Lessons learnt and reconciliation commission:

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Lessons learnt and reconciliation commission:
Lanka among safest after terrorism defeat - Gomin Dayasiri
Advocate Gomin Dayasiri
Sri Lanka has because one of the safest countries in the South Asian region in one and half years after the defeat of terrorism, Advocate Gomin Dayasiri told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission at the Lakshman Kadiragamar Institute yesterday.
He said that the war came to an abrupt end as soon as the LTTE leader was eliminated proving the fact that this war was fought only against terrorism and not against any community.
Elaborating a number of points to justify the country's position from the charges made by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon's Three Persons Commission, US Senate Report and ICG Commission, Dayasiri said Sri Lanka is the only country which handed over free food, medicine and other basic facilities to the enemy group during the intense days of war.
He noted that he had the opportunity to go through the allegations made in the US Senate Report and almost all of them were dated within a very short period during the last stages of the war.
"Nobody could expect zero casualties at an intense war fare. The LTTE used a human shield to defend themselves. People desired to cross over from the side of the LTTE, and there were no war prisoners held by the Government. Most of the alleged civilian casualties were reported in the No Fire Zone," he said.
Dayasiri also brought out the fact that Sri Lanka was not dealing with any kind of legal body, liberation movement or a separatist movement, but with an internationally pronounced terrorist group which had worldwide connections surpassing the boundaries of the country. According to international law, it is a main principle that a war should only be fought over an humanitarian issue. "We started our humanitarian operation to gain access to water for agricultural purposes. This was a deprivation of a basic humanitarian need of the people," he said.
He also reminded the fact that the government took military action as the last option when all attempts for peace talks failed. The LTTE had violated the peace agreement at numerous times, he added. Dayasiri also expressed that maintaining high security zones are absolutely necessary for the time being to ensure security.
He suggested that with the conclusion of war now the government should focus on ethnic harmony by creating a trilingual society. "Trilingual education should be given from the younger age. For that it should be made compulsory from grade one. Trilingual program initiated by the President is commendable in this effort. For national harmony the language program should be carried forward in an accelerated manner. Both Sinhala and Tamil should be given prominent places rather than giving prime place for English," he said. Dayasiri said that mix colonization and creating a position of an ethnic ambushment are good options to improve national harmony.
Courtesy : Daily News