 31 buildings coming up in Colombo all being built by expat Tamil people. Our efforts to engage them is certainly bearing fruit. Of course there is an element that will continue to harbour hatred towards Sri Lanka. They were the militants, who supported the LTTE and terrorized their own people to collect funds for the LTTE. Today there is no reason for their existence so they will continue to exert unnecessary pressure. So my response to Ambassador Blake is that we will continue to engage the Tamils and we hope that may will return. They may not all come here to live.

The other point s that there is this thinking that all our problems can be solved by applying a political solution. I fail to see the logic behind this. Every successive government tried such a political solution but each approach was rejected by the LTTE. When we know through experience that every effort failed not through a failure to try but despite all efforts it is a little superficial to suggest that a political solution will solve all our problems. So I’m not particularly convinced about this approach.

The suggestion appears to be that there is a problem with the Tamil people. Again I don’t subscribe to that. The problem was with the LTTE and not the Tamil speaking people. If there were a problem with them why have 54% of the entire Tamil speaking people of this country migrated to Sinhala speaking areas? They did it on their own. If they had a problem why did they voluntarily come to these areas? I think it is a wrong construction to assume that the problems in Sri Lanka were constructed of some political vacuum.

If we can treat all people with dignity and give everyone equal opportunity we don’t have to worry about the political solution. Anyway where are we going to apply this solution? Are we going to do that to the 54% of those living in and around Colombo or those in the North and East? In the North the entirety of the Tamil population is 750,000. There were 300,000 in the Wanni area who are now in the camps. There’s no one outside the Wanni area. The total number in the Jaffna peninsula is miniscule compared to the rest of the island. I think it is easy to suggest that a political problem will solve, when, even if we have problems, they are certainly not in an political form. Like in every other country people have problems with job opportunities or getting children to school etc. We need to address them but not through an ethnic approach but by giving everyone an equal opportunity.

Q:Then how should we treat the All Party Representative Committee process that is seeking such a solution?

The APRC process was begun to look at certain changes to the Constitution. These will be changes that will have the endorsement of the bulk of the political spectrum of the country. That was the objective behind setting up the APRC so that the government could carry the vast majority of the people with it with the changes envisaged. We made the mistake in the past of trying to impose the solution from the top. But on this occasion President decided that any changes would carry the majority support.

Q:The Indian High Commissioner’s message in Colombo on the occasion of the Independence Day conveyed that a "broad-based political settlement" of the ethnic conflict would enable the Rs.500-crore relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation package for the displaced. Does this mean the relief and reconstruction package would come only when a broad based political settlement is in place?

I don’t think. India has been very supportive of our issues. We are confident of this support. Their own suggestion is that we should implement the 13th amendment. And the President has said he will. I don’t think India has gone beyond that in their discussions.

Q: How do you see the continued ‘concern’ shown by the international community towards the situation of the IDP’s?

The cross party delegation from the House of Commons publicly said that these camps were better than they had seen elsewhere. I think its phenomenal that we have been able to provide housing, food and medical care within such a short period. This achievement can’t be compared with any other situation in the world. Outsiders are just finding new reasons for finding fault with us. The latest is the rains. Of course the conditions would deteriorate. When the government asked the international agencies in paving the paths and roads in the camps they refused on grounds that these would be converted to permanent camps. Today the same agencies are complaining that the roads are unusable. The same with the lavatories. They will continue to criticize us because they’re determined to continue that bitterness and hatred.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=58610

I have a dream in Sri Lanka!

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Killinochchi, go back to Mulutivu, go back to Trincomalee, go back to Batticaloa, go back to Jafna, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the Sri Lankan dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day Tamils of North of Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese of South will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, LTTE with its vicious racists, with its Tamil Diaspora having their lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Sri Lanka, little Tamil boys and Tamil girls will be able to join hands with little Sinhala/Muslim boys and Sinhala/Muslim girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the Sri Lanka with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if Sri Lanka is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the Central hilltops of Sri Lanka. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of Dumbara. Let freedom ring from the Jungles of Mulativu!

Let freedom ring from the North of Sri Lanka!

Let freedom ring from the South of Sri Lanka!

