Sri Lanka's unique success in the battle against terrorism

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

A country sans all forms of barriers was the fervent hope of Sri Lankans five years ago as they were battered by the inhuman terrorism that had engulfed the country for more than three decades.

But even in their wildest dreams they never expected the dawn of such a situation within a short span of time. They were happy to see a true leader who loves his Motherland from the bottom of his heart becoming the President of this country on November 19, 2005.

The masses of this country who always talk proudly of their ancestors were aware that it was always a leader hailing from Magampura who would give leadership to the country to be united under one flag when the country was facing the threat of separation.

Today, five years after he took over the leadership of this country, people have realized their expectations of a country sans all forms of barriers. He is about to take oaths for the second term of office as the President on November 19.

When President Mahinda Rajapaksa steps into his second term of office the people can move about freely as all physical and mental barriers had gone away with the dawn of permanent peace.

Although the task that has been achieved under the leadership of President Rajapaksa in the context of national security appears to be a simple task , it was achieved through sheer commitment and dedication for the Motherland.

If somebody tries to confine that victory achieved against LTTE terrorism to a local context, that may be a big mistake since it was one of the biggest achievements in the context of eliminating global terrorism.

This aspect is very clearly witnessed in the manner in which many countries who did not want to label the LTTE as a terror organisation when it existed in Sri Lanka, are now trying their best to seal off their countries to the remnants of this organisations which is trying to raise its head.

They are now aware that the organisation they patronised for decades was the real cause of the problems of their own countries; whether it is suicide terrorism, human smuggling, illegal weapons deals or fraudulent acts in their countries.

But, the path Sri Lanka trod to achieve that height was not littered with roses, rather it was a path infested with thorns and rocks. As the leader of this country, the President had to take the country through that very path when all Western nations stood against him on various grounds.

Outstanding quality

It was the most outstanding quality in his leadership. He could uphold national security against the ideologies of separatism patronised by many leaders who ruled this country within the past few decades. That true quality in his leadership enabled him to earn the appreciation of the masses of the country.

But to achieve this end he had to convince the country and also the international community that the path he was treading along was the correct path of eradicating terrorism.

Therefore, he had to take a results oriented approach. The three Armed Forces had to go against the conventional approach to the conflict by evolving indigenous ways of fighting against LTTE terrorism from the date they commenced the 'Mavil Aru' humanitarian operation in July 2006.

It was after the successful elimination of LTTE terrorists from the Eastern Province that President Rajapaksa could clearly convince the local and international community that the Armed Forces under his command were on a victorious path against the LTTE.

Until the valiant troops hoisted the national flag at the summit of the 'Baron's Cap' in August 2007 the public had their doubts about his approach to defeat LTTE terrorism as it was only a dream for them at that time.

The positive results brought by the Security Forces helped him to create much needed political stability, for him to go forward in eradicating terrorism.

His brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the Defence Secretary and the Forces Commanders became a tower of strength to him when dealing with matters relating to the requirements of the three Forces and the Police in continuing with the humanitarian operation.

No time-line

As a leader who had gone through the mill of local politics, President Rajapaksa never thought of imposing a time-line for the defeat of LTTE terrorism, as he was aware that those time-lines would become mere political slogans like in the past. But he could make the unrealistic dream a reality through his approach to the problem.

Never in history had the soldiers, sailors and airmen being given such a prestigious position in society as during the period they fought that hard battle against the ruthless terrorists. In the same manner, he had given the prime responsibility to the very same Forces personnel to protect the innocent lives of Tamils who had been trapped with those ruthless terrorists. That was the unique aspect of the humanitarian operation conducted under his leadership and it was the very same feature that could not be understood by the international community as they were not aware that eliminating terrorism and protecting innocent lives are two different things. The Forces personnel were familier with both aspects of the operation giving true sense to the word humanitarian operation.

That was the real reason why some international players were trying to level charges of war crimes against Sri Lankan government as they had failed to identify the real terrorists and the civilians. But the Security Forces of Sri Lanka did it the right way.

So the operations conducted under his leadership to defeat terrorism displayed the true qualities of humanity and professionalism. That was why the Tamil people who had fled the country in fear of LTTE terrorism are returning to their motherland after the successful completion of the humanitarian operation.

That was why the ground troops who fought fierce battles against the ruthless terrorism could save hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians kept by the LTTE as a human shield, in the record-breaking rescue mission carried out in Puthumathalan in April 2009.

Throughout the humanitarian operation the ground troops of the Army demonstrated a clear commitment to achieve what the country wanted to achieve by capturing strongholds of the LTTE and finally killing the ruthless terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in Mullaitivu.

No solo effort

But it was not a solo game the ground troops played. The Sri Lanka Air Force provided the much needed cover for the ground troops by way of air strikes, casualty evacuation, transporting troops and conducting air spy and surveillance missions.

The enhanced capabilities of the Sri Lanka Air Force under the Presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa not only enabled the Air Force personnel to face the air threat of the LTTE which had created a bigger nuisance to the South, but also to expand its wings across the North following the successful completion of the humanitarian operation.

The pinpoint bombing to take precise targets of the LTTE, avoiding civilian casualties, night raids and operations carried out by them admirably helped to neutralise and restrict the movements of Tiger leaders when operations were going on in the North and the East.

When the ground troops were removing the barriers on the ground, the Sri Lanka Air Force was removing the restrictions in the air by crushing the Tiger Air Wing, with the resources made available to them.

In the same manner the Navy was tuned to face the challenges posed to them by the LTTE through their international network of arms smuggling. The Navy destroyed LTTE floating warehouses that supplied arms and ammunition to the LTTE by entering international waters.

The destruction of 10 LTTE ships and a large number of fishing trawlers carrying arms to Sri Lanka by the Navy was significant in the context of victory against the LTTE.

The defence line created by the Navy surrounding Sri Lanka made LTTE movements to and from this country untenable. Even in the post conflict period, the role under the Navy has become vital as the country should be sealed from outside influences as remnants of the LTTE still exist at international level.

Therefore, the tenure of President Mahinda Rajapksa has brought complete security to the nation and also directly contributed to global peace as he has set an example to the world by displaying the best way of safeguarding nations against ruthless terrorism and the way of bringing prosperity to the country through that process.