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.
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