Opinion:
Security forces made immense sacrifices to defeat Tigers
By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga
November 10 had been one of the deadliest days in the history of LTTE
atrocities during the three decades of terror unleashed by the world’s
most ruthless terrorist outfit.

A new water tower in Jaffna, a part of the infrastructure
development of the area. |
As the nation commemorates the anniversaries of those LTTE terror
attacks on Thursday, let us recall the immense contributions made by the
Security Forces with profound gratitude. It was due to their supreme
sacrifices and the political sagacity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa
that the country could host an international summit as the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2013) here starting later this month.
The deadliest of those LTTE atrocities on November 10 is the killing
of eight officers and 233 soldiers when LTTE attacked the Pooneryn
defences exactly two decades ago - on November 10, 1993. The LTTE also
executed 200 soldiers captured during this attack on the Pooneryn army
camp.
Navy commander
The highest ranked officer to be killed in action took place on
November 10, 1992 when a suicide bomb attack in front of Taj Samudra
Hotel, Galle Face killed four persons, including the then Commander of
Sri Lanka Navy, Admiral Clancy Fernando.
On November 10, 2008, LTTE intensified its attacks targeting
civilians and as a result group of Tamil civilians escaping from the
LTTE grip came to the cleared area seeking protection from the Security
Forces in Thanankilappu, Jaffna. 15 civilians comprising five males,
eight females and two children had crossed Kilaly lagoon from their home
in the uncleared area of Paranthan.
But many civilians were gunned down by the LTTE as the terror outfit
forcibly held thousands of civilians as a human shield. Unfortunately,
none of those who make a big hue and cry over Sri Lanka’s human rights
record even uttered a world when over a half a million civilians were
forcibly held as a human shield by the LTTE terrorists.
A Canadian man who pleaded guilty in the United States to a terrorism
offence in connection with the LTTE was sentenced to two years last
week. Suresh Sriskandarajah, who pleaded guilty in July to conspiring to
provide material support to the Tigers, has already been in custody for
about 10 months.
Prosecutors in Brooklyn, N.Y., had wanted Sriskandarajah, known as
“Waterloo Suresh,” to serve the maximum sentence of 15 years, while he
had argued for time served. The 32-year-old, who earned university
degrees in Waterloo, Ont., was arrested in 2006 along with Piratheepan
Nadarajah, of Brampton, Ont., and freed on bail three years later before
his extradition to the U.S. in 2012.
Support

Soldiers using tanks in operations against the Tigers. (File
photo) |
While in Canada, Sriskandarajah helped research and acquire aviation
equipment, submarine and warship design software, night vision equipment
and communications technology for the Tamil Tigers. Nadarajah is to be
sentenced on Jan. 31, 2014, after admitting earlier this month to
conspiring to acquire anti-aircraft missiles and attempting to provide
material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
Several co-conspirators have also been convicted of terrorism
offences. Last year an Ontario man was sentenced to time served for his
role in the group. Ramanan Mylvaganam — a computer engineering student
at the University of Waterloo — pleaded guilty in the U.S. to conspiring
to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the FBI and the RCMP
into an alleged plot to buy weapons, launder money through front
charities and smuggle equipment to the rebel group.
The LTTE, notorious for suicide bombings and political assassinations
in their fight for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka, were declared a
terrorist organisation by the US. in 1997 and by Canada in 2006.
However, the LTTE cadres had used their adopted countries to plan terror
attacks and provide logistical support to Velupillai Prabhakaran.
However, the nation was fortunate to have a leader such as President
Mahinda Rajapaksa who had courage to battle all overwhelming odds and
save our country. True that it was the country’s valiant Security Forces
who battled it out in the thick jungles and scarified their life and
limb but they could never have continued those operations without a
correct political leadership.
Economy
There had been enough and more instances in the past where the
country had to prenatally abandon military operations against the LTTE
due to external pressure. But President Rajapaksa had true friends among
the international community and they stood by Sri Lanka in the most
difficult time when Sri Lanka waged its battle against terrorism.
Thanks to their brave efforts, Sri Lanka is now reaping the dividends
of peace and is marching towards new economic horizons. A vibrant
economy and improved living standards are among the other reasons has
helped to up the position of Sri Lanka on the Sri Lanka World Prosperity
Index 2013. Sri Lanka has climbed seven places to take the 60th place in
the latest rankings.
