President makes 'Mission Impossible' possible

Many countries, including the superpowers have been making desperate attempts to eradicate terrorism. The global focus on terrorism was intensified after the 9/11 attack and there was one voice against terrorism across the globe.

Sri Lanka had been experiencing bitter results due to terrorism, long before the 9/11 attack. At the early stages of LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka, many countries saw it in a different perspective, perhaps branding it as a freedom movement, fighting for the rights of a minority group.

There were plenty of reasons for some countries to believe in such manner as the strong LTTE worldwide propaganda network had worked overtime portraying a different picture which is far from the actual situation in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka and its people suffered untold hardships due to LTTE terror.

Until it's barbaric leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed and his outfit was completely wiped out, terrorism had done an irreparable damage to Sri Lanka, its people, economy and sovereignty of our country for nearly three decades.

It was under the fearless and dynamic leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Security Forces embarked on a task which many believed to be 'mission impossible'. The far-reaching political leadership of the President, coupled with the right military strategies under the guidance of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was the key to Sri Lanka's success in putting a permanent end to Prabhakaran and his outfit's ruthless acts of terror.

In doing so, the little Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka has proved to the world that terrorism should and could be defeated. As President Rajapaksa had emphasized before the United Nations General Assembly two years go, terrorism in any part of the world is terrorism and should be defeated in equal fashion.

Despite many devastating attacks, killing thousands of innocent people, certain Western media still refer to LTTE cadres as rebels and insurgents. Even with solid proof on terrorist activities carried out by the LTTE certain media and a few countries still show a little reluctance to accept the bitter fact that the Tiger movement was a terror outfit.

In spite of all such elements attempting to disrupt Sri Lanka's forward march, the Government and the Security Forces have beaten all odds to teach the world what Sri Lanka's capabilities are all about.

Thus, Sri Lanka is the first and the only country to defeat terrorism and it could proudly take the leadership in the global battle against terrorism.

However, sinister campaigns, both local and international, are still on to tarnish Sri Lanka's image. There had been enough and more such attempts during the Security Forces' humanitarian operations in the North and East. Even at the eleventh hour before Prabhakaran's death, some groups and organisations unsuccessfully tried to rescue him.

Right throughout the humanitarian campaign, certain countries and INGOs repeatedly showed extraordinary concern on civilians living in the North and East. But the very same countries and the INGOs did not utter a word when the LTTE exploded bomb after bomb, brutally killing thousands of innocent civilians from all walks of life.

The same people are now playing a different tune, showing great concerns over camps of displaced persons and their welfare. As President Rajapaksa has clearly pointed out, no country or organisation should have a greater feeling for the displaced persons in the North than the Government of Sri Lanka.

Those innocent civilians are our own people, our own brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka. It is our duty to look after them and lend a helping hand to get back to normal life. As a responsible Government which is only accountable for its people, Sri Lanka is making every endeavour to afford a better life to displaced persons.

The flood situation in the North, due to torrential rains, is now being used as a 'weapon' to discredit the Government. Not only certain elements against Sri Lanka, but also some bankrupt local opposition politicians have joined the bandwagon.

One should understand that these people have been displaced not due to a fault of the Government but because of merciless terrorist activities of the LTTE. The Tiger terrorists who proclaimed that they are the sole representatives of the Tamils, brought nothing but agony to their own community.

Ultimately, it is the Government that has to pay for the sins of the LTTE and for the narrow political decisions by the then Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The 2001-2004 Government of Wickremesinghe signed the controversial Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), granting wider powers of a legal Government to a terrorist group for the first time in the world!

It is no secret how terrorists used the cover of the CFA to regroup and intensify their terror activities. All those sophisticated weapons found during the recent humanitarian operation had been acquired by the LTTE during that period. If not for the 'freedom' and legal status granted to the LTTE by Wickremesinghe regime, the Security Forces would not have found it difficult to beat the LTTE.At least at this very late stage, the UNP should act as a responsible opposition and extend its support to the Government to provide a better tomorrow for the people in the North under Uthuru Wasanthaya.

The UNP vote base has eroded drastically, decreasing it to as low as 15% in Uva. Wickremesinghe's leadership could well take it to 10% at the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council elections. If the UNP continue to play dirty politics and look for short cuts to regain power, people will teach them another unforgettable lesson in the South.