Humanitarian operation to continue :

CRescue mission most human

Civilian hatred to LTTE unprecedented:

A special corr

Contrary to biased reports circulating in the international media and among NGO and INGO circles the rescue mission that is being conducted successfully in the Vanni has been most humane, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the Daily News yesterday.

According to information from ground sources in Puthumattalan and Ampalavanpokkanai the civilians arriving in the Government controlled area have been quite vocal in expressing their unprecedented hatred and anger towards the LTTE that has been keeping them under subjugation for so long, he added.

In view of the brutal shootings and suicide attacks on fleeing civilians these pro-LTTE propagandists are unable to speak openly on their behalf. Hence they are attempting to portray the developments in the North of Sri Lanka as a doomsday scenario and speak of “bloodbaths” and “humanitarian catastrophes”.

There is no humanitarian catastrophe or humanitarian crisis and the reality is that over 106, 000 have entered the Government controlled area on their own accord since last Sunday when the humanitarian rescue operation began, he further said.

The Government is not giving in to various pressures exerted on it to stop the humanitarian operation or declare a ceasefire and it will go on till the last civilian is freed from LTTE clutches, the Defence Secretary stressed. Asked whether the Indian delegation that met President Rajapaksa yesterday called for a ceasefire in the North, the Defence Secretary said that there was no such call and India did not exert any pressure on Sri Lanka on this issue.

It was yet another instance of high-level cordial discussions between the two countries on matters of mutual interest that characterise Indo- Sri Lanka relations since President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed office, he added.