Overseas Sri Lankans congratulate President and Armed Forces

Dr Ranjith Hettiarachi - Australia

The President Mahinda Rajapaksa has liberated our country from the menacing grip of terrorism, much to the elation and jubilation of the entire nation. This is an epic achievement in the annals of our history.

As overseas Sri Lankans who gave unqualified support to Sri Lanka in its struggle to preserve the unity and sovereignty of the country, for over twenty five years, we extend our heartiest congratulations to the President, his Government and in particular the Defence Secretary, and the dedicated Armed Forces for an unprecedented, unique feat in restoring peace and stability to our country.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa

It is with immense pride and relief that we draw the attention of all Sri Lankans living both within and outside the country to the following challenges that confronted Sri Lanka and the manner in which they were overcome:

1. The President and his Military Forces have achieved the rare distinction of single-handedly eradicating a vicious and brutal terrorist force, considered the most organized and well-equipped of all known terrorist forces in the world.

2. Sri Lanka received very little moral or material support from the Western powers, vociferously committed to the eradication of terrorism in various parts of the globe. While engaged in massive civilian massacres in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, their leaders brazenly adopted a double standard vis-a-vis Sri Lanka. Our soldiers were not fighting in foreign countries.

They were engaged in liberating our country and more particularly the Tamil civilians from terrorists masquerading as liberators. Contrast the manner in which several Western countries entered Iraq manufacturing diabolical lies such as the existence of ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ (WMD) as the pretext for invading Iraq.

Over 500,000 lives of innocent civilians in Iraq have been lost because of this brutal invasion by Western powers. Yet the very same countries have the cheek to accuse Sri Lanka of civilian killings.

3. Instead of providing support and assistance to a friendly democratic nation, the West in particular have allowed themselves to fall victim to a well orchestrated duplicitous campaign of the international Tamil terrorist support network, and in turn have chosen to denigrate Sri Lanka on Human rights and civil libertarian issues, thereby impeding Sri Lanka’s resolute march towards peace.

4. Sri Lanka’s President and his Government have withstood with great courage and fortitude a relentless disinformation campaign based on lies, fabrications and demonising, conducted by the international media and so called ‘eminent’ persons some of whom are in the pay of the LTTE which has amassed great wealth from drug trafficking, extortion, people smuggling and the illegal arms trade, and links to other global terrorist groups.

5. The President’s courageous defiance of heads of State, foreign Ministers, emissaries of various international institutions, reputed INGOs and the like who have showed no compunction in interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, on false pretexts with a view to retaining electoral support from migrant communities in their home countries, must be commended unreservedly.

These unwarranted incursions by foreign countries raise concerns about their own commitment to eradication of terrorism. Sri Lanka is no longer a colony of the West. It is a proud member of the community of nations and cherishes its independence and sovereignty.

6. The President should also be commended for his laudable vision and spelling out the future directions for Sri Lanka, expressed within hours of the historic victory. He clearly wishes to see the nation comprised solely and purely by Sri Lankans and not divided into majority and minority ethnic groups entangled eternally in fractious issues detrimental to the well-being and progress of the country.

7. Finally, the President with his exalted image as a credible leader and liberator is well placed to initiate a national resurgence. He carries an unprecedented stature to steer the nation towards prosperity.

At this juncture of heightened patriotic fervour, Sri Lanka as a country must awaken itself and rise, making sensible, decisive and definitive inroads into it’s own development, prosperity and self-sufficiency.

Time is ripe and opportune for Sri Lanka to shine in a framework of righteousness, restraint and refinement. A standing ovation to the victorious President and the gallant Armed Services for their inestimable endeavours and accomplishments in the liberation of our country from terrorism.