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A victorious moment

It was a magnificent occasion. Yesterday's National Victory Parade by the Armed Forces as well as the Police and the Civil Security Force reminded the Nation again that these valiant sons and daughters of Mother Lanka had succeeded in defeating the world's most ruthless terrorist organisation, setting an example to the whole world. They displayed their might and pride at the Galle Face Green, with their Commander-in-Chief President Mahinda Rajapaksa in attendance.

The Sri Lankan Security Forces devised new strategies to outthink and outmaneuver the enemy and gain the upper hand on the battlefield. They worked in unison to frustrate the Tigers' plans to destablise the country.

The ground troops' task was made by easier as a result of the support extended by the Navy and the Air Force.

The Armed Forces played a largely ceremonial role until 1971 when they were called upon to crush the youth insurgency. Just four years later in Jaffna, Velupillai Prabhakaran fired a bullet that would mark the beginning of a terror movement called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The situation took a dramatic turn in 1983 with the killing of 13 soldiers in Jaffna. From then onwards, the Army, Navy and the Air Force engaged the LTTE on the battlefield, recording both successes and failures. But they did not abandon the quest to defeat terrorism. Their principal task was to defend the Motherland's unitary status, territorial integrity and sovereignty. In this noble quest, thousands of valiant Forces personnel made the Supreme Sacrifice and thousands more were disabled.

There are those who believe that the Forces' task is now over, with the defeat of terrorism. Nothing could be more unrealistic. The Security Forces cannot let their guard down in the conventional sense of the term, although it might be possible to relax some security measures now in force at some point in the future. This will at least take several more years.

Although the LTTE is finished as a conventional force, it is wise to assume that Tiger sleeper cells are present elsewhere in the country. Many LTTEers including suicide cadres infiltrated Colombo and other major cities during the ceasefire period. They may still resort to hit and run attacks despite the lack of coherent instructions or a chain of command. The Army and the Police will have to flush them out and also ensure the general security of main cities, towns and important installations.

The Forces also has to consolidate and build additional bases in newly liberated areas. The Army has already appointed new ground commanders for Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. Weapons hidden by the LTTE are still being found in these areas, which also have to be de-mined for the safety of both the Forces and the resettling civilians. The Forces will necessarily be involved in the latter tasks too. They thus need more manpower to fulfill these tasks and to be prepared to meet any internal or external threat to the country's sovereignty.

We have no doubt that the youth from all communities will respond positively. The Forces and the Police have plans to recruit more youth from liberated and other areas. It is also essential for Forces personnel to become fluent in Tamil. TV pictures showed Army personnel caring for the displaced in spite of the language barrier and they would get closer to the Northern and Eastern civilian population with a firm grasp of Tamil.

There is also a need for enhanced intelligence gathering. The Army lost some of its best intelligence officers and operatives following the Millennium City exposure, as the LTTE gunned them down one by one during the ceasefire period. While satellites and UAVs do have a role, nothing beats the man on the ground, perhaps behind enemy lines, for gathering useful intelligence.

Good intelligence played a crucial role in the victory against the Tigers and the Forces must boost the intelligence apparatus to meet any future challenges. Training for combat and intelligence gathering is equally important for the Forces. Sri Lanka already has training agreements for its Armed Forces with several countries and these should be continued. The authorities should strive to sign military cooperation agreements with more countries. There will also be a demand for Sri Lankan expertise in anti-terrorism operations following the victory against the LTTE.

We are a nation known for having short memories and there is a danger that the sacrifice made by Armed Forces personnel could be forgotten in peacetime. Our war heroes should never be forgotten or neglected - we have a secure future because they gave up the best years of their lives to fight and defeat a bloodthirsty adversary. Some of them are no more; some are disabled and injured; some are slowly recovering but a normal life is years away. They deserve our respect, love and help. That is the least we can do for these heroes who regained freedom for all Sri Lankans.
 

Let’s make Sri Lanka the Pride of Asia

I declare with great pride and dignity that I have hoisted the national flag in a single country unified under a single standard. Before me are our Armed Forces who astonished the world by their skill in war,

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End of a Pol Pot-ist dream

The bloody end came in a sliver of nondescript coastline near the fallen garrison town of Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka’s North-East. Velupillai Prabhakaran the founder and supremo of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - one of the world’s most feared extremist organisations - had made a last stand that had pointlessness writ all over it.

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