But not only that; let freedom ring from East of Sri Lanka!

Let freedom ring from West of Sri Lanka!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Nuwara-Eliya. From every mountainside of Badulla, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Tamil men and Sinhala men, Hindus and Buddhists, Muslims and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Why could we not defeat LTTE for 25 years?

(By: A Retired Major General)
Last modified on: 6/29/2009 11:34:19 AM

All members of the security forces, past and present, and all citizens of this country no doubt are happy and celebrating the defeat of the LTTE, the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world, that had been a scourge not only to our country but the world for the past three decades.

Some Western nations must be unhappy that the lever they utilized to destabilize our nation is no more available for them. Locally, the stooges of those powers with vested interests too are unhappy since their peace wagon has got bogged down and off road for ever and they are unable to enjoy the free rides anymore. I have observed many of the past Commanders of all three forces who failed to achieve victory when they were at the helm of power also were among them to achieve their goals through peace means

Many a writer, including some armchair Generals has written to the press and come live on TV to tell us how the current Commanders have won the war, but none has explained why past Commanders could not or would not win the war when the LTTE was much weaker and was not well-established. If they won, perhaps, we would have saved the lives of thousands of youth of both sides and billions of rupees of our National wealth. That included the personal properties of our citizens of the North and South, and the valuable infrastructure facilities. When the North and East was burning, the retired Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals were discussing at various forums how to solve the National problem through peace negotiations, rather than advising the Commanders how to win the war in which they were inextricably engaged in. To me, it looked awkward, discouraging and meaningless in that needy hour.

Let us see why those Commanders failed to forge an end through military means when they were in power. First and foremost was the unnecessary political interference which came in many forms. Some politicians with connections with the security of the country had vested interests and were working towards achieving their aims of making money through purchase of arms and equipment for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Some Security Force Commanders who did not have the backbone either kept quiet and said yes to whatever the deals approved by the politicians, with the connivance and support of the bureaucrats in the Ministries. They too amassed wealth here and abroad. The troops in the front lines had to bear the brunt of it by getting killed using sub-standard arms and equipment and flying in obsolete aircraft bought through questionable shady deals.

Some top brass were hauled before the High Courts after their retirement and were even arrested and kept in remand. Others who still had the political backing either escaped through their cunning manoeuvring of technical points or using their ill-earned wealth by bribing politicians of the era. Thousands of troops sacrificed their lives in the arid battle fields like Pooneryn and Mullaitivu or plunged into the sea in aircraft that did not have even anti-missile protection.

Next, political interference was the denial of required manpower, arms and equipment to the Operation Commanders, quoting that the government did not have sufficient funds.

Whenever there was a respite in the war, the process of recruiting and continuous training of troops were abruptly stopped which is against all principles of maintaining combat readiness even during peace time. Once the war resumed, the field commanders were ordered to manage with what they had until the recruitment and training was complete to launch them to battle. This is what the President clearly understood through the wise counsel of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the battle hardened brother of His Excellency. Gotabaya never subjected the Service Commanders or the front line Operational Commanders to such humiliating predicament and maintained the clear cut aim of defeating the LTTE and relentlessly worked towards achieving that aim despite opposition from many quarters as well as adverse international pressure. I am certain that the Service Commanders also insisted on their own requirements forcefully without wilting to the pressure of the financial constraints which the past Commanders did not do.

I have observed that when the senior service officers were getting professionally qualified and matured towards the end of the careers, their aim was to become the Head of the Service which is quite natural. The way they set about achieving it was not in keeping with the prime interests of the country. Invariably, many past Commanders of Services became "yes men" so that they approved anything the politicians wanted done irrespective of whether they were correct or not and injurious to the National interests.

