Thanks to Security Forces, Sri Lankans could now live in peace

by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

LTTE rump is gearing for another sinister operation to further mislead the international community. They are preparing loads of concocted stories to fool the international community and capitalise on the US-led Resolution against Sri Lanka at the next UNHRC Sessions due in a few months time.

Ex-LTTE cadres who have managed to migrate to countries in the West, misleading those Governments, are spearheading the campaign.

Though Sri Lanka's police and the Security Forces managed to uncover mysteries surrounding certain deaths, for which the Tiger sympathisers have put the blame on the Government, a section of the Tamil Diaspora continues to project a gloomy picture - that Sri Lanka is not a safe place for Tamils to live. Such campaigns have also been used by Tamils living in the West to obtain visas and get down their relatives to those countries.

But it is the duty of the ambassadors of those countries based in Colombo to feed the true ground situation in Sri Lanka.

Thanks to the untiring efforts of the valiant Security Forces, people in Sri Lanka could now live in any part of the country and travel anywhere without fear, intimidation or terrorist threats. Irrespective of their ethnic or religious belongings, all Sri Lankans could now live peacefully in any part of the country they wish and indulge in their day to day activities without fear.

There is no discrimination to any Sri Lankan, based on their ethnicity.

Minority Tamils and Muslims have equal privileges just as Sinhalese. People in Sri Lanka do not feel any such discrimination based on either their race or religion. But it is the LTTE sympathisers in the West who project such nonsense.

Similarly, people in the North and the East are not worried about obtaining land or police powers.

They are only worried about their future, for which the Government has already implemented a praiseworthy plan.

It is some of the expatriate Tamils, who don't know the true ground situation in Sri Lanka or actual needs of the Tamils living in Sri Lanka who demand police and land powers. Opportunist Tamil politicians in the North who market their ethnicity for political survival also demand such powers so that they could thrive.

These politicians did not utter a word when hapless Tamil civilians in the North and the East were at the receiving end due to barbaric terror acts of the LTTE. When the LTTE terrorists forcibly held Tamil civilians as a human shield, the TNA did not voice against those cruel acts against mankind.

The TNA parliamentarians at that time apparently acted like mere puppets. They were remote-controlled by Prabhakaran from his Wanni hideouts. Whenever the LTTE wanted, the TNA parliamentarians were summoned to Kilinochchi jungles and were given orders by the Tiger top brass. Tamil politicians never discussed actual problems of the Tamil community with the LTTE leaders. Instead, they returned to Colombo with the 'orders' given by Prabhakaran and Thamilselvan.

TNA who is now making a big hue and cry over Tamils seems to have forgotten how they acted then. Sampathan and his men seem to have woken up altogether and its only now that they feel the grievances of the Tamils.

In contrast, the Government always felt and understood the pulse of all its communities. That is why President Mahinda Rajapaksa was so determined to liberate over half a million Tamils forcibly held by LTTE terrorists.

He is the only politician who had the guts to beat all overwhelming odds to liberate people in the North and the East from the clutches of the LTTE terror.

He not only gave that much needed political leadership to liberate those hapless civilians but also made sure that they are resettled in double quick time with a secured future.

The Government embarked on an ambitious program to develop infrastructure facilities in the North and the East, thereby opening new horizons of the people living in these two provinces.

It was due to those untiring efforts that the Northern and the Eastern provinces are showing the highest development ratio ahead of all other provinces in the country. While the overall economic growth was between 7 to 8 percent, the growth rate in these two provinces are high as much as 20-22 percent.

Why can't the international community see these positive developments with open arms?

They only talk about a few incidents that are projected by the LTTE rump and try to frame war crimes allegations. Perhaps, some of the countries in the West must be thinking that liberating over a half a million people from the jaws of LTTE terror is a war crime.

The very same people are apparently of the view that numerous terror acts committed by the LTTE were the legitimate rights of a terrorist outfit.

We would like to refresh the memories of some of those controversial politicians in the West on terror acts committed by the LTTE during this part of the year in previous years.

The LTTE, which claimed themselves as the sole representatives of the Tamils, deprived all other Tamil leaders of indulging in any politics or social work.

They even eliminated their rival separatist groups, though they claimed that all are fighting for a similar cause. On June 19, 1990 LTTE masterminded a grenade attack at Kodambakam, Chennai to eliminate top EPRLF members and Tamil leaders.

Among those who perished were Jaffna district MP V.K. Yogasangari, leader of the EPRLF K. Pathmanabha and former Finance Minister of North Eastern Provincial Council, P. Kirubakaran.

On June 21 of successive years - 1986 and 1987, LTTE terrorists stormed into two villages in Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa to brutally assassinate many innocent civilians, including children.

One June 21, 1986, a group of armed LTTE terrorists stormed Wilgamwehera hamlet in Trincomalee district and butchered nine civilians including children.

The terrorists used sharp weapons to kill and maim the innocent civilians in order give maximum horror to the victims and the onlookers. The terror stricken civilians started vacating the ancient villages they lived for generations and started moving towards south.

On the exact day in the month of June 21 in the following year, LTTE terrorists, armed with small arms, raided the ancient Sinhalse hamlet of Godapotha in Polonnaruwa, killing eight villagers.

But the terrorist failed to attain the intended target of a greater massacre as the civilians used to sleep in the jungle hideouts at night due to the terrorist threats.

It is still fresh in our minds how the LTTE exploded a massive bomb at one of the most highly secured military establishments in Colombo.

It was on June 21, 1991 that 21 people were killed and more than 175 others sustained injuries when an LTTE suicide bomber drove a truck, laden with explosives, into the Joint Operations Command Office at the Flower Road in Colombo 7.

Sri Lanka has embarked on its own reconciliation process and the international community should help us to implement our own home-grown solutions to local problems.

Unfortunately, it's the countries who did not make any tangible contribution during Sri Lanka's humanitarian operation that are extremely worried about the reconciliation process here and try to advise.

While the friendly countries which made an immense contribution for Sri Lanka to crush terrorism are patiently awaiting and allowing us to make our own progress in reconciliation, it is the countries which turned a Nelsonian eye during the battle against terror that have come forward to as self-appointed advisors and arbitrators.

Sri Lanka has already declared that a task force overlooking the implementation of the reconciliation commission is making progress and has short-listed 33 of its recommendations to be implemented at national level.

Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, who heads the task force, has said that out of the 135 main recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), 33 proposals need to be implemented at national level.

He said the task force had met as many as five times and its progress would be made public by the end of the month.

Hence, the West should not be unduly perturbed on the cause of action that Sri Lanka would be taking.

The leaders of Sri Lanka have a greater feeling for its people, be it in the North or South, than the Western politicians. President Rajapaksa is concerned about the well-being of people in the North and the East than any other politician in the world.

All what we ask from the West is to keep away from meddling with internal affairs of a sovereign state, allowing Sri Lanka to handle its own problems.