http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/03/13/fea01.asp

 

Inimical forces trying to achieve what LTTE couldn't - Security Forces Jaffna Commander Major General Mahinda Haturusinge

Q: With the Geneva sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) ongoing, various factions are raising matters related to human rights violations which are said to have happened at the height of the humanitarian operation conducted to guarantee the human rights of nearly 300,000 Tamil persons who were held as human shields by LTTE terrorists. Others also speak of various grievances of the people in the North as well. What have you to say about this phenomenon as the Commander of the Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna?

A: I think there are the factions who are envious of Sri Lanka's present situation in the aftermath of the humanitarian operation. But if one from Geneva or from anywhere else considers the issues in Sri Lanka or in the Northern part of Sri Lanka during the humanitarian operation or post war situation, the related indexes have to be compared during the corresponding periods. But, without scientifically analyzing this situation, those inimical forces make baseless allegations based on hearsay.

Major General Hathurusinghe. Picture by Wasitha Patabendige

Major General Hathurusinghe Major General Hathurusinghe served as Commander, Security Forces Headquarters (Kilinochchi), General Officer Commanding, 65 Division, Operations Commander, Colombo, Artillery Brigade Commander, Brigade Commander in 652 and 553 Brigades and many other key appointments during his career before he was appointed Commander SFHQ-J. Major General Hathurusinghe to his credit has read for Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Rajarata University and Masters in National Security and Administration at National Defence University, Philippines and followed several other military courses. After studies at Horana, Thakshila Central College, he joined Sri Lanka Army on September 19,1980 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on July 18, 1981. He was promoted to the rank of Major General on December 8, 2008

However, the matter in focus here are the human rights violations. But, what we have to say is that not by the United Nations’ Conventions or Charters that we studied human rights, but through Buddhism. We have been taught to protect not only the rights of humans,but, the rights of the animals too. Sri Lankans are a very humane kind of people.

But in reality, there are a few groups working together to achieve what the LTTE could not by military means. One is the political groups in North that propagated the LTTE viewpoint and enjoyed their support. The second group is the diaspora in the international sphere that supported the LTTE and another being the politicians in those corresponding countries who benefit from the diaspora.

The fourth are the politicians in Tamil Nadu, India that promote the Eelam Homeland Concept to continue their politics. This combination seems to become more active when the UNHRC sessions get close.

The US sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka is only another attempt to fulfill this goal. The Sinhalese and Tamils have been living together as Sri Lankans for thousands of years.

However, when human rights violations are considered during the three decade old conflict in Sri Lanka, I clearly and with a great sense of responsibility say that the LTTE was responsible for the highest number of human rights violations in the North of Sri Lanka, and not the government.

For example in 1981, the LTTE commenced lamp post killing which is a human right violation. They tied up their political opponents to lamp posts and shot them dead. This punishment created a fear psychosis among the entire Tamil community. With their actions against the Security Forces, they set land mines in populated places hoping that we would react against the Tamil community.

Meanwhile, the LTTE continued their training camps in Sri Lanka and in India with the Indian government’s knowledge. Then the LTTE forcefully recruited the youth by threatening their parents with death which is also a serious human rights violation. The LTTE abducted schoolchildren by forceful conscription which is another human rights violation. The youth also were sent forcefully to India for weapons training. In later years, the schools were turned into bunkers by the LTTE. The Jaffna University was used by the LTTE in 1987 depriving the youth their tertiary education.

These are the human rights violations of the Tamil People in North. The Tamil people in the North were deprived of their human rights by the LTTE and not by anyone else. The LTTE killed any Tamil person or destroyed any other organization comprised of Tamils that stood against them(LTTE) and also destroyed Tamil youth. President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to put an end to the LTTE’s endeavour of destroying the Tamil youth. In this endeavour he brought all communities together and directed the three forces and the Police to end the conflict under the the supervision of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, guaranteeing the human rights of the Tamil people. Thereafter, the Tamil people were given the rights even to talk of their rights. Before that they did not enjoy any type of human rights at all.

Pro-LTTE agents operating with foreign backing are trying to discredit Sri Lanka in the eyes of the world making various allegations about alleged human rights violations. It was the Sri Lankan government which saved nearly 300,000 Tamil people, kept as human shield by the LTTE during, the humanitarian operation. Bankrupt politicians in the North backed by forces inimical to Sri Lanka are trying take the country back to conflict by destroying peace and harmony, Security Forces Jaffna Commander Major General Mahinda Haturusinge said in an interview with the Daily News. Extracts from the interview:

For all these historic and successful endeavours by the Sri Lankan government to guarantee the human rights of its people, what another member nation should do in Geneva is to move a resolution in appreciation of the Sri Lankan government and not otherwise.

