New vigour for the North

The Government has undertaken the gigantic task of resettling displaced persons in the North within six months. Certain countries and a few International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) have been making a big hue and cry over the IDPs in Sri Lanka, disregarding the circumstances which forced people into IDP camps.

It was the late terrorist leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran and his cadres who brought untold misery to people in the North and the East. Over the past three decades, the LTTE indulged in innumerable acts of terror, killing thousands of innocent people and prominent leaders such as former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and ex-Sri Lanka President Ranasinghe Premadasa.

Successive Governments made various attempts to eradicate terrorism. But in the guise of so-called peace talks, Prabhakaran and his goons took most of our leaders for a good ride. The LTTE was never sincere at the negotiating table and used such periods to rearm and strengthen their military capabilities and subsequently launched fresh attacks against the Security Forces.

None of the 'peace merchants' was present when the country faced a crisis and when the Tigers launched fresh attacks against the Security Forces on every occasion after the LTTE walked out of the negotiating table.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the only leader who did not fall into Prabhakaran's trap. Having given enough and more opportunities for the LTTE to talk peace, President Rajapaksa knew exactly where he should draw the line. After the Tigers had walked out of the negotiating table and closed the Mavil Aru, the Government decided to embark on a humanitarian operation.

There was no looking back ever since and the Security Forces successfully accomplished the largest ever humanitarian rescue operation in the world, liberating over half a million people in the North and the East from the clutches of the LTTE's terror rule. None of those countries and INGOs which showed 'extraordinary concern' for the IDPs ever uttered a word about the harassments those innocent civilians had been subjected to.

Under the able leadership of President Rajapaksa, the Government is making every effort to resettle the IDPs, for them to resume their normal life - not merely resettling those displaced but to assure them a better future by developing infrastructure facilities.

No other country, organisation or person could have a greater concern for the IDPs than President Rajapaksa and the Government.

Innocent civilians ended up as IDPs due to the LTTE's intransigence though Prabhakaran projected his terror outfit as the sole representatives of the Tamils. The so-called sole representatives of the Tamil people brought nothing but agony and death to their own community.

The Government is making every endeavour to resettle the Northern IDPs as soon as possible. Having implemented a successful plan to resettle the Eastern IDPs and embarking on a massive development plan in the East, the Government has a proven track record in resettlement.

The manner in which the Government handled the IDP issue in the East and the subsequent mega development plans in the province has been commended by many countries and INGOs. The Government is determined to implement a similar plan in the North under the Uthuru Wasanthaya.

Ambassador Robert Blake, USA's new Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia told the hearing of the Congressional Subcommittee on South Asia on Thursday that Sri Lanka won an "important victory in the North" when it defeated the LTTE.

Testifying before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, Blake called upon Sri Lanka to quickly resettle the 300,000 internally displaced persons in the North and to hold provincial elections. This is exactly what the Government is doing at present.

As Assistant Secretary Blake has pointed out, the action the Government takes now in the aftermath of the battle against terrorism, in respect to humanitarian relief and political inclusion for minorities, will be important to secure an end to terrorism and usher in peace.

The Government is deeply cognizant of this fact and is keen to develop the Northern Province and bring it on par with the Western Province. At the same time, the APRC proposals would be considered to overcome the genuine problems of Tamils living in the North and the East.

The Government has not only successfully resettled the IDPs in the East but has also enabled the Easterners to exercise their democratic rights after 13 years. Immediately after the resettlement of the IDPs in the East, the Government conducted the Local Government and Provincial Council elections in the East.

People in the East are now enjoying the real freedom, not the so-called dream liberation that the LTTE had been preaching to mislead the Tamil diaspora to collect billions of rupees. The ballot has defeated the bullet as democracy has been fully restored in the East.

Former LTTE child soldier turned politician Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan now heads the Eastern administration as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province. The LTTE's former Eastern leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, as a Cabinet Minister, is working tirelessly to develop the Province. His entry into mainstream politics as a Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is a significant development. This has also proved that the rights of any community could only be won through the democratic process, fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

Similarly, democracy would be restored in the North too. People in the North would soon get an opportunity to elect their own representatives to Local Government bodies and to the Provincial Council. The elections will be conducted after the immediate needs of the IDPs are met.

The resettlement programs in the North have already begun with newly constructed housing projects in Vavuniya and Mannar. This would be extended to Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu too in the coming months, once the de-mining and clearance process is completed.