Finally we are free !

Now we are a proud nation. Our children can go alone all over the country with their heads held high. Ten years ago we had a dream. It was a dream deep rooted in all Sri Lankans. Now this dream has come true. Finally we are free.

Speech delivered by Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka at the launch of the book Charge of the Lion Brigade
on October 16 in Colombo.

On September 23, when I visited the office of the United Nations Secretary General to hand over a copy of our new sustainable development plan - Green Lanka - I was received by its under Secretary General No.2 in New York, Shurkan - Head of Sustainable Development and Economic Affairs Division. Having welcomed me, his opening remarks were “Sri Lanka was the only country which fought global terrorism successfully after the Super Powers declared war on terror after 9-11-2001”.

I was so proud to hear his words of appreciation after our victory although, some of the UN officials and some powerful countries are now trying to undermine it, on human rights allegations. But true friends of Sri Lanka, specially those who belong to new emerging Asian hemisphere from Iran to Japan, have truly appreciated what our brave soldiers have achieved.

Then he told me he had once served as the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka from 1976 to 1980. It was the period when our State run economy was being transformed to free liberal economy. China under Den Xiaoping was willing to follow the same path but patiently and intelligently. Then there was a plan called Greater Colombo Plan initiated by Felix Dias Bandaranaike. Lalith Ethulathmudali, Ronnie de Mel, and of course Upali Wijewardene pioneered this ambitious plan to convert Colombo and suburbs into a Singapore. As requested by the Chinese President who wanted to study the plan Sha Shurkan had sent a copy of it to his President. After having had a few consultations with Upali Wijewardene and others, the Chinese Ambassador had prepared a report and gone to China to present it to the authorities. Having thoroughly studied it they had prepared their own plan. As a result the Shanghai Plan was introduced. I was somewhat curious at what Sha Shurkan had to tell me. Now Shanghai is the world’s most prosperous global capital.

New York is far behind it. What happened to Colombo? What were the reason behind it? Why were our prepared plans were not implemented? Was it because of Velupillai Prabhakaran? If it was the cause now that snag or barrier is removed. No one in this world can stop the proud leap forward of our nation now. Let us start it right now.

Naturally I write, I talk and I do what I think. So I wrote this booklet. My sole aim was to show the world that our soldiers had revisited our heroic past, and they can now be compared to King Dutugemunu and King Wijayabahu who defeated Chola Emperors more than a 1,000 years ago. After Raja Raja and Rajendra, Tamil separatism took more than a 1,000 years to revive their claim to a separate state.

First it was Perrier of the Tamil Nadu who initiated Dravida Kasagam Movement and its military wing. Sardar Patel of India ruthlessly crushed that military outfit. Jawaharlal Nehru used constitutional measures to suppress the DMK movement. Then they turned to Sri Lanka. Step by step, wave by wave, Velupillai Prabhakaran

had been striding the victory march of the Tamil Eelam. We saw our Sinhala brothers were being chased away from the North.

According to statistics, 21,000 Sinhalese were living in Jaffna district in 1981. Not a single Sinhalese was spared. Sinhalese were ethnically cleansed. Over 150,000 Sinhalese were chased away to clear in North and East, so-called Tamil Homeland. During the past 25 years they have been living as displaced persons. Suresh Premachandran and Sampanthan who are in Colombo among Sinhalese are talking about Sinhalization.

The chased out Sinhalese do have an inherent right to resettle in their homeland in the North. Velupillai Prabhakaran chased away Muslims from North in 1991. During the past 18 years they have been living in Kalpitiya.

They too have an inherent right to resettle in their homeland in the North. All the Tamils who were uprooted from their villages by the LTTE too should have inherent right to resettle. And this Government is now facilitating this huge rehabilitation task.

Tamil racists should know after Vijayabahu’s victory over Tamil racism they needed another 1,000 years to regroup. They now need another 2,000 years or more to regroup for their Eelam dream. Our brave soldiers totally annihilated them. Not a single terrorist leader was spared. It was a complete resounding victory. Thanks again and again to our brave soldiers.

I wrote this booklet because I wanted to show the world that achievement of our soldiers is world class. If we had revisited world military history from Alexander, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Napoleon to Vo Nguyen Giap of Vietnam War, we would be able to see the many parallels in strategy, tactics, dedication and sacrifices of our military leaders and soldiers to these great military tacticians and heroes.

Napoleon used unconventional strategies and tactics against Austrians - Russian - Italian Armies and won. Carl Von Clausewitz stipulated Napoleonic modern war theories, strategies and the German Army extensively used this theory in World War I and War II. Now the world military researchers should learn, analyze and theorize our victory because not after 9/11, for the whole post World War period no nation was able to annihilate a powerful terrorist group like the LTTE without the support of the Super Powers.

So how we prepared our grand politico military strategy, how we managed our foreign relations or external factors, how our nation whole-heartedly contributed to this effort, how the external and internal conspirators were thwarted, how we continuously supplied men and material while maintaining our economic stability should be learned, analyzed and theorized and compared with other great military victories.

In the aftermath of the Kilinochchi debacle (1998) we formulated a three-year visionary action plan to eradicate terrorism and handed over it to the then political and military heads. They ignored it and went through the disastrous Sudunelum Path Our Forces were entrapped and killed as a result.

Then we took to streets but the vicious cycle was revolving which we could not stop. But our dream to liberate the country from the clutches of the neo Nazi terrorists would still be there and we were dreaming. When we were drafting the 2005 Presidential manifesto Mahinda Chinthanaya, we knew that we could not spell our dreams totally.

But as the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stated “the fundamental platform I would base my initiative would be an undivided country. A national consensus and honourable peace”, and further he stated our agenda shall include renouncing separatism, demilitarization, and enter into the democratic process. There we know that Demilitarization, Democratization, and Development, 3-D phenomenon would be our grand politico military strategy.

Now we are a proud nation. After Parakramabahu VI, who defeated Jaffna Chakrawarthi sending Prince Sapumal in 1450, after 560 years every inch of this country is now belongs to our nation. Our children can go alone all over the country with their heads held high. Ten years ago we had a dream. It was a dream deep rooted in all Sri Lankans. Now this dream has come true. Finally we are free.