Coming back to the political interference, at one stage, a politician planned the operations to win the elections. He insisted that an objective or an area be captured before the Provincial Council Elections. The Operational Commanders short of time, manpower and equipment either reluctantly agreed knowing that the operation would fail. The Service Commanders never intervened and advised the politicians not to pursue it, since they did not want to lose the command and the ambassadorial appointment they were dreaming of. Those Operation Commanders who did not want to sacrifice their principles as well as the troops who disagreed with the political big-wigs were sidelined and sent out of the service, sometimes ignominiously.
Old school, clanism and favouritism affected the operational efficiency of the Services. If a Service Commander's successor was from the same Regiment or same clan or the same school and of the same colour, well, he was the one to command the service and he was trained and groomed accordingly without taking into his consideration IQ or combat efficiency and professional competency. He was groomed in such a way that he naturally became an "yes man" as happened to our administrative bureaucracy, which is at the bottom of the administration mess today. This was what ailed the services which contributed to the failure of past Commanders, who almost ended up with Diplomatic appointments. Only a few obviously corrupted ones were denied this perk.

Commanders of this calibre never had the determination and the National aim of defeating the LTTE on top of their career agendas. Their aim was to command the Service and end up an Ambassador and to hell with the Nation.
The handing over of weapons and money to the LTTE by the highest political authority in the country was one of the biggest blunders that was unopposed and approved by the Army Commander and a Secretary of Defence who too were Three and Four Star Generals, both of whom knew that it was wrong and injurious and detrimental to the National security. The same duo approved even a worse blunder of handing over 600 policemen in the East to the LTTE, who drained them of their blood, butchered and buried them in mass graves. How could a Commander of this calibre and their front line Operational Commanders win the war when they supported the enemy which amounted to treason? Those top brass are basking in the glow of glory with medals and honours now. What a shame.

I believe the above facts would suffice to show readers why the war was not won for 25 years, under the corrupted. bias and inefficiency of politicians, and Service Commanders. I must congratulate and admire the present Service Commanders and the frontline Operation Commanders who were not malaised with the plagues enumerated above but received unstinted support and encouragement from the Commander-in-Chief of Services as well as his brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, that won the historic victory for Sri Lanka.

This account is incomplete without a word of praise to General Sarath Fonseka, who is not a favourite of a group or a clan but a valiant soldier who achieved his aim through determination and perseverance. He is rewarded for choosing front line Commanders who joined the Army in the infancy of the LTTE and grew up getting battered and hardened along with the growing LTTE which grew almost to a conventional Army with air and sea wings. Giving credit to international situation and their attitude towards Sri Lanka for annihilation and defeat of the LTTE to me is belittling of valiant achievement of Sons of Sri Lanka

Source: http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090629_02

The politics of postwar Sri Lanka

Saturday, 27 June 2009

By Dayan Jayatilleka

As Paul Berman once wrote, "somewhere in the world it is always 1941". There comes a time in the life of every society when it is faced with an existential threat or challenge. It is the social forces or elements that rise up to this challenge and successfully overcome this threat that then have the power as well as the legitimacy to place their stamp on what comes after. Those who stood on the wrong side of history, or never rose to the occasion, or who abandoned the struggle partway, or simply failed; the defeated enemy, the collaborators, the appeasers and the fence-sitters — and these are not one and the same — all forfeit the chance to place their values, ideas and programs as the leading ones of the social order that follows the great test.

The truths are threefold. The truth is that the Tigers and the Tamil ultra-nationalists overestimated themselves and underestimated the Sinhalese, due to arrogance and racism. The last stage of the war saw a titanic clash of wills, between, on the one hand, the Tigers, the Tamil Diaspora and overseas Tamils from Canada to Chennai, their Western supporters and the Western media, and on the other, the Sinhala people, the armed forces, the Rajapakse leadership, a thin stratum of heroic Tamil rebels against Prabhakaran, and several friendly states. The Balasinghams wrote a book about the Tamil Eelam struggle with a neo-Nietzschean title, The Will to Freedom. The truth is that from a classically Nietzschean perspective, the Sinhalese Will to Power, i.e. to "prevail over" to "overcome" (which was Nietzsche’s meaning) on and over this small island, was and will in the final analysis always be, cannot but be, greater than that of the Tamils to secede. The truth is also that the Tigers, weakened by an Eastern Tamil rebellion, were defeated by a largely Sinhalese army, sustained by the Sinhala people whose collective will refused to break under decades of suicide bombings, body bags coming home to villages and assassinations of their leaders; the Sinhalese who, this time around, like the paradigmatic Silindu in Woolf’s Village in The Jungle, finally turned on their tormentors and blew them away.

