LTTE financial apparatus, propaganda network being dismantled- Prof Peiris tells Queen’s Counsel in London

Even after the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka and the destruction of its leadership, the global network of the terrorist organization continued to be used vigorously against Sri Lanka, and this was especially evident in the intensity of the propaganda campaign that was waged against the country, Export Development and International Trade Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said in London last week.

He was addressing a group of eminent British lawyers, including Queen’s Counsel, in London.

The situation has changed dramatically with the arrest of senior LTTE personalities outside Sri Lanka, and the remaining activities of the terrorist organization can be expected to wind down as a result of these developments, he said.

It is important for the international community to be aware of the extent and tenacity of the misinformation campaign engaged in by groups close to the terrorist organization, he said. The aim and objective of these interests is to ensure that foreign governments and multilateral organizations adopt hostile postures intended to stultify Sri Lanka’s development efforts at a critical and sensitive time, Minister Peiris observed.

While exorbitant sums of money were being invested in this persistent effort to distort and misconstrue every aspect of the contemporary Sri Lankan scene, opinion leaders have a vital role to play in ensuring fairness in assessing what is taking place in the country, he said.

Explaining the background, he dealt with attempts by successive administrations to engage the LTTE in substantive negotiations and showed how the consistent evasiveness and intransigence of the LTTE leadership prevented any meaningful progress in the negotiating process. After the election of President Rajapaksa in November 2005, he attempted for 7 months to negotiate with the LTTE, and during that period sent two government delegations to Geneva, but the LTTE refused to engage constructively.

In the post-conflict phase, he pointed out, the immediate priority is the welfare of almost 300,000 internally displaced persons temporarily accommodated in camps.

He described the action taken by the Government to cater for their needs with regard to nourishment, sanitation and healthcare and the importance attached by the Government to rapid resettlement.

This is being done in batches, and the progress achieved so far, involving the resettlement of almost 50,000 persons, is satisfactory, having regard to constraints such as the complexity of essential demining operations and other circumstances.

With regard to resettlement, Prof. Peiris emphasized the importance of making effective provision for the livelihoods of the persons beginning a new life in their homes.

For this purpose, the revival of economic opportunity is critical, and to achieve this objective, the Government, in partnership with the private sector, has embarked on a series of initiatives to invigorate the agricultural, fisheries and tourism sectors.

Lands are being opened up for cultivation, the Northern and Eastern waters rich in fisheries resources are now available for exploitation after decades, and the potential for industries, especially in the small and medium sector, is now being harnessed, he said. The Government is giving infrastructure development the highest priority, the Minister said.

He said a significant stimulus to this has been administered by the facility which was successfully negotiated by the Government with the International Monetary Fund. This is, by far, the largest sum of money, representing four times the country quota, which has been made available to Sri Lanka by the IMF since the country became a member of the Fund in 1950. This has strengthened fiscal stability both domestically and externally, and enabled the country to enhance its foreign resources up to the threshold of almost US $ 4 billion he said.