Role of international community

Barely ten months have elapsed since Sri Lanka's valiant Security Forces liberated the entire country from the clutches of LTTE terror. During the three-and-a-half-year battle to liberate the North and the East, Sri Lanka's Security Forces made unprecedented sacrifices. It was due to their unflagging efforts, dedication and courage that the country was fully liberated.

At a time the country is getting ready for the parliamentary elections next month, we should bear in mind that democracy was restored chiefly due to the supreme sacrifices made by the true sons of our soil.

During the past two decades or more, Sri Lanka was unable to conduct elections throughout the length and breadth of the country. Be it a general election or presidential election, people in the former Tiger-held areas were prevented from exercising their democratic rights. The Department of Elections was not in a position to conduct elections in those areas.

With the liberation of the entire island after those laudable humanitarian operations - first in the Eastern Province and then in the Northern Province, people in the former LTTE-held areas can now exercise their democratic rights and elect representatives of their choice.

The recent presidential election was the first major election after the Security Forces finally shattered terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's utopian dream of a separate state. The next step would be to offer those liberated in the North and the East an opportunity to elect representatives of their choice as Members of Parliament.

The sole aim of the Government is to establish the Northern Provincial Council for which elections would be held no sooner the last few batches of displaced people are resettled. Certain countries and some INGOs raised a big hue and cry when nearly 300,000 people were displaced after the East was liberated.

However, the Government met the challenge successfully and resettled them in next to no time. It was with that proven track record that President Mahinda Rajapaksa directed the Security Forces to embark on another humanitarian operation in the North. During the entire operation, certain countries and a few INGOs continued to shed crocodile tears over displaced persons and their safety. LTTE sympathisers and a section of the Tamil Diaspora joined in the campaign to mislead the international community so that they could halt the military operations.

Even during the final stages of the battle against terror, certain international organisations and countries with vested interests made an attempt to pump in the last drop of oxygen to rescue Prabhakaran and his terror outfit. They emblazoned human rights as an effective tool to exert pressure on the Government.

Nevertheless, President Rajapaksa did not cow down to the surmounting pressure inflicted on Sri Lanka and stood firm. With the support of friendly countries, President Rajapaksa faced all these conspiracies with indomitable courage. In doing so, he displayed in no uncertain terms his exemplary and mature leadership in resisting international pressure and liberating the country.

Simultaneously, he called upon the Security Forces to maintain zero civilian casualties. LTTE targets were attacked only after a series of verifications and the air raids too were conducted at pre-identified and reconfirmed LTTE positions. This was precisely why Sri Lanka's Security Forces could set an example to the world, not only by annihilating the most ruthless terror outfit in the world, but also achieving that goal with the minimum and a negligible civilian casualty rate. When foreign forces in Iraq and Afghanistan often missed their air raid targets and caused heavy civilian deaths and casualties, Sri Lanka's Security Forces conducted themselves in the most exemplary manner.

Certain countries and interested parties levelled many charges to tarnish the image of the Security Forces. However, their calculated attempts at various levels proved futile. Having failed miserably in all such moves and being unable to rescue Prabhakaran, these elements are now attempting to mislead a few countries and other international organisations.

The recent attempt by the UN Secretary General to appoint a panel of experts to advise him on accountability issues relating to Sri Lanka is the latest development. The Government has deplored the attempt by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to interfere in the internal affairs of the country at a time when pro-LTTE groups and lobbies in the West are working to undermine the country. Though the LTTE was defeated militarily on Sri Lankan soil the threat faced by Sri Lanka globally is still alive.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband addressed the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), an LTTE front organisation recently despite the LTTE being a banned terrorist group in the UK. Was the British Foreign Secretary aware that three resolutions were moved at the GTF that he addressed? One such resolution was to bring our military leaders before a war crimes tribunal. An economic blockade preventing the export of apparel, tea and spices and securing self-determination rights for people in the North and the East to set up their own separate state were the other two resolutions adopted. Sri Lanka will not allow LTTE activists to ride roughshod and the Government has already protested against the suggestion made by the UN Secretary General.

Meanwhile, the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) has also expressed concerns over the moves by the UN Secretary General. The Chair of the NAM Coordinating Bureau in New York, while strongly condemning the UN action, said that the appointment comes without taking into consideration the domestic situation in Sri Lanka and without consulting the Government of Sri Lanka.

As the NAM has quite rightly said, the UN has no mandate to intervene in the domestic matters of a State. President Rajapaksa has already confirmed in public his intention to introduce a domestic mechanism to address accountability issues.

Now that Sri Lanka has crushed terrorism and is on the verge of completing the resettlement process, it's the duty of the international community to extend their support to the Government. If they are sincere and are genuinely interested in securing a better future for those who had suffered due to LTTE terror, the international community should extend its whole-hearted support for development activities in the North and the East.