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Democracy for Tamils after defeat of LTTE – President

Tamil people in North and Eastern Provinces are now engaged in democratic politics after thee decades thanks to Sri Lanka's successful war on terror, concluded nearly two years ago, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
President Rajapaksa said in an interview with The Island on Sunday that Sri Lanka's rehabilitation project could be the most successful programme carried out by a government in any part of the world in spite of criticism by those bent on destabilizing the government and tarnishing the image of the country.
"We even brought a section of child combatants to a leading Colombo school, where they were given an opportunity to sit for GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level examinations. Others were given an opportunity to join vocational training facilities. We found them jobs at various sectors, including the garment trade. Some returned to Universities, while others continue training at various institutions. We are grateful to foreign governments and institutions, including UN agencies for supporting ongoing rehabilitation efforts. Our critics had conveniently forgotten we are rehabilitating a group of people trained to kill and carry out suicide attacks," the President said.
Claiming that 'unsubstantiated charges against Sri Lanka' were part of a sinister campaign to undermine post-war national reconciliation, the President said that all civilians and over 60 per cent of the total number of LTTE combatants who had either surrendered or been captured had been freed. "What we have achieved in just two years is astonishing. Unfortunately, those who felt the LTTE could achieve its conventional military objectives remain committed to its cause in spite of annihilation of the fighting cadres," the President said.
Since the conclusion of the war in May 2009, there had been no child abductions in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the President said.
"The world should appreciate our successful anti-terrorist effort. But today we are being hounded by those who turned a blind eye to LTTE atrocities over the years, particularly its widespread use of child combatants in war against the security forces. Children are no longer at the risk of being abducted on their way to school or back. Girls are no longer forced to wear suicide jackets and throw themselves at military and civilian targets," the President said.
The following are excerpts of The Island interview with President Rajapaksa:
The Island : Sri Lanka’s political and military leaderships are accused of war crimes or excesses during eelam war IV and retaining Emergency Regulations after the war. According to recent Wiki Leaks revelations, you and your younger brother, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa hadn’t been even aware of the ground situation on the Vanni front at the last stage of the offensive. Could you defend the conduct of Sri Lankan forces during the battle?
The President : Before responding to your query, it would be pertinent to discuss the circumstances leading to all out war in Aug. 2006. Those who criticize me and my government for eradicating terrorism, had conveniently forgotten the LTTE quit the peace process way back in April 2003. In spite of repeated attempts by those spearheading the peace process, the LTTE steadfastly declined to return to the negotiating process. Basically, the LTTE under the very noses of the Scandinavian truce monitors brought in ship loads of arms, ammunition and equipment during the CFA. Had those responsible for the infamous CFA convinced the LTTE to return to the negotiating table, war could have been avoided.
When major ground battles erupted in Aug 2006, I didn’t have any option but to respond to the LTTE’s military challenge. The armed forces gradually cleared the East by mid 2007 and then stepped up action on the Vanni front. We never targeted civilians and during the final phase of operations on the Vanni east front, ground troops faced the enemy without aerial and artillery support. The bottom line is we protected civilians even at the expense of the ground forces. The government prohibited the use of artillery fire and air strikes to ensure safety and security of people held at gun point by the LTTE."
The Island : In the run up to Nov. 2005 presidential polls, you were called a hardliner and a hawk. Basically you were depicted as a war-monger, particularly due to appointment of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. Some of the NGOs and Xan influential section of the business community went to the extent of carrying a well funded propaganda campaign against you. Would you comment on allegations that you never made a genuine effort to initiate a dialogue with the LTTE following the Nov. 2005 presidential polls?
The President : In the run-up to the Nov. 2005 presidential polls, the LTTE assassinated the then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at his residence. Any other country would have immediately called off the CFA and declared war on the enemy. In spite of that provocation, the then government reiterated its commitment to the peace process.
After assuming the presidency, I twice sent high level delegations to Geneva to meet the LTTE under the auspices of Norwegian peace facilitators. The LTTE ignored my gesture. In fact, a couple of weeks after my election, the LTTE triggered a spate of claymore mine attacks targeting the Army and the Navy. In a separate suicide attack, the LTTE blew up a Fast Attack Craft off Trincomalee in early Jan. 2006. But still I agreed to meet them in Geneva, though a section of the administration felt nothing would come out of the talks. Those who shed tears for the LTTE today never bothered at least to issue a press release condemning a wave of serious provocations, including target killings. Had they forced the LTTE to shun violence, thousands of lives could have been saved. As long as they felt the LTTE could achieve its objectives through military means, they simply allowed the situation to deteriorate.
The Island : In fact I’m surprised that you went to the extent of meeting the LTTE in Geneva knowing well the LTTE wasn’t genuine and only waited for an opportunity to go on the offensive.