A general phenomenon is that people die at war and that is why we do not need wars to be fought. For the same reason we have ended the war and no more people die from war. You know from the Crimean War up to the US war on terror in Afghanistan which is in progress at present, unarmed people have died. In this light, the attempt to highlight the alleged crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Security Forces is ridiculous. At the last stage of the humanitarian operation it was Sri Lanka that introduced the Zero Casualty concept. The Defence Secretary introduced it to the Armed Forces. These matters have to be considered positively. We all know how 400,000 civilians were freed from the vicious grip of LTTE leader Prabhakaran. In addition, around 12,000 LTTEers surrendered. All those civilians were resettled. All the LTTEers were rehabilitated except for around 300. They were reintegrated into society and jobs and houses provided to them. Massive infrastructural development has been taking place in the North during the last three and half years. Are these human rights violations? If some one think so, we have a problem with the definitions of the terms human rights and human right violations.

Q: Then what is the reality behind these malicious moves?

A: The reality is that politicians and other groups who supported the LTTE have their own agenda. There is an insignificant number of displaced Tamil people among the diaspora.

The diaspora is none but a group of people who depend on the dole and enjoy perks and privileges overseas, severely damaging the image of the motherland. There are instances of organized groups of the diaspora urging people in the North of Sri Lanka to send them letters to the effect that there is no conducive political environment for them to live. People showed these letters to us.

On the other hand we have to mention the change in the role of the Security Forces in the aftermath of the operation completed. We are working together with the civilians without any difference. While the government's administrative process is in progress, the Security Forces too are rendering whatever services required to help the civilians. The people are well aware of this.

But, political parties like the TNA who voiced the LTTE's political view in the past are demanding for a separate state saying they have no freedom. They play the same role as they fear being deprived of their funds provided by the diaspora and other organizations. They also fear that they would be cornered and isolated politically by the people in the North as well.

These politicians are involved in a conspiracy to show that the government is doing nothing for the people. It was clearly revealed at the Jaffna District Development Committee meeting which was presided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, that the Provincial Council members and Local Government members let their funds go back to the Treasury at the end of the year without utilizing them to show that the government is not doing anything for the people. These acts of today’s Northern politicians cause more sufferings rather than bringing relief to the people.

Q: It seems that one or two incidents that recently occurred in the Jaffna University had caused an interruption to student's education. What is your view about this matter?

A: If we consider the history, as I told you earlier, the Jaffna University in 1987 was run as an LTTE camp by the LTTE. Most of the LTTE leaders stayed in the Medical Faculty. When the Para jumpers of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces parachuted into the Jaffna University, the LTTE shot them while they were airborne, violating all ethics and norms. However, 33 IPKF soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Sabra were killed by the LTTE during that incident. Among them were Para Commandos of the IPKF and Sikh infantry.

The LTTE forcefully recruited university students. Several of the university students too died during this incident. They used the university students to propagate their concept. All these activities violated the rights of students as well as human rights.

But today the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim students in the Jaffna University are studying together in harmony. There is no hindrance to their education and all the semesters exams and other examinations are held on time. But, a few students in the Jaffna University attempted to celebrate the birthday of Prabhakaran last November 26. However, the Security Forces and the Policed brought the situation under control. We arrested the said students, rehabilitated them and handed them over to their parents. They were granted special pardon by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and are now following their lectures peacefully.

Two students,Tharushanandan and Janamenon who were in custody for the same incident and were pardoned by President Mahinda Rajapaksa were the President and Secretary of the TNA Youth Organization. Those youths were misled and were trying to engage in party politics of the TNA. It means that these youth attempted to celebrate Prabhakaran’s birthday to fulfill the TNA needs. The best evidence to that effect is that Jaffna TNA MP Saravanapavan was in the Jaffna University premises with the students urging them to celebrate the former terrorist leader's birthday. I think no one needs more evidence to understand the TNA’s programme. The majority of the students do not need these types of movements. So these politicians attempt to create chaos in the University.

However, those who were pardoned have promised the students in the university that they would quit from all the positions in those unions.

They have come to understand that they would be destroying their futures by being a cat’s paws of other groups. The students of the Jaffna University Medical Faculty have said that they would never again take part in any protest organized at whatever level.

