Defeating terrorism, safeguarding human rights
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka’s
speech at Asia Society on Sri Lanka’s Challenges ahead:
Post LTTE scenario and ensuring sustainable
peace
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka |
My Motherland suffered from almost three decades of destruction from
terrorism. But now we have shown the world that it can be defeated.
The FBI has stated that the LTTE is the world’s most dangerous and
ruthless terrorist organization. We were able to defeat this
organization which falsely built an image that it could never be
defeated.
To do that, our Government had the support of our people,
peace-loving leaders of other states and their citizens, and they helped
in different ways to enable us achieving our goal. For that I am deeply
thankful.
However, defeating terrorism was not simple or easy. There were those
who supported terrorism openly as well as secretively. We invited the
terrorists many a time to give up arms and enter the democratic path.
The terrorists ignored our calls. They killed innocent unarmed
people. They destroyed the nation’s resources and created a bloodbath
upon our Motherland.
We were responsible for stopping this. A majority in my country
requested the Government to take this responsibility.
We lost a lot of young lives in this war. We had to bear a huge cost.
Taking care of civilians. File photo |
Despite the cost, being a welfare State, our Government never cut
down any welfare services of our citizens. It is during this period that
the world suffered from an economic crisis. However, that did not affect
us deeply because of our far-sighted financial and economic policies.
When the international community was embroiled in this economic
crisis, our problem was this scourge of terrorism.
We are rid of that menace now. But the residual effect and a few
related problems remain.
The internally displaced Sri Lankans need to be resettled in their
villages again.
These are people who got displaced from their homes due to the
conflict between the Tigers and our Security Forces. It is our
responsibility to resettle them and to carry out the planned development
projects.
It is necessary to completely wipe out the LTTE network which
operated locally as well as internationally (supported by both local and
international sponsors).
When our Forces were fighting terrorism, the terrorists used various
ways and methods to escape the pressure.
Around 300,000 was kept as a human shield by the Tiger terrorists
while attacking the military Forces.
These unarmed innocent Tamil civilians tried many times to come over
to the Government Forces for security. At times the terrorists shot and
killed those who tried to escape.
But finally all of them were able to breakaway from the LTTE and come
under the shelter of the Government Security Forces. Among them were
children, pregnant women, elderly and those suffering from various
illnesses.
Our soldiers received them kindly and treated them as their own.
That is their discipline and how they were trained.
Our Motherland is nourished with the teaching of Buddhism. We were
brought up in that background. The true Buddhist shows compassion
towards all others. Helping those who suffer enables them to bear
suffering with a tranquil mind.
This is the disciplined and civilized Army that the Tiger terrorists
attacked. The citizens were aware of this. They respected and trusted
the military. Thus, close to 300,000 Tamil civilians came to us for
security.
At your know, it is not an easy task to provide welfare to these
people all at once. Yet we accepted this challenge. Again my heart goes
to the friendly nations who supported us.
Today, the people are being resettled systematically and efficiently.
A considerable number of people who were sheltered in temporary camps in
Vavuniya, Jaffna and Trincomalee districts are already resettled.
The Government accomplished a huge task in being able to do this in
such a short time.
But there is a serious obstacle to overcome. Terrorists have planted
land-mines in playgrounds, holy sties, farm fields and on roads. There
are death traps in farmland after decades of terrorism. We are not ready
to push our people onto these death traps. Mine clearance in the North
is efficiently underway. For this, several NGOs are helping the
Government with the leadership of the Army. In addition, special
machinery is imported from abroad to increase the speed of mine
clearance. For the benefit of the displaced persons educational and
health services have been revived.
Infrastructure is being developed. Main roads are being rebuilt in
those areas. The A9, the main highway to Jaffna is re-opened for public
transport.
The Northern and Eastern seas are also open for fishing. For the past
few decades the fishing industry in the North and the East faced
challenges due to terrorist activities.
The Tigers prevented people from cultivating. But now our Government
has started agricultural projects in vast areas. Steps have been taken
to provide the necessities to the farming community. Now the future
livelihood of the Northern farmers is secure.
Our Government has re-opened the cement and paper industries which
once operated very successfully in the Northern and Eastern provinces in
the past. Communications have been restored. Programs are under way for
the reconstruction and re-wakening of the Northern and Eastern
provinces.
