http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20110807_01

Wild allegations of the West debunked
The bogus claims, allegations and sinister campaigns carried out by certain organisations with vested interests, local and international, were debunked in toto with the release of the Factual Analysis report by Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo last Monday.
The report was indeed an apposite reply with conclusive proof to counter the concocted stories churned out by the West. Each and every allegation levelled against Sri Lanka and its valiant Security Forces by the controversial British television Channel 4, were factually countered by the report 'Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 - May 2009' and its documentary video.
The convincing statements by the wives of former senior LTTE leaders amply demonstrate the lofty standards maintained by the Security Forces and the humaneness shown by the Sri Lanka Army in dealing with its worst enemy. The wife of former LTTE 'political wing' leader S.P. Thamilchelvan and wife of LTTE Sea Tiger leader Soosai candidly said that the Security Forces treated all of them including their children quite well. This runs contrary to the concocted stories which the Tamil diaspora has been disseminating across the West.
As the Defence Secretary had explained, why should the Government, which directly looked after the families of LTTE leaders, kill those who surrendered to the military? The sole purpose of those instrumental in spreading these concocted stories was to discredit Sri Lanka in the eyes of the world and disrupt the prevailing peace in the country.
It now seems that the West is reluctant to come to terms with the bitter fact that Sri Lanka was the only country to eradicate terrorism. Moreover, Sri Lanka has resettled over half a million displaced persons in next to no time, apart from developing these areas tremendously.
The people in the North and the East, who were plagued by untold privations are now enjoying true freedom in its truest sense. They are astonished at the massive infrastructure development activities taking place in the North. Is the West blind altogether to see the preferential treatment that the Government is proffering the North, compared to other parts of the country? This is solely because President Mahinda Rajapaksa is keen to develop the North and bring it on par with the other provinces of the country.
Those who are attempting to level war crime charges against Sri Lanka must take cognizance of how Sri Lanka looked after the LTTE cadre who had surrendered and the Government's sincere efforts to transform those ex-terrorists to be worthy loyal citizens. Over 11,000 ex-LTTE cadre have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. Nearly 600 child soldiers who surrendered were reunited with their families within one year, while over 6,100 adult cadre were rehabilitated and released in June this year. Most of the remaining cadre are undergoing further rehabilitation programs and will be reintegrated into society soon.
Will any country, particularly those in the West who shout from the rooftops about Sri Lanka's humanitarian operation, tolerate a deadly terror outfit that had butchered thousands of innocent people, apart from political and religious leaders including two Heads of State? The Government was obliged to embark on that great humanitarian operation when the LTTE held civilians as a human shield.
The closure of the Mavil Aru sluice gate by the LTTE in July 2006 posed a humanitarian disaster in the East, which affected hundreds of thousands of Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese civilians as the Tigers prevented those hapless civilians from accessing the basic need of water. It was at this point of time that the Government embarked on the greatest human rescue mission in world history. The Government continued to send medical supplies to the North and the East until the last day of the battle against terror on May 18, 2009.
Successive governments offered the LTTE many solutions at the negotiating table. Nevertheless, their sincere efforts to seek a solution through negotiations were invariably sabotaged by the LTTE. It so happened that whenever the LTTE was weakened militarily, they sought refuge in the so-called peace talks to re-arm and consolidate its military capabilities. It was crystal clear that the LTTE at no time had any sincere desire for peace. The LTTE's tactics were manifested by their brazen acts of provocation during each ceasefire period, especially when they walked out of the negotiating table in 2006.
Thanks to the noble sacrifices of the true sons of our soil, people of Sri Lanka, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations, are now enjoying the dividends of peace as the country is being rebuilt after 30 long years of terrorism. The Government, with an open mind, has initiated a dialogue with all political parties representing the Tamils, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to find a solution to the problems of people living in the North and the East.
In the event the West is sincerely interested in the well-being of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and moreover, its development, they should steadfastly support the nation's reconciliation efforts. With democracy restored in every nook and corner of the country, the Government would certainly opt for an honourable solution that is acceptable to all communities to live in peace and harmony.
Is it fair for any country or international organisation to browbeat Sri Lanka by levelling war crimes charges against the country under the guise of their so-called accountability process? When the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report is released in the near future, the Government would take every measure to implement those recommendations. Whatever said and done, Sri Lanka and its democratically elected Government would be responsible only to those who elected them and the people of Sri Lanka and by no means dance the fandango round certain organisations which appear to be holding a brief to resurrect the now defunct LTTE.
The latest report released by the Ministry of Defence 'Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 - May 2009' is indeed a good eye-opener to one and all, especially those in the West wearing blinkers. These organisations must study the Defence Ministry's video in depth, sans any presumptions, in the same manner they viewed Channel 4's controversial video titled "The Killing Fields" before jumping to conclusions. The people in these organisations must visit Sri Lanka and see for themselves the true picture. They are most welcome to visit the North and the East and interact with the liberated Tamil civilians who have opened a new chapter in their lives. What they see would be the opposite of what a section of the Tamil diaspora and hirelings such as Channel 4 had been projecting.
Cortesy : Sunday Observer