If the social bloc that dominates the UNP wished a postwar Sri Lanka of their liking they should not have repeatedly blown the chances they had of defending the country’s territorial unity, integrity and sovereignty — but blow them it did.

JR Jayewardene did want to win the war, though Lalith Athulathmudali did say that operations were intended to prove to the Tigers that they had no military option. JRJ was perhaps the only UNP president that wanted to win the war and tried to, but he and his administration did not have the basic capacity or intelligence (a) to suppress Black July ’83 (b) not to tamper with the rules of the democratic game to such a degree that it split the Sinhalese and destabilized the domestic situation and (c) to maintain the kind of political relationship with India that would have permitted it to win the war and pre-empted Indian pre-emption, so to speak.

The Premadasa presidency had an admirable degree of multiethnic, multicultural pluralism in its make up and dominant ideology but it allowed the war effort to be paralyzed by infighting within the officer corps and under-funded by bureaucrats with a possible bias or lack of commitment. It made the right decision in putting Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwe in charge of the military effort but it did not consider a military victory possible or, on balance, desirable. (I was possibly the only one in the Premadasa camp whose policy memoranda to him pushed for a military victory. This heartbreaking effort is reflected in my book The Travails of a Democracy: Unfinished war, Protracted Crisis, Vikas, New Delhi 1995).

The UNP’s final chance came with the Prime Ministership of Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe who opted for a lopsided Ceasefire agreement at a time when the balance of forces had turned dramatically against the LTTE due to the successful operations of the Special Forces LRRP and the global anti-terrorist shift due to 9/11. The CFA permitted the buildup of the proto state structure of the Tigers and humiliated the Sri Lankan armed forces.

The moderate, Westernized wing of the SLFP had its chance to win the war and re-mould Sri Lanka in accordance with its more reformist pluralist ideology but it threw the chance away. The re-taking of Jaffna was vitiated by the failure to cut off the LTTE’s retreat thereby permitting the Tigers to escape together with large number of civilians, base themselves in Mullaitivu, regroup and make a dramatic comeback. The strategy was one of taking territory rather than annihilating the enemy; recruitment was negatively affected by campaigns such as Sudu Nelum, Thavalama and the efforts of NIPU etc; corruption was rampant in the sphere of procurement. Above all, there was no commitment to a strategic goal of destroying the enemy but rather to one of driving the Tigers to the negotiating table. Worst of all, Karuna’s rebellion was double-crossed and Prabhakaran’s Sea Tigers allowed to violate the CFA and land in his rear area; General Sarath Fonseka was transferred from Jaffna and placed on the shelf in charge of the Volunteers ( the Sunday Island carried many pieces by me around the time and after, vigorously criticizing the decision and arguing for his placement at the helm of our army); and the tsunami weakened Tigers were sought to be given an administrative–financial authority in the form of the PTOMS, probably as part of a deal with the TNA which would give a third term to the incumbent.

These are not the only critics of the Rajapakse administration and the postwar outcome. Others include the local and foreign NGOs comprising self–proclaimed civil society; the Churches; and the non-Tiger Tamil dissidents such the UTHR and SLDF. Had Colombo’s cosmopolitan civil society not been so totally pro-appeasement, had the churches been visibly and audibly critical of Tiger totalitarianism and exercised greater internal discipline (instead of allowing some of its clergymen to opt for Barabbas, as Fr Bernard continues to do from Mindanao), had the Tamil dissidents worked for a united front of anti-Tiger Tamils which could have launched a resistance struggle in the rear of the LTTE or backed Karuna and Douglas Devananda, who were the actually existing alternatives to the Tigers, their criticisms - pious, petulant or patronizing - of trends in postwar Sri Lanka would not have so little social legitimacy and traction. (I recall the response of an award winning Indian journalist of Tamil ethnicity who wrote a book on the war, when I praised the UTHR-J reports: "yeah, except for that Church of South India tone of preachy Protestant moralizing!")

