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Five years on since crushing LTTE terrorism:

Sri Lanka makes commendable progress

Sri Lanka has made commendable progress since LTTE terrorism was crushed five years ago. No other country in the world had bounced back so quickly after such a bitter experience.

Demining using the raking method in Mullaithivu, east of the A9 road. (File photo)

The rebuilt Azwer jetty in Jaffna

Sri Lanka's laudable achievements during the past five years are even more commendable when one considers the fact that the country's Security Forces had to confront the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world.

Even after the LTTE terrorist outfit was militarily defeated, many other challenges had to be met. Apart from the resettlement of about a half a million people in the North and the East, the Security Forces faced numerous other tasks, including the demining of the area forcibly held by the LTTE.

Most of the areas in which the LTTE ran its law of the jungle was heavily fortified with hundreds of thousands of landmines. It was no easy task to clear such a huge area inch by inch carefully minimising injuries.

Resettlement

Though some Western countries exerted undue pressure on resettlement, Sri Lanka could not rush things. As a responsible Government, every inch liberated from the LTTE had to be checked and demined. Resettlement was only possible after the Security Forces were fully satisfied that the area was free of land mines.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka's resettlement of displaced people was completed in double quick time, setting new world standards. At the same time, the Government ensured infrastructure facilities in the North and the East with mega development projects in the two provinces. Resettlement and development went hand-in-hand, opening new horizons for those who had been liberated from the jaws of death.

When the LTTE was crushed by May 2009, all what the West had demanded was a speedy resettlement process. But when Sri Lanka achieved that Herculean task, setting new world standards in resettlement of displaced persons, they talked about better facilities for the people in the two provinces.

The Government gave preferential treatment to the Northern and the Eastern Provinces over the other seven provinces. Billions of rupees were spent on mega development projects in the North and the East, given a new lease of life for those who were not even sure of their tomorrow when they were under the LTTE.

As a result, fisheries and agriculture sector in the two provinces thrived and cash began flowing to the North and the East as business started flourishing. This resulted the Northern and the Eastern Provinces showing an unprecedented growth rate of over 25 percent, compared to the average overall growth of around seven percent.

Human shield

But some Western countries were totally blind to see this stark fact. Instead, they came out with another strategy to exert pressure on Sri Lanka.

They framed baseless charges regarding human rights violations during the humanitarian operations. But what they spoke the most was the human rights of LTTE terrorists killed in action. However, hardly anybody uttered a word of comfort when people in the North and the East were forcibly held as a human shield by LTTE terrorists.

The West found human rights as an effective tool to exert undue pressure on Sri Lanka and also attempted to meddle in country's internal affairs on the pretext of advocating on human rights and good governance. The US-led Resolutions to the UNHRC were totally unwarranted at a time Sri Lanka had been making a steady and determined progress since the dawn of peace.

But certain Western countries cared more for the aspirations of the LTTE rump and not that of the Tamils who have begun a new lease of life after being freed during the humanitarian operation.

None of those external forces were there when Sri Lanka had been at the receiving end. Lives of 21 million people were in total disarray, without knowing when the LTTE terrorists would blast the next massive bomb targeting civilians. None of those godfathers of human rights had come to the rescue of those hapless civilians.

Problems

Now that Sri Lanka had waged its own battle and achieved peace due to the supreme sacrifices of the Security Forces, enough and more self-appointed advisors have emerged to advice Sri Lanka on reconciliation and good governance.

Tamils in the North and the East had genuine problems in the past. But those were not only confined to Tamils but also to Muslims and Sinhalese living in the North and the East. People in the two provinces had encountered various problems not because of their ethnic belongings but due to their geographical locations.

Hence, there is no national problem or ethnic issue in Sri Lanka. Those are innovated brand names give by the so-called Western peace merchants. Leaders of Sri Lanka and its democratically-elected Government know what is best for the people. No foreigner could have a greater pain regarding the people in the North than our own leaders. Some Western leaders shed crocodile tears on the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka to woo votes of the Tamil diaspora in their countries.

Sri Lanka will find its own indigenous process for reconciliation and does not need any outside expertise. It is we who fought our own battle to get rid of the scourge of terrorism. Similarly, Sri Lanka is able to make progress in reconciliation without any undue pressure from outside elements. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government have done everything possible to find a better tomorrow for the resettled people.

Communal slogans

The people in the North and the East had suffered for three decades due to LTTE terrorism. They do not demand police or land powers. It is only the power-hungry TNA politicians who demand such powers for the Northern Provincial Council. The police or land powers would not fulfill any aspirations of the Tamils in the North.

Those are communal slogans for the TNA to portray itself as the sole representative of the Tamils. People in the North have not forgotten how the TNA was remote-controlled by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran when Tiger terrorism was at its zenith. The TNA kept mum when the LTTE terrorists shot dead Tamil civilians who had escaped from LTTE-held areas for safety, seeking the protection of the Security Forces.

External Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris told the Parliament last week that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had clearly expressed the view of the Sri Lanka Government to India that the devolution of police powers to the Provincial Councils will bring about undesirable repercussions.

The minister made this observation in Parliament in response to a special statement made by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe under Standing Order 23(2). Minister Peiris said that the President expressed his views to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a cordial and informal discussion held during the President's visit to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Indian Prime Minister.

Fishermen's dispute

The minister also said that the cordial discussion focused on a wide range of matters including the future of SAARC, expanding economic relations between India and Sri Lanka, concerns of fishermen between the two countries and there was no detailed and in-depth discussion on constitutional matters as the Opposition Leader attempted to highlight.

The Opposition Leader in his statement said the media quoted Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh as saying that India had asked Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment. He called upon the External Affairs Minister to respond to this matter. Minister Peiris said that the President explained the government's position in this regard clearly. Prof. Peiris had said for a quarter of century none of the five governments that were in power implemented the 13th Amendment fully. He has said that one need for the proper implementation of this piece of legislation is the agreement among the people.

The External Affairs Minister said the President clearly stated that the only mechanism to reach a solution to this issue which is not ethnic is the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that has already been set up.

TNA should take part in the PSC to reach a fruitful decision and all parties should contribute to the final decision. This is a matter above party politics and all parties should take part in the PSC to find a solution.

Peace

Be it the 13th Amendment or not, it is entirely a business of Sri Lanka. Let the PSC recommend what suits the country best. The aspirations of the LTTE rump and Tamil Diaspora are totally different from that of Tamils living in the North. All what they need is a peaceful atmosphere to carry out their day-to-day activities and improve living conditions.

The Government has already afforded these objectives. The people in the North and the East now enjoy enhanced living conditions with better purchasing power. They are living with perfect peace and amity with other communities. This is contrary to the gloomy picture projected by the LTTE rump in the West. Countries in the West must understand this bitter truth and ground realities.

Harping on the LTTE terrorists killed in action and their human rights would not do any good for the Tamils in the North, who are more concerned about development and progress in livelihood activities.

TNA should not attempt to take their community on a another political ride and push them towards a dark era again. What matters is the true aspirations of people in the North and the East and certainly not that of the TNA or the LTTE rump.

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