Kilinochchi

Today we are at a decisive moment in the history of the country. Our security forces have captured Kilinochchi, which was the de-facto capital of the so-called Eelam and which was recognized by some as such.

This victory, as President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in his Address to the Nation on Friday is the most honourable in the annals of military history.

In the words of the President "Whatever the words or language used to describe it, this is truly an incomparable victory. What our heroic troops have achieved is not only the capture of the great fortress of the LTTE, but a major victory in the world's battle against terrorism. The entire world must today appreciate the outstanding success of the Sri Lankan troops."

In this moment of glory the Sunday Observer wishes to join with the masses in paying our gratitude and expressing our solidarity to the heroic security forces for their truly remarkable and incomparable feat.

Throughout the Eelam War IV and in particular in the battle to regain Kilinochchi they have proved themselves to be invincible. They could not be deterred by mortars, artillery fire, treacherous earth bunds, chemical weapons or inclement weather.

We also note with gratitude the exceptional exemplary leadership given to the valiant forces by the President, Defence Secretary and the Army Commander. Our compliments also go to the Commanders of the Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force that provided logistical and other necessary support to the army in the fulfillment of its mission.

The victory should not let us relax our vigilance about sinister attempts of the enemy to destabilize society and create mayhem. Yesterday's suicide attempt is a stark reminder that the war on terror is not over.

It should awaken us to the magnitude of the threat we face. As our news item that appears elsewhere in this issue, it is the vigilance of the public and the commitment of the security forces and the police, including the Civil Defence Force that has ensured peace and tranquillity in Colombo and elsewhere outside the war zone.

The best tribute we could pay to our gallant soldiers is not to relax our vigilance and ensure that the enemy does not succeed in his sinister attempts.

The victory achieved in the battlefield could be preserved only by ensuring peace, law and order and above all communal harmony. That is why it should be treated as a victory of the entire nation over terrorism. Ass the President stressed in his Address to the Nation, One must not belittle this victory as one that has been won by one community over another.

It should not be interpreted as defeat of the North by the South. This is a victory for our entire nation and country. It is a decisive victory over savage terrorism that was playing around with the blood, muscle and sinews of humans. It is a victory over venomous separatism that sought to divide people on grounds of race and religion".

We call upon the LTTE even at this last hour to heed the President's call and lay down arms and surrender. It is the only means by which they could help the hapless civilians in the North who are trapped in the war zone and relieve the agony of combatants who have been conscripted by them at gun point.

The mass response to the exhibition "Future Minds of Jaffna" is a clear indication of the sentiments of the people in the north and their aspirations and allegiance. The hopes kindled in the hearts of the Jaffna youth should not be allowed to fade away.

The liberation of the North from the clutches of brutal terror should be followed by a meaningful rapid program of development as is presently carried out in the East.

It is the patriotic duty of all Sri Lankans living elsewhere in the country to rise up to the occasion and supplement Government efforts by their own voluntary contributions.

Our experience in the aftermath of the tsunami in December 2004 shows that they are quite capable of doing so.

The conventional phase of the war on terror has definitively entered its last phase.

As the President requested it is necessary to bear up for a while the trials and tribulations caused by the war, a war imposed on the Government.

Meanwhile, we should pursue in earnest the building of peace and harmony among communities that were estranged and shattered by the three decade old fratricidal war. It is time for the APRC too to deliver.