Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for Australia, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe briefing Federal Parliamentarians, Australian Government officials and Australian Print and Electronic Media on the factual context of the Humanitarian Operation undertaken by the Sri Lankan armed forces to rescue 300,000 civilians from the clutches of terrorists who were holding them hostage as human shields, said the government had taken measures to prevent civilian casualties throughout the conflict.
Sixteen Federal Members of Parliament from the ruling Labour Party and the Opposition including the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Human Rights Sub Committee, Chair of the Defence Sub Committee and Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Sub Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade of the Federal Parliament. Representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, advisors to Members of Parliament, Parliament Staff and representatives of the Australian Print and Electronic media were also present at the event.
Admiral Samarasinghe spoke from a unique vantage point having been involved in the last stages of the conflict as Commander of Northern and Eastern Naval Areas and as Director General of Naval Operations since 2007. He also shared his perspectives on post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts of the Government, a process he was directly involved in as Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy.
He emphasized that training in International Humanitarian Law, Rules of Engagement in Armed Conflict and Human Rights Laws was an integral part of the training given to Sri Lankan armed forces personnel and this moulded their conduct in the final phase of the conflict. The former Navy Chief also highlighted the measures taken by all armed forces personnel to prevent civilian casualties throughout the conflict. He drew the attention of the audience to the fact that the Sri Lankan armed forces had received military training alongside the best in the world at different stages of their careers and highlighted the investment made by the country in sophisticated radar and other equipment to identify terrorist targets and to take maximum precautions to save civilian lives in all combat operations.
He addressed comprehensively allegations made regarding the denial of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and spoke of his involvement in the coordination of the delivery of such assistance in the final phases of the conflict. His presentation also covered several other key areas including the attempts by successive governments to negotiate peace, the failure of the CFA, the incident at Mavil Aru and the atrocities of the LTTE and the international network that supported terrorism in Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner also stated that the alleged civilian casualty figure of 40,000 was completely false and without any basis. He explained the supreme sacrifices made by armed force and police in rescuing civilians and the exemplary conduct of the military.
The video documentary “Lies Agreed Upon” was also screened at the event. Those present were given copies of the Report “Humanitarian Operation-Factual Analysis”, a CD containing the documentary “Lies Agreed Upon”, speeches of the Minister of External Affairs and Secretary of Defence made at the launch. A copy of the Central Bank’s 60th Anniversary Oration made by Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal titled “Promoting Financial Inclusiveness in the North & the East – The Experience of the Past Two Years” was also distributed at the event.
At the conclusion of the event the High Commissioner responded comprehensively to questions posed by the Australian media on Channel 4 video contents and stated that the contents were completely unsubstantiated. In response to other question the High Commissioner stated that there was no requirement of an international inquiry as Sri Lanka has initiated its own domestic mechanism (LLRC) to investigate all allegations