Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa clears the air:

Shrewd political leadership paved way for victory

Excerpts of the interview with Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa telecast live on ITN and Rupavahini Channels on Saturday

Q: Although the LTTE has been obliterated separatist elements are still operating in the country. Can you describe the present security situation in the country?

A: After ending 30 years of terrorism people are looking forward to go back to normal life. The real benefit of ending terrorism can be gained only if we can regain what we have lost. A large number of lives were lost, the economy was shattered, tourism and investments suffered and development was disrupted. It is only by rebuilding them that we can achieve real victory.

However we must give priority to security. Now we have ended face to face confrontations. The duty of the security forces now is to work according to information provided by intelligence sources. The intelligence units have done their proper duty since the annihilation of terrorists. We have been able to arrest terrorists hiding in Colombo and outstations and police and security servicemen arresting them.

Nearly 11,000 LTTE cadres have surrendered to the Army. Another 1,000 are in police custody. Hidden arms have been found on information given by them. The LTTE network in the western province has been broken. We are continuing these activities to prevent the LTTE raising its head again.

The security forces have another responsibility. That is to resettle IDPs. The security forces are also engaged in de-mining activities and providing security in areas where resettlement is taking place. The forces are also responsible for the rehabilitation of the 11,000 LTTE cadres in their custody. There are nearly 500 child soldiers too. They are being rehabilitated with the assistance of civilians. Important Tamil personalities have highly praised this work.

The Navy has a vital duty in protecting the sea area and prevent any more terrorist arms shipments reaching the country. The Air Force has to do air surveillance work to protect the country’s airspace. We cannot forget the security of our motherland.

The police is combating the underworld and the drug menace. The country’s security should be enhanced to enable life to return to normal. We have removed fishing restrictions in the Northern seas. Now the fisheries industry is picking up and more and more tourists are visiting the east.

Q: Separatism had gained strength internationally. How did you break their international network? The opposition leader has been questioning about LTTE assets alleging that K.P. is housed in a luxury bungalow with all comforts.

A: After defeating the LTTE we took steps to break its foreign network. After the killing of Prabhakaran the channel 4 television network boasted that K.P. had succeeded him as the LTTE leader. Within a few weeks we arrested K.P. with the assistance of several other countries.

People who did not praise us for arresting K.P. are now making various allegations against us. Secrecy was the major factor which helped net in K.P. who was the fund raiser and arms procurer of the LTTE. K.P. has vital information on LTTE secret dealings. These had to be elicited through careful and prolonged interrogation.

If anyone is criticising us he or she will only be blaming for intelligence units. Following information given by KP a large number of LTTE financial assets abroad have been frozen. Some of the ventures started with LTTE funds are legal business in those countries.

We have to convince those governments that they are dependent on fraudulent LTTE funds. Intelligence officers are taking great pains to prove it and get LTTE assets forfeited. This had to be done secretively.

Q: At the time of the 2005 Presidential election a portion of the country had been given over to the LTTE through an agreement. The Armed Forces had been made to believe that the LTTE was invincible. How were the Armed Forces able to make a turn around and achieve this convincing victory?

A: People forget the fact that President Rajapaksa as soon as he assumed office in 2005 made a change in the Defence policy after analysing the information provided by Intelligence and Armed Forces chief.

He informed India that we had to strengthen our security forces to counter a possible attack from the LTTE if we went in for negotiations. The President gave the Forces which had lost its morale a clear objective.

We started our ‘Api Venuwen Api’ concept to boost the sagging morale of the Armed Forces. We looked into the welfare of war heroes without awaiting till the end of the conflict. The state of indecision was ended and the Forces were able to gain victory because they had a clear objective earlier.

The Armed Forces had to be mere onlookers when the LTTE breached the ceasefire agreement more than 3000 times. On the contrary we gave strength and encouragement to the Forces to go forward.

Q: Gen. Sarath Fonseka had said that even though every past leader wanted to solve the terrorist problem they could not do it due to problems in the Army. What have you to say about it as Defence Secretary and a former war hero?

A: That is a slur on the Army. The Armed Forces and police have worked with great dedication during the past 30 years. They sacrificed 26,000 lives and 20,000 others were disabled. It was the sacrifices made by them that had raised the Armed Forces to this invincible position.

The Armed Forces could not accomplish this earlier because the country’s leaders failed to take correct decisions. For instance Lt. Gen. Kobbekaduwa and Maj. Gen. Vijaya Wimalaratne carried on this war successfully in 1987 but they had to halt their operations halfway because there was no proper management and clear foreign policy on the part of the country’s leadership.

If they continued ignoring the halt orders given by the leadership it would have been described as a conspiracy. Thereafter the Indian Peace Keeping Force was brought here and the LTTE was suppressed to a certain extent. Subsequently the IPKF was sent back. Who made this decision? Was it the Armed Forces or the country’s leadership?

Anew Government assumed office in 1994 and it restarted negotiations with the LTTE in spite of its armed attacks on the Forces. That decision was also taken by the leadership rather than the Armed Forces. If arms and other procurements are not supplied at the proper time the Armed Forces cannot be blamed for any defeat suffered by them. We understood.

This properly enhanced the Armed Forces cadre and provided them with the necessary wherewithal in time. Earlier leaders did not strengthen the Armed Forces thinking it would pose a threat to their own position.

If the Government which came to power in 2002 took these steps without falling prey to the LTTE tactic of declaring a unilateral ceasefire this victory would have been achieved at that time.

A video tape done on the Army’s 60th anniversary had described the ceasefire agreement as the greatest betrayal in the history of the country. This proves the importance of decisions taken by the country’s leadership.

President Rajapaksa never failed to increase the cadre of Armed Forces. The strength of the Civil Security Force was increased from 20,000 to 40,000 personnel. He provided the funds necessary for strengthening the Armed Forces and police notwithstanding the strictures imposed by the world economic crisis. He took spot on decisions after taking Indian concerns into consideration properly.

To be continued