Eastern Province liberated from Tiger clutches

The security forces have successfully accomplished their humanitarian mission in the East. With last week's triumph in Thoppigala, the brave sons of our soil have liberated the entire Eastern Province from the jaws of the LTTE Tiger terrorists.

It all began exactly a year ago when the merciless LTTE terrorists closed the Mavil Aru anicut, depriving the basic need of water to innocent civilians in the East. It not only destroyed the cultivations of those poor farmers but also caused great inconvenience to villagers.

It was at this stage that the Government decided to embark on a great humanitarian mission. Though the LTTE terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran boasted of a so-called liberation to Tamil community through his ruthless acts, it was his men who destroyed the normal day to day life of people there.

Any responsible Government or a true leader could not turn a blind eye in a situation like that. Hence President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, decided to send troops on a humanitarian mission to liberate those living in Mavil Aru.

Ever since, our valiant security forces have engaged in a series of humanitarian operations. The triumphant humanitarian operations in Mavil Aru, Sampur, Vakarai and Thoppigala has completely wiped out LTTE terrorism from the East and liberated thousands of people from those Tiger-held areas.

These are the areas which the Ranil Wickremesinghe-led United National Party government handed over to the LTTE through a controversial Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). Even without informing the Parliament or his own Cabinet, the then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe signed the so-called CFA under which his Government officially accepted an LTTE 'controlled' territory. Wickremesinghe's shameless act gave international recognition to a ruthless terrorist organisation.

The Tigers resorted to every possible act to maintain their deteriorating power in the East. In places such as Varakai, the LTTE kept helpless civilians as a human shield. But the security forces marched forward strategically, with inexhaustible patience and minimised the number of civilian casualties. Not only were there fewer civilian casualties, the casualties and deaths amongst the forces were also minimised. President Rajapaksa guided the country on the correct path with a genuine feeling for its people. Unlike most previous leaders, he did not try to make it a political tool. Instead, he let the security forces commanders make their own military decisions in an appropriate manner. The State leadership effectively combined with independent decisions by loyal field commanders has been the hallmark of success in the East.

Simultaneously, the security forces took every possible step to minimise the hardships faced by civilians. As security forces close to the people, they played a prominent role in civilian transportation, distribution of essential items and other humanitarian work. These genuine acts prompted the suffering Tamil and Muslim communities to identify the common enemy.

The moderate Tamil community found who the real liberators are. This was why more people escaped Prabhakaran's ruthless rule and fled to liberated areas.

The liberation of the East is not a mere military exercise or political strategy. It was a successful battle against terrorism and a humanitarian mission. Hence, the Government is now going to strengthen the civil administration there and develop the East. Development, resettlement and restoration of democracy in the East would be the targets of the next mission.

Already, resettlement in Vakarai has been completed. Development too is taking place at a rapid pace. The late Gamini Dissanayake could not go ahead with the Mahaweli 'B' system due to LTTE terrorism in the East.

With the elimination of those terrorists, development projects such as Moragahakanda could now bring prosperity to the people in the East.

For the first time in one and a half decades, the entire Eastern Province has been liberated. In achieving this gigantic task, Sri Lanka's valiant forces made immense sacrifices. Dedication, devotion and determination to protect the Motherland were their topmost priorities. It's a huge sacrifice made on our behalf.

The nation's highest tribute should be paid to all those brave security forces personnel, who spared no pains to protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.In contrast, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella have made asinine statements, undermining the great achievements of our security forces. For Wickremesinghe, Thoppigala may be a thick jungle but for the LTTE, it was their Eastern 'kingdom' until last week. It is indeed a pity that there are political opportunists who would stoop to the lowest levels in their lust for power.

It's only the leaders of the UNP and the LTTE who were perturbed after the success in Thoppigala. All others, irrespective of petty political differences, joined hands to celebrate the liberation of the East. Intelligent people would decide on who the actual traitors are. They have already discovered the common enemy.

The victory at Thoppigala is not a matter of superior military power. It's a human issue which has a direct impact on the lives of innocent civilians. This is the best time for all of us to join hands and show our strength to the world, irrespective of petty ethnic and political differences.