Defence Secy. defends KP’s role in post-war plans

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Defence Secy. defends KP’s role in post-war plansAugust 6, 2010, 9:39 pm
by Shamindra Ferdinando

GR says some of those who question the legality of having a dialogue with ‘KP’ had no qualms about accepting his predecessor Prabhakaran as the sole representative of Tamils.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says KP could play a vital role in Sri Lanka’s efforts to patch up differences with the Tamil Diaspora. In a post-war era, nothing could be as important as reaching an understanding with the Tamil speaking people, both here and abroad, he asserts. KP, he says, can play a pivotal role in the ongoing reconciliation process.
Strongly defending his decision to bring the former LTTE heavyweight to the mainstream of society, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa, in an exclusive interview with The Island, discussed what he called confidence-building-measures. "The Tamil Diaspora should be given an opportunity to join the on-going rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement efforts. KP and his associates are free to help us," he said.
Responding to Opposition criticism of his strategy, an irate Defence Secretary said that those who raised such issues did not even know the meaning of the word strategy. The former Gajaba veteran said that only a fool would have ignored a chance to secure the support of those who had once fought for a separate state to rebuild the country and bring about national reconciliation.
Defence Secretary Rajapaksa alleged that those who had been critical of the government had conveniently forgotten what the country had achieved since the conclusion of the war in May last year. He said that the Opposition was fast running out of issues in the wake of Sri Lanka’s success in slowly but steadily improving the living conditions of people living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. "The KP issue, too, will not last longer," he said.
The international community, the Defence Secretary said, would appreciate Sri Lanka’s efforts to work with the Tamil Diaspora. Anyone genuinely interested in building a stable economy would not hinder the government efforts to reach an understanding with the Diaspora, including those ex-members of the LTTE. He said of the 11,600 LTTE combatants, who had been taken in by security forces and police, some 3,000 had re-joined their families. Except some 700 hardcore cadres, the others were receiving vocational training in government-run centres, he said. Contrary to reports and allegations, the government had given families of those accommodated in government centres an opportunity to meet them, Rajapaksa said. He pointed out that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), too, had been given access to ex-combatants.
The Defence Secretary said that strategic decision making meant acting swiftly and decisively to make the most of a particular situation and condition. The move to accommodate KP had been such a decision, he said calling it a crucial part in their overall planning to thwart future threats.
He pointed out that successive governments had won over those who took up arms against the State. Referring to politicians in and outside parliament, the Defence Secretary said that many had been given an opportunity to give up their weapons and join the political mainstream. Some of those who had availed themselves of that opportunity were now complaining about KP, Rajapaksa said.
The military strategy could not be discussed publicly, said the Defence Secretary. Public discussion of such matters could lead to serious trouble, he said, pointing out that making peace was likely to be as difficult as winning a war.