Winning hearts of Tamils in the East - the need of the hour - Armed Forces

Shanika Sriyananda reporting from Thoppigala

High ranking military officials in the East said that Sri Lanka's Armed Forces proved their dedication and capabilities in liberating the innocent Tamils from the jaws of terrorists with the capture of the East including its nerve centre - Thoppigala. They said it is now the responsibility of the Government to give the Tamils a solution to end the national conflict.

"We know that the war is not the solution to end the problem. The East has now been completely liberated from the LTTE's clutches. Still the troops are searching the runaway LTTE cadres.

The Armed Forces have launched several search operations", they said.

They said that they believe there were some LTTE cadres who had escaped from Thoppigala and were living with the IDPs. "However, the youth and children in the East had been forcibly abducted by the LTTE and were used in combat zones", they said.

The officials said it was high time for the Government to win the trust of the ordinary Tamils by providing them with their basic needs and ensuring their right to life.

The facilities in the East should be upgraded to win the hearts and minds of the Tamils. We know that the majority of them do not want war and they are sick of war, said a high ranking army officer.

See also Liberation Thoppigala: freedom for child soldiers

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