The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking, developed by the
Legatum Institute, of 142 countries. The ranking is based on a variety
of factors including wealth, economic growth and quality of life. Sri
Lanka is well ahead of its South Asian neighboring. India (106), Nepal
(102) and Bangladesh (103) have finished way behind Sri Lanka. Even a
powerful nation as Russia is ranked on place below to Sri Lanka - at 61
while China is ranked 51st.
Most importantly, Sri Lanka is placed 13th in the Asia Pacific
region. The Economy sub-index has been advanced by 28 places to 74th
since 2009 as a result of increases in capital per worker, gross
domestic savings, perceived job availability, and satisfaction with
access to adequate food and shelter. On the confidence on the military
by the people is highlighted by the high percentage (country 95.6% and
72% world average in2012) in the Governance sub-index.
Positive sentiments
Most people (82%) say they can rely on others in times of need and
57% believe Sri Lanka is a good place to live for immigrants. 72.5% say
they attend place of worship weekly and almost 72% are satisfied with
the freedom of choice. Almost 96% expressed confidence in the countries
financial institutions while many had expressed positive sentiments at
the government's efforts to fight poverty.
These are ample testimony that Sri Lanka has made a marked progress
since the eradication of terrorism. Those who shed crocodile tears on
human rights of LTTE terrorists killed in action must make serious note
of these developments which have enabled all communities to live in
perfect peace and harmony.
When countries such as the US go to the extent of even spying on its
friendly countries and leaders of those states in the guise of national
security, Sri Lanka has the every right to protect its people. That was
precisely what the President exercised in ordering the Security Forces
to embark on that great humanitarian operation.
James Clapper, the head of the US national intelligence told US
Congress, in a special testimony on the issue of spying foreign heads of
state and their close officials, that it is invaluable for them to know
where countries are coming from or what their policies are!
The description of intelligence gathering according to Clapper is
seeking to discern the aims of foreign Heads of State have long been a
“basic tenet” for US spy agencies. He added the country's spy agencies
always try to learn the intentions of foreign leaders.
'Best way'
Clapper was asked by the chairman of the House Intelligence
Committee, Mike Rogers, why US spy services tried to track the
intentions of foreign leaders. Rogers said the “best way” to determine a
foreign leader's plans was “to somehow either get close to a foreign
leader or actually get communications of the foreign leader,” and asked
Mr. Clapper: “Would that be accurate?” And the spy chief replied: “Yes,
it would.”
Rogers has said the “best way” to determine a foreign leader's plans
was “to somehow either get close to a foreign leader or actually get
communications of the foreign leader,” and asked Clapper: “Would that be
accurate?” And the spy chief replied: “Yes, it would.”
National Security Agency and its British counterpart GCHQ have
apparently tapped the fiber-optic cables connecting Google’s and Yahoo’s
overseas servers and are copying vast amounts of email and other
information, according to accounts of documents leaked by the former
agency contractor Edward J. Snowden.
It is deplorable that those who pontificate us on human rights and
good governance go to such levels in the guise of their national
security. The worst is their conduct in suspecting friendly countries
such as Germany.
National security
The so-called godfathers of media freedom here shout from the
rooftops for the simplest thing in Sri Lanka and advocate the Government
to take countries such as the US as an example.
But companies such as Google that operate internet services,
including email, online document and photo storage and search queries —
send huge amounts of data through fiber-optic lines between their data
centers around the world, too have been used in the interest of US
national security.
Those data centres are kept highly secure using heat-sensitive
cameras and biometric authentication, and companies believed the data
flowing among centers was secure, according a report by the New York
Times.
The NSA of the United States could physically install a device that
clips on the cable and listens to electric signals, or insert a splitter
in the cable through which data would travel, said Nicholas McKeown, an
expert in computer networking and a professor at Stanford. Or, he said,
someone with remote login access to the cable’s switch or router could
also redirect data flowing through the cables Level 3 is a company that
provides these cables for Google. In July, the company denied a German
television report that it had cooperated with American intelligence
agencies to spy on German citizens using its network.
We are not against the US Government’s actions to protect its people
and concentrating on their national security. All what we want to stress
is that Sri Lanka too enjoys the very same right as a sovereign nation
and that the President and the Government exercised that right to
protect 21 million Sri Lankans from LTTE terror. |