Some of the leaders of LTTE understood that this separatist war was
not practical. Those leaders laid down arms and joined the democratic
process. One of them is a Cabinet Minister in our Government and another
is the Eastern Province Chief Minister.
They understood that by a democratic process people’s needs can be
met, not by the bullet but only by the vote. A great number of youth are
regretting that due to intimidation, or voluntarily, they joined the
LTTE.
Those who have been harassed physically and mentally will be
rehabilitated through several programs implemented by our Government.
We are in a process of rehabilitating them by giving them education,
vocational training and psychological treatment.
In our President’s manifesto Mahinda Chinthanaya he proposed a way to
develop the country by using the talents and powers of the youth. Many
of them who were trapped in LTTE’s grasp lost not only their childhood
but also their youth.
We give them life. Although terrorists took away their childhood, our
vision is to secure their future.
Children who were forced to carry arms now experience life without
it. They study at school, sit for Government exams, and exercise their
vocational skills. A challenge that we are faced with is to channel this
talent for the benefit of the country. For this purpose it is necessary
to boost the economy of the country which was retarded by the
three-decade- long terrorism, with new projects and programs. There is a
great opportunity for the investors from countries like yours to visit
Sri Lanka and invest.
Our Constitution provides for the protection of foreign investors,
perhaps the only instance of such constitutional provision you would
find anywhere in the world. I would like to take this opportunity to
welcome you in advance. We have started to improve the infrastructure
which helps the investors in their new projects.
There are lots of new investment opportunities in the North and the
East of the country. We request you to join the development process of
our nation by taking advantage of the investment opportunities in
natural and traditional sectors. There is a great space for the Sri
Lankan tourism industry.
The Eastern beaches of Sri Lanka, considered some of the world’s most
beautiful, are now open to the public. The reknown Arugam Bay, Nilaweli
and Pasikuda beaches in the East are fully crowded these days with local
and foreign tourists. More opportunities have opened up in the tourism
sector as well. Tourist arrivals which stagnated during the years of
conflict have begun to catch up again.
Special attention needs to be given to children and women who have
suffered from terrorism. We have taken steps to strengthen them
physically and mentally through rehabilitation programs.
The Tiger terrorists cared nothing for our traditional consideration
for women and children. They gave weapons to children and pushed them to
war, and they transformed women into suicide cadres. Those who have
surrendered to the Government reveal all these hardships they faced. To
cure them psychologically is a duty of our Government. We have taken
steps to fulfil that duty.
In the meantime, we have a challenge to stop further LTTE activities.
The LTTE will try to reorganize themselves. They will try to influence
the people by issuing statements while hiding in various cavities of the
globe. It has been revealed that this terrorist organization has links
with other extremist organizations in the world.
We need to stop drugs, weapons and people trafficking through these
links. All nations should co-operate in eradicating this menace. There
should be no double standards in this.
Some powerful nations in the world while invading other countries
bring human rights allegations against us for trying to defeat
terrorism. There should be a common agreement in war on terror.
It should be common to the entire world. There can’t be different
treatment or laws for different countries on the subject of terrorism.
If there is a problem for any ethnic group in our country we are
ready to solve it. Compassion is ingrained in our national psyche. There
is something that our President says often.‘We do not have a majority or
a minority in our country, we only have one race; that is, we all are
Sri Lankans.’ These are his words.
To resolve the issues and grievances faced by the Tamils, discussions
were held frequently. On the invitation of the President, an All Party
Conference has been meeting to evolve a formula to solve the national
problem.
Even the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) considered to be proxies for
the LTTE had discussions with the President recently. They declared
willingness to work with the Government in the interests of national
development.
Some believe that devolution of power is not a practical solution.
Nearly 47 percent of Tamils in Sri Lanka live in the north and east and
53 percent of Tamils are in the Western Province and other provinces,
with the Sinhala people.
It is hard to assume that these 53 percent will migrate to the North
and East. Their houses, businesses and day-to-day life are in the
Western Province among the Sinhalese majority. There, all races live in
harmony I have briefed here the challenges that Sri Lanka is facing at
present and what programs are done and others still under way for long
lasting peace.
As a world we face two great challenges. One is the environmental
crisis, the other is terrorism.
We can overcome these challenges by facing them together, through
being united, and co-operating with each other. I beseech you to proceed
towards overcoming these challenges together. This will result in
building a better world for us all. |