Security Forces strive to protect nation’s sovereignty

Speech made by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at a meeting for academics and intellectuals, at the President’s Office, on March 10.

MILITARY PLAN: First of all I take your indulgence to give you an account of the present situation, specially the security situation, prevalent in the country. I wish to brief you on the passage we traversed during the last one and half years.

We all know the mandate the President received was to implement the Mahinda Chintanaya programme. From the view point of the Defence Forces, this feature is of utmost importance to establish honourable and lasting peace in the country.

Soon after assuming duties in the office of Presidency, the President instructed the Chiefs of Staff of the three

 Armed Forces to forward analysis of the existing situation in the country.

He wanted to know the position of the Ceasefire Agreement, about the peace process and the aim of the LTTE organization.

He wanted to know the LTTE plan, their honest dedication to the peace process and also their military strength and the important places under their control.

At the same time he wanted to know our military plan to meet the LTTE aims and the preparedness of our Army in that regard.

Accordingly the Commanders of the Armed Forces gave the President a detailed report. Their report unanimously held the view that if the existing situation continued without a change, within a period of one and half years the LTTE will gain a tremendous military strength which the 50,000 to 60,000 army personnel in the Jaffna area cannot confront and will have to face a seriously difficult situation.

The report pointed out that the plan of action of the LTTE is not consistent with the Peace Agreement, but deceitful, directed towards strengthening their military power.

They also pointed out how the LTTE is conducting their political offices and how and where they collect and store their fire-arms to carry out military operations.

The Commanders of the Armed Forces also explained how the LTTE is conscripting schoolchildren and give them military training and how they enrol civilians to build up an army and their plans to conquer strategic points like Sampur in the Trincomalee District.

Accordingly, the President instructed the Commanders of the Armed Forces, that as the army of a sovereign state, it is their duty to protect the country and safeguard the law and order of that State.

Under these circumstances, we did not go against the Ceasefire Agreement in force. But we started to do what had to be done. Here,I must emphasise that on this occasion, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces gave the leadership of the three Armed Forces to the most appropriate Commanders.

This is the first time the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces appointed the three commanders who are well experienced in anti-terrorist operations from the very beginning.

When you consider the Chief of Staff, he is a senior Captain engaged himself in anti-terrorist operations. Similarly, the Commander of the Navy is well experienced in anti-terrorist operations.

So is the Commander of the Air Force who was a helicopter pilot experienced in anti-terrorist operations. This is the first time that well experienced Commanders were appointed to the three Armed Forces, though their predecessors were high ranking officers in action.

The three Commanders now appointed are experienced personnel with good understanding in their respective fields. By these appointments, the President provided appropriate leadership to the Armed Forces.

In this way, to face the terrorism in the offing we took steps to be prepared as an army of a sovereign State. During this period we conducted training and strengthened our defence circles.

In fact, the plan of the LTTE was to conquer Trincomalee harbour and destroy naval property. They expected to shut down the sea way from Trincomalee to Jaffna and fight through a sea battle to establish an army in Kytes in order to divide our military strength and put the army of 50,000 to 60,000 in utter immobility.

In fact, our Commanders identified this plan eight months before the LTTE plan to implement it. Their plan was 100 per cent accurate. The LTTE started to implement the plan later, but due to the preparedness of our Armed Forces it was foiled.

In the course of the recent President’s tour to India and Pakistan, he pointed out the plan to the Indian Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan. As our President gave them the 100 per cent true plan today we receive the support of these two countries.

When we were getting ready according to the analysis provided by the army, LTTE understood that their plan was not going to be materialised. Then the LTTE started their mortar attacks and claymore mine attacks against our army.

On these instances we never resorted to offensive. Our line was defensive and the strategy was strengthening the security forces. For about eight months we did not retaliate and attempted to push forward the Peace Agreement.

Our retaliation started when the Army Commander was attacked with a bomb. For the first time we launched an aerial bombing over Sampur. The next military offensive was when Mavil Aru anicut was closed depriving thirty thousand people of water supply.

The LTTE must have realised that our army which they had under-estimated was ready to retaliate any attack.Then the LTTE attempted to implement their original plan to conquer Trincomalee harbour and destroy the sea link between Jaffna and Trincomalee. There is an important point on this point.

It is through the sea route that we connect the army personnel in North with Vanni area. We do not have a land route. Air route and the sea route are the two connecting lines. Aerial route can convey only a limited quantity and under threats of attacks by the LTTE. This is why, the LTTE targeted Trincomalee.

The Eastern area becomes important to us because of this reason. Control of the Eastern area is important to us if we were to conduct operations in the North. It has to be 100 per cent safe.

I made these observations to convince you that the strategy we adopted was not one that we followed at random, but a plan premeditated on the analysis of a team of knowledgeable commanders who were provided with professional expertise.

LTTE is using a large quantity of Mortar bombs. While using them they confront you while firing guns. Only a person with a stable mind can stand face to face with them. You have to take hiding in a bunker and retaliate.

Today we have brought about that mental stability in our army personnel. Under these circumstances we must be determined not to shatter their morale. If anyone does, it tantamount to reason against the motherland.

Here, I have to mention another thing. That is the much spoken about Intelligence Unit that was functioning one year and three months before President Mahinda Rajapaksa took over the office of the Presidency. Its efficacy as an Intelligence Unit was at low ebb at that time.

As you all know, our Intelligence Unit was dwindled as a result of killing a large number of personnel in the Unit. During our time we took great pains to rebuild it. When we were through the process of rebuilding the Intelligence Unit LTTE started a false propaganda against it.

If we had given in and ignored the rebuilding of the Intelligence Unit, that Unit could have collapsed. There were allegations of abductions against the Intelligence Unit.

As intelligent people you must ask yourselves the question whether any UNP supporter in any province or any district in your area had been abducted or harassed. So is the case in respect of the JVP or the Tamil Democratic Party, or any other democratic party.

You know how much of false accusations were made against the Armed Forces by certain mass media organizations. When we go about we go with security measures. But the editors of newspapers go about without any security measures and they drive their vehicles. No body comes to abduct them.

Under such circumstances, against whom are they making these allegations. It is against the Intelligence Unit, against our three Armed Forces and the Police, when LTTE members are lawfully taken into custody. I can give you a good example. The person who attacked me with a bomb was a Tamil from Kilinochchi who lived in Colombo since 2001 under a Muslim name.

He drove this three-wheeler. It was unfortunate that we were not able to gather information about him before the incident. Therefore he had the opportunity to attack me with a bomb. If this person was arrested before the bomb incident, LTTE would have accused us saying that an innocent Muslim three-wheeler driver was taken into custody by the Army.

These are the types of information gathered by the Intelligence Unit. We have arrested army personnel. Self-proclaimed media personnel. But these arrests are made only after due investigation.

The LTTE organization through its web site carry out false propaganda when the forces foil their plans.

The members of the three Armed Forces never harass rural people or assault the innocent civilians in the course of their operations. They have not done so far and will not do in the future. As a matter of fact, the Armed Forces are presently engaged in an atmosphere of war.

But they never engage themselves in wanton killing. Our forces only retaliate to contain attacks by the LTTE. We are striving to bring about a situation where the sovereignty of the State is protected in a peaceful climate where people can enjoy the right to live.

This is by any chance not a war of mass massacre. We are only retaliating an offensive. This is truly a battle for the survival of the innocent. We summoned you here today to explain the current situation, as it is.