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.

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

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.