The President : Let me remind you of a series of protests engineered by the LTTE in the immediate aftermath of the Feb. 2002 CFA exposed their strategy. When the LTTE threw students, some of them as little as 10-years-old at selected police stations and army camps, I knew they weren’t interested in peace. If they genuinely believed in a negotiated settlement, they wouldn’t have forced students to launch protests outside military installations. What they expected was retaliatory attacks by our troops. They believed bodies of students shot up by the military could give their bloody cause a boost. Fortunately our troops didn’t fall for their trap. The so-called civil society didn’t utter a word. Those who invested millions of rupees in local NGOs remained silent. In fact, those supportive of the LTTE, turned a blind eye to what was going on in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. It was no secret the then government suspended the release of daily situation reports by Army headquarters and also unceremoniously closed down the Vanni Radio, which served the armed forces and police deployed in that region. Those who now demand the freedom of the press didn’t even ask why the Army was being prevented from issuing daily situation reports. The answer is simple. The then government didnwant the public to know what was going on in areas under LTTE control and also in areas under government control. The CFA gave the LTTE an opportunity to conduct ‘operations’ in areas under security forces control with impunity."
The Island : Your predecessors failed in their efforts to contain the LTTE. The LTTE had a well-built military machine, including an ‘air wing’ at the time, you took over the presidency. Were you confident of your capacity to meet the LTTE challenge?
The President : The LTTE never stopped its build-up though Sri Lanka suspended modernization of armed forces after signing the Oslo-arranged CFA in Feb. 2002. By the time, I took over in Nov. 2005, the LTTE was obviously prepared for a lightning war. But still my government offered to continue the peace process regardless of severe shortcomings in the agreement. Hope you remember the then PA MP Lakshman Kadirgamar called the CFA a flawed document. When the LTTE refused to meet us in Geneva, we knew an all out war was imminent. The LTTE made an attempt on the life of the then Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka in late April 2006. This was followed by an abortive bid to blast a troop ship carrying about 700 personnel returning to their bases in Jaffna in May. Then they succeeded in forcing us to launch a limited military operation by seizing Mavilaru in July. Although we regained Mavilaru swiftly, we didn’t pursue a military campaign. We still believed in a negotiated settlement. All out war erupted in early Aug. 2006 with simultaneous attacks on Trincomalee, Palaly and Muhamalai forward defence line. We worked as a team with the National Security Council meeting every week throughout the war for the next three years as our heroic fighting forces gradually rolled back enemy fighting formations across what some military expert believed were impregnable fortifications, particularly in the Vanni east region.
The Island : The majority of LTTE combatants are now with their families. Among the released are those deprived of their education due to them being forcibly recruited to the LTTE fighting cadre. Could you briefly discuss the status of the rehabilitation programme implemented by the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation?
The President : Our rehabilitation programme is a 100 per cent success. Contrary to allegations, we even brought a section of child combatants to a leading Colombo school, where they were given an opportunity to sit for GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level examinations. Others were given an opportunity to join vocational training facilities. We found them jobs at various sectors, including the garment trade. Some returned to Universities, while others continue training at various institutions. We are grateful to foreign governments and institutions, including UN agencies for supporting ongoing rehabilitation efforts. The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation went to the extent of arranging marriages between ex-LTTE combatants. Our critics had conveniently forgotten we are rehabilitating a group of people trained to kill and carry out suicide attacks. Don’t forget the LTTE targeted public transport, isolated villages and even places of religious worship regardless of consequences. How many people died in bomb attacks directed at buses?
The Island : Since the eruption of protests in Tunisia and Egypt and subsequent attacks on Libya, some have compared the current situation in the Middle East with post-war situation here. Do you see any similarities?
The President : Had we failed to defeat the LTTE, those hell bent on destabilizing Sri Lanka could have resorted to various strategies to undermine us. What they have failed to realize was that Sri Lankans since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009, thrice voted overwhelmingly for the UPFA. We won the Jan. 2010 presidential polls by a massive majority of over 1.8 million votes, followed by Apr. 2010 parliamentary elections and the recently concluded LG polls. There are interested parties seeking to create chaos in the country to pave the way for foreign intervention. But as long as the people remained with the government, trouble makers couldn’t exploit the situation to their advantage. Had our troops failed on their humanitarian mission, the LTTE and its supporters could have engineered a major conspiracy against the country with the help of disgruntled political elements. The LTTE is no longer a factor in any future election. The Tamil Diaspora, in spite of causing some trouble cannot offset total destruction of their conventional military power through other means. The media shouldn’t allow destructive elements to take advantage of them to undermine the post-war recovery process.
The Island : Finally what is your message to the Tamil speaking people?
The President: Just think about the future. The country is free at last from 30 years of terrorism and is in the process of implementing an accelerated development programme. Don’t allow the politically bankrupt to deceive you again. You have suffered for years without even the basic facilities, though your children now have a golden opportunity to be part of a great country. So please don’t miss this opportunity. Tourism is booming with the country recording a significant increase in the number of tourist arrivals. Visitors are free to visit any part of the country. Sri Lankans are free to roam the provinces. There are absolutely no restrictions. Even in Colombo, we have lifted restrictions to facilitate free movement.
President Rajapaksa urged the international community to review the situation in Sri Lanka and take a fresh and genuine assessment.
Courtesy : President Media Unit