Third anniversary of Liberation on May 18:

Not too late for the West to prove its sincerity

by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

All Sri Lankans, irrespective of their ethnic, religious and political belongings, will celebrate the third anniversary of the Security Forces liberating the country from the clutches of LTTE terrorism. It was on May 18, 2009 that Sri Lanka’s Security Forces accomplished that landmark achievement and became the only country in the world to crush terrorism, that too against the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit.

Exactly three years ago, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared with justifiable pride that the country had been liberated from the scourge of terrorism and hoisted the national flag at the Victory Day celebrations at the Galle Face Green. The true sons of our soil have achieved infinitely more than the so-called superpowers - crushing terrorism, and that too against the most brutal terrorist organisation in the world. The whole world was spellbound by that magnificent victory.

When we look back at that resounding victory, it was a dream come true as almost all politicians and leaders here strongly believed that LTTE terrorism could never be crushed militarily. But President Rajapaksa strongly believed that LTTE terrorism and genuine grievances of the people in the North are two different things. While teaching the terrorists in the language they understand better, President Rajapaksa embarked on massive development projects in the North and the East to offer a better tomorrow for the innocent civilians who were liberated from the clutches of LTTE terror.

The battle against terror was by no mean a battle against Tamil community. Over the years, the LTTE had given an impression to people in the North that the Security Forces’ action in the area are attack against Tamils. But the people in the North could not be fooled forever and they understood that the Security Forces were only on a humanitarian mission to liberate hapless civilians and to crush Tiger terrorists.

It was crystal clear for the Tamils when the LTTE terrorists indiscriminately fired at civilians who were running away from the 'No Fire Zone' to the newly liberated areas. That was exactly how the LTTE, which projected themselves as the sole representatives of the Tamils, treated their own community.

The battle against the LTTE was not a ‘war’ against the Tamils. The heroic troops sacrificed their lives to save innocent Tamils from the grip of LTTE terror. This is precisely why Sri Lanka's victory in defeating the LTTE becomes a victory for the entire nation, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds.

Hence, the Victory Day is equally important not only to Sinhalese and Muslims but also to Tamils. It is appropriate to celebrate Victory Day to recall the valiant efforts of our Security Forces and show our gratitude to all those brave sons of our soil who had made immense sacrifices for us to enjoy true freedom today.

The V-Day is not merely an occasion to celebrate Sri Lanka's unique achievement to eradicate terrorism. It also marks the unprecedented human rescue mission in the world as the Security Forces liberated over half a million people from the clutches of LTTE terror.

In the greatest humanitarian rescue operation in modern world history the Security Forces risked their lives to liberate hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians, held forcibly by the LTTE as a human shield.

The devastation made by the LTTE over a period of three decades was immense. The loss of thousands of human lives demonstrates how brutal the LTTE was in attempting to achieve their separatist goals. The damage the LTTE had done to the Lankan economy was immeasurable. Moreover, we would never get back those leaders brutally assassinated by the Tiger terrorists – President R. Premadasa, Ministers Gamini Dissanayake, Lakshman Kadirgarmar, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, C.V. Gooneratne and Ranjan Wijeratne.

They even went to the extent of assassinating former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, thus depriving India the services of a great leader.

The LTTE could never be pardoned for the devastations they architected at Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura and Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. It was on May 14, 1985 that the LTTE attacked the Sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura and brutally killed over 150 civilians and wounded another 85 people. Many Buddhist monks and pilgrims who were inside the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi premises were among the dead. Could any right-thinking person justify the brutal terrorist attack at Aranthalawa where the LTTE mercilessly killed many Buddhist monks?

Yet, certain countries in the West still attempt to show undue mercy for the LTTE and talk about human rights of those terrorists. They still feel Sri Lanka’s Security Forces should not have eliminated the LTTE while the entire nation lived in fear due to the barbaric terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

It was on a day like today, exactly five years ago that the LTTE gunmen shot dead the Chief Incumbent of the Pabbatharamaya Temple Ven. Handungamuwe Nandarathana Thera in Mahadivulwewa, Morawewa. Three gunmen on two motorcycles had fled immediately after the incident, after killing the Chief Incumbent. Ven. Handungamuwe Nandarathana Thera had played a prominent role in helping Tamils in the area. The Tigers never liked any leader getting closer to the hearts and minds of the Tamils, so that they could easily poison the minds of the people in the North.

The Tigers never belied in the ballot and often killed Tamils who believed in democracy, with Minister Lakshman Kadirgarmar and TULF leader T. Amirthalingam being the most notable. On May 17, 1998 Mayor of Jaffna, Mrs. Sarojini Yogeswaran, was shot dead by LTTE terrorists at her residence in Jaffna.

More importantly, the Government has spent billions of rupees for the development of the North and the East. The idea of the humanitarian operation was not merely to crush the LTTE but to liberate the hapless civilians and offer them a safe, secured and bright future. That is why the Government embarked on the Eastern Reawakening development drive immediately after the liberation of the Eastern Province. The Government did not wait until the North was cleared to start the infrastructure development in the East.

Thanks to the untiring efforts of the President and the UPFA Government, the people in the North and the East have got a new lease of life and have now become active contributors to the national economy. If the West is sincerely worried about the well-being of the people living in the North and the East, they must see these positive developments while throwing a side their personal agendas. If that had happened, even the US would never have brought a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC.

It is not too late for the countries in the West to prove their sincerity and justify their actions. They must come here and see for themselves the enormous effort that the Government, officials and the Security Forces have jointly put on to improve the lives of people in the North and the East.