SLFLA vehemently condemns Clinton's comments

Sandasen Marasinghe

The Sri Lanka Freedom Lawyers Association (SLFLA) vehemently condemned the comments made regarding Sri Lanka by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the UN Security Council.

The Secretary to the Colombo branch of the Sri Lanka Freedom Lawyers Association Bandula Wellala stated that the Association would express their concern to the UN in writing. Further the Association would take measures to enlighten the international organizations on the utmost restraint and the discipline with which the Sri Lankan Security Forces acted during the humanitarian operation.

The Association stated that it never expected Clinton to make such detrimental statements without proper facts about the most disciplined Sri Lankan Armed Forces which eliminated the heavily armed ruthless terrorist organization and also rescued over 200,000 Tamil civilians that were kept as a human shield by the LTTE.

Wellala stated that no one including the US Secretary of State had the right to make a general statement accusing all Armed Forces of developing countries in a way that tarnishes the good name of a sovereign state. The Sri Lankan Forces not only demonstrated how terrorism should be eradicated but also how an operation must be conducted humanely. Our soldiers carried a gun in one hand and the Human Rights Convention in the other. There were no charges of rape levelled against the Sri Lankan Security Forces.

The Sri Lankan Security Forces deserve the full admiration of the nation as well as the entire world and any inappropriate and irrespective comment into the conduct of the personnel of the Security Forces would affect the image of the country badly and the ongoing process of national integration and reconciliation.

The Association implored the Government of Sri Lanka to resist any such attempts to damage the image of the Security Forces with fixed resolve and effective action and safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the nation and the reputation of the Security Forces.

The Association also reminded Hillary Clinton that she had forgotten the rape committed by American Armies in Vietnam and Iraq.