Q: Most of the groups outside the country too speak of the the Tamil people been deprived of many things. What have you got to say about this?

A:The Tamil people have been deprived of nothing by the country winning the war over terrorism. Those who benefited the most out of this victory are the Tamils. The Tamil people, after the elimination of terrorism, obtained every thing that they were deprived of under the LTTE control.

All their rights have been guaranteed. All displaced people were resettled. Landmines laid by the LTTE have been cleared. The lands that were taken forcibly by the LTTE were handed back to them. The right to education is guaranteed. Electricity, roads have been provided. Almost all the ex LTTE combatants were rehabilitated and reunited with their families. Jobs were found for them. Permanent houses are being built for them. Agriculture is being developed. The fishing industry is also making great strides. Children in the North do not have to live in fear of being abducted by the LTTE. There is no one to force parents to give one member from each family to the LTTE. Child conscription is a thing of the past.

When we consider the Jaffna Hospital, many new complexes which were opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently are fully equipped with the facilities that ar

e not available even at the Colombo National Hospital.

Our friends who meet us in the South say that even the South not experienced such massive development in such a short time as has been experienced in the North.

Around 170 km of the A-9 road was carpeted within a short time. The people in the rest of the country welcome the massive development taking place in the North as it has been long overdue. The majority of Tamil people too are fully aware of these developments but they are not talking of them. However the diaspora and a few politicians who fear losing their votes are talking against the government and the country. They are politically bankrupt and have no future.

The Northerners are grabbing everything after the elimination of terrorism. What else do they need?

Q: There are complaints against the Forces that they have occupied public lands and that an excessive strength of forces still remain in the North.

A: The reality is otherwise. Since 1996 there were 43,000 Forces personnel in Jaffna. However, this was reduced after the humanitarian operation was over in 2009, to 26,400 personnel. There were subsequent reductions and there's only 13,400 personnel in the North today. The government will take steps to make further reductions in the North. This is a drop of over 70 percent of the original troop strength in the North. The government has minimized recruitment to the Security Forces. However, the strength of the Security Forces in Sri Lanka which stood at 16,000 in 1980 was increased to 200,000 for the purpose of defeating the LTTE terrorists. There will be a gradual reduction. When we re-locate the camps and Security Forces evenly across the country, the North too will have its share. So we have to station them in North as well. Bankrupt politicians in North and South like to make a hue and cry about these matters.

When we liberated Jaffna from the LTTE we established camps in the North. We set them up in the lands of the people. However, those lands were not occupied by anybody but the LTTE. It was the LTTE that had forcibly acquired the lands from the Tamil people. After the elimination of terrorism we handed over 5,139 houses to the owners in five stages in the Jaffna Peninsula. The government has released 5,258 acres of lands in the High Security Zones back to the people in Jaffna during the past three years. We had High Security Zone in a land extent of 11,122 acres in May 2009.

Another land extent of 5,863 acres remains as part of the High Security Zone in Palaly. The Palaly airport is located within this zone and it is planned to develop this airport to that of the level of an international airport. The project to develop the Kankesanthurai Port to international standard is in progress and it also is located within the same zone. We will relocate all the camps in Jaffna town and nearby towns within this zone as well. The other matter is that the majority of the land in this High Security Zone are government lands.

We have identified in a survey that there were 4,428 houses within this Zone. Most of the owners are not in the country. However, these lands will be acquired paying the market value to the owners and the Land Ministry has already initiated the process in line with the existing law.

This land acquisition will be made in the same manner that applied in implementing the projects of expanding the Katunayake International Airport, constructing the Mattala Airport, developing the Hambantota Port, implementing the Mahaweli Development Project etc. The government in addition to the compensation, will also provide alternate lands for those who have to hand over their lands. The government is currently conducting a survey in Vadamarachchi East to find out about available lands.

Out of the houses built in the High Security Zones, 3,409 houses have been handed over to the people in the North, including Jaffna Town, Manippai, Chavakachcheri etc. Another land extent of 22,194 acres outside the High Security Zone has been handed back to the people during the past three years. People are engaged in fishing, cultivation and in all other forms of employment without any problem.

The only problem the people have to cope with is dealing with the politically bankrupt politicians in the North and South who raise hypothetical issues. The children of these politicians who shed crocodile tears do not live or study in North, but, live and study in Colombo schools or at foreign universities.

The North of Sri Lanka is only a topic for the diaspora, the bankrupt politicians, both in the North and South and various organizations with vested interests operating with foreign backing.