None of this justifies any attempt by extremist lobbies to translate and degrade the victory of the Sri Lankan state, its armed forces and the people over the Tigers, a valiant victory which has the potential to be a liberation of all the peoples of the island from LTTE fascism, into an armed version, a militarized equivalent of 1956 or 1972 (the abolition of Section 29 and the formal enthronement of one language, religion and specific state form over others).Whatever their socially enabling and democratic aspects for the vast majority, both 1956 and 1972 contained for the minorities, a dimension of discrimination, domination and divisiveness.

No current critique, however trenchant, of postwar Sri Lankan trends approximates in its luminous perspicacity the following judgment:

"Separate identities have been sustained and fortified by deep antagonisms and wildly contested facts which extend over two millenia and more…Each fresh confrontation and every violent eruption becomes an instant invitation to an overpowering onrush of self-righteous recidivism, against which reason can only erect the feeblest defenses... Having co-opted the clergy, can militant Sinhalese-Buddhism rely on support from the armed services, too?... Now regional councils are coming up for air for the third (and last?) time. All the political parties are discussing the proposal, a shrewd… move to gain endorsement from a national consensus. But has political power already slipped out of the hands of politicians?"

Amazingly, these words appeared a shade over a quarter century ago in the pages of the Far Eastern Economic Review of January 26, 1984, pp22-23, and were written by Mervyn de Silva. Though a little late, I have wised-up sufficiently, not to doubt my father’s wisdom, but was this a description of some aspect of the reality at the time, or a latent tendency at any time given Sri Lankan society, history and mentality, or an early warning-cum-prediction? Only future history will tell.

Top of Form Bottom of Form

Does this mean that from a pluralist, reformist or modernist perspective all is lost either by cultural fore-ordination and teleology or by default and abdication? I would argue not necessarily, not inevitably, for three reasons, all discernible from a dialectical standpoint. These are the three potential sources of pluralist reform in postwar Sri Lanka. In ascending order of significance, the first is comprised of the Tamil allies and partners of the state and the governing party. Contrary to the crude, congruent distortions of Colombo’s liberals and their western patrons as well as the Sinhala hardliners, it is not the case that the anti-Tiger camp is monolithically and exclusively Sinhala hard-line while those who are for ethnic equality and autonomy belong to the "antiwar", "anti-state" and "antigovernment" camp. There is a strategically significant anti-Tiger, pro-state, pro-Govt Tamil stakeholder segment, which stands for equality and devolution.

The second driver of a more pluralist postwar outcome is the democratic system which includes the courts and above all, competitive elections. Municipal elections are imminent, Parliamentary elections are scheduled for the first half of next year and Northern provincial elections are unavoidably on the agenda. With proportional representation, the Tamil people will punch pretty much their demographic weight. Political space cannot but broaden, and the ensuing give-and-take is inevitable, eroding ideological blocs. Post-election, the postwar power bloc would be recomposed.

The third and final source is the external factor. Forget the unfair critics of Sri Lanka and those who tilt to the pro-Tiger Tamil Diaspora for one reason or the other. Those who stood by Sri Lanka during the war and its aftermath are crucially interested in political accommodation of the Tamil minority – with India being an obvious case in point, but by no means the only one holding this view. The statement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by China and Russia, which has admitted Sri Lanka as a "dialogue partner" (my regular readers, going back to the Weekend Express column may recognize that I canvassed for affiliation since its founding almost a decade ago), mentions not only "independence and sovereignty" but also "the rights of minorities".

It is the dynamic of interaction of these three factors within the anti-Tiger, "patriotic" universe, within the cosmos of the Sri Lankan state, within the power-bloc that won the war, which will make for pluralism, reform and possibly paradigm shift.

We shall need to pay heed to the views of our friends, local and foreign, as it becomes increasingly obvious that the Tiger army is destroyed but the Tiger movement or global network is still alive, a well-placed new generation of Tamil secessionists have been born overseas and have come of age, and though the war is decisively won, the protracted struggle with Tamil Tiger separatism on a world scale is hardly over. A long Cold War has just begun.

(These are the strictly personal views of the writer).

Courtesy: Island.lk

Last Updated ( Saturday, 27 June 2009 )