‘Zero civilian casualty policy’ delayed military victory over LTTE- Maj. Gen. Silva

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=6328

‘Zero civilian casualty policy’ delayed military victory over LTTE- Maj. Gen. SilvaSeptember 9, 2010, 9:39 pm
by Shamindra Ferdinando
Major General Shavendra Silva says the accessibility to ‘real time intelligence’ through UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) helped the army avoid civilian casualties during Eelam War IV.
The former commander of the 58 Division formerly known as the Task Force I, which spearheaded the offensive on the north-western front before joining with other fighting formations in the Vanni East, says the army went to the extent of taking losses in a bid to minimize loss of civilian life.
The deployment of UAVs by the SLAF in support of the ground offensive had been a key element in their overall strategy to avert attacks on civilians, the Director General Operations on Wednesday (Sept 8) told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the LLRC that the government lost 6,000 officers and men and 30,000 wounded during the campaign (Aug 2006-May 2009).
Fighting forces received video footage from UAVs acquired from Israel, which operated day and night on the Vanni front as a multi-pronged army advance gradually squeezed the LTTE fighting formations.
Commenting on the rescue of civilians held by the LTTE at Puthumathalan, Major General Silva explained the circumstances under which his Division had mounted the operation. He said that his troops had infiltrated LTTE-held positions along about one km long stretch and then fought their way out to clear a path for civilians to escape. According to him, troops had moved in between 1.00 am and 2.00 am following close watch on LTTE sentry points for about three weeks.
The government recently decided to appoint Major General Silva as Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations.


Major General Silva said that the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had emphasised the importance of avoiding civilian casualties before the operation got underway. He said that the army could have finished off the LTTE much earlier had the military conducted the offensive without taking into consideration civilian concerns.
The Gajaba veteran backed his statement with UAV footage, which was made available to the LLRC headed by former Attorney General C. R. de Silva.
The LTTE had made a desperate attempt to stop civilians fleeing the area under its control by carrying out indiscriminate attacks on them, said Maj. Gen. Silva. The LTTE had carried out three suicide attacks targeting civilians soon after the army breached the enemy defences at Puthumathalan.
Responding to a query by the LLRC, Maj. Gen. Silva explained the extremely dicey situation in which the army had to receive fleeing civilians amid fighting on the Vanni east front. He said that troops assigned to clear civilians rushing to government-held positions had done so at the risk of their lives.
The 58 Division set up about 40 points to welcome civilians, though the LTTE carried out a suicide attack causing many deaths among civilians and soldiers providing relief to the war displaced.
Major General Silva said that his Division had the support of the 53 Division.
He said that his Division had launched operations in the Mannar District in September 2007 and liberated Pooneryn in November 2008, which he asserted was of pivotal importance. He explained the progress made by his Division as it turned eastwards after capturing Pooneryn and fought across the Vanni mainland until it was given the opportunity to spearhead the rescue operation.
The then Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, who led Sri Lanka’s successful ground offensive against the LTTE gave the 58 Division the lion’s share of the credit, though he subsequently alleged the Division of receiving instructions from Defence Secretary Rajapaksa not to take prisoners during the battle.
Responding to allegations that the army had killed captives, Major General Silva explained that during all stages of the battle, the army did everything possible to save even the wounded LTTE cadres. He recalled an instance when he had evacuated a wounded LTTE cadre to Colombo by air.
Major General Silva alleged that a section of the media, including the foreign media, had made a bid to accuse Sri Lankan forces of deliberately targeting civilians. The war veteran said that he had an opportunity to debunk one such attempt when his troops captured a government hospital, which a particular international news agency said had been bombed by the government. A smiling Silva said that he immediately took several Colombo-based Indian journalists to visit the hospital to see the situation for themselves.
Chief of Defence Staff Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetilike, Army Chief Lt. General Jagath Jayasuriya and Navy Commander Thisara Samarasinghe, too, appeared before the LLRC inquiring into the collapse of the Norwegian-arranged CFA and related matters.