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| Sunday, 1 August 2004 |
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Army has always acted professionally - SLA Commander
The 17th commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda, is a battle hardened soldier, with over 34 years of experience under his belt. In an interview with SUNDAY OBSERVER Staffer RASHOMI SILVA, he asserts the SLA is a professional and competent body, that had fought bravely during the past two decades and is observing the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in a professional manner today. He pledges to make the Army even more professional under his stewardship and sees it as his duty to prepare his officers and men to face any eventuality, at any time. Question: How do you assess the present situation in the East? Answer: Since last April, the LTTE has been waging a fractional war with the Karuna loyalists. What the Army is doing at this juncture is trying to maintain law and order in the cleared areas with the assistance of the Police. And I would like to say the security forces were quite successful at their task, as they were able to bring the situation in the East under control. Of course there were killings of government officials and some other civilians, but all these were isolated incidents that would have been difficult to prevent. Except for that, the situation in the East is big and large under control. Enhanced security measures have established a more stable and secure East. We have reinforced troops in the troubled areas and our troops there are conducting routine patrol and security checks. This in fact has prevented any particular group in the cleared areas from having a free run. Q: The LTTE has alleged that the Army prefers to look the other way when Karuna loyalists kill LTTE members, journalists and other prominent figures in society. What are your comments? A: It is not correct. If we were told that a particular person living in the cleared territories is under threat from any party, we take necessary measures to protect him. Karuna being a man from the East enjoys remarkable support there and naturally, Wanni loyalists living in the East are under threat from Karuna supporters. It is also true that Karuna loyalists are also under threat from the LTTE. But when it comes to civilians, it would be difficult for us to know who is under threat from whom. Had we known this we could have provided protection to them. Whether they be Wanni loyalists or Karuna loyalists, their partiality is quite immaterial to us. Q: There are allegations of troops using paramilitary personnel to achieve certain ends in the East. The LTTE has requested that the paramilitary be dis-armed as their presence is a violation of clause 1.8 of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). Does the Army work together with any paramilitary group? A: We are a professional Army and we do not have any paramilitary groups, either within the Army or working with the Army. Therefore, the allegation is completely baseless. The LTTE has also requested that all paramilitary groups operating in the North-East be disarmed. This is not possible for the Army to do, but I would like to say that our troops have been honouring the CFA for the past two-and-half years. Q: Do you mean to say, the troops have abided by the CFA throughout? A: Yes. We have abided by the CFA. All our men and soldiers have a very good understanding of the CFA. They have fought well during the war and are professional today in observing the CFA. Q: The common concept in the country today is that the Army intelligence is in poor shape and they cannot match the LTTE intelligence unit led by Pottu Amman. What do you have to say in this regard? A: No, I would not agree with you. Our intelligence unit is good, it is in fact quite good. But certainly there is room for improvement. During my tenure I hope to bring about improvements in the intelligence as well as in fighting units. Q: What do you have to say about the recent killing of intelligence officials? A: We are employing our intelligence officers in gathering information that are necessary for us. These officers have proved to be a challenge to the enemy and the enemy wanted them eliminated. We have informed and educated our officials on possible dangers and they are now taking more preventive measures. Q: How about training programs? Are you hoping to send the officials for more foreign training? A: We are already sending our officials on foreign training. And the usual quota will be sent in the future too. But what I expect to do is produce more and more officers and soldiers from our own training centres in Sri Lanka. Q: What do you have to say about the future of the Army under your leadership? A: I want to make the Army even more professional. We have to move forward as a better trained well disciplined Force and be prepared to offer our services to our country in any eventuality. In the meantime we should not forget about our disabled heroes and their families. It is our duty to look after the families of those who were missing and those who died in action. |
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