Defeating Terrorism – Sri Lankan experience:

Strategic political, military moves underlined success

*Tigers used no fire zones to hold civilians as human shields

*Majors General explain humanitarian op

*Highlights LTTE brutality

Sandasen MARASINGHE

The Majors General who commanded the humanitarian operation against the LTTE, told military representatives of 41, countries yesterday that the political leadership and Security Forces’ commitment paved the way to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lankan soil.

From left: Brigadier Nishantha Wanniarachchi, Brigadier Z. Wickramaratne, Major General Shavendra Silva, Major General Nandana Udawatte, Major General Jagath Dias, Major General Prasanna Silva, Brigadier Sahtyapriya Liyanage, Brigadier Raja Pathirana and Brigadier G.R. Rajapriya at the seminar yesterday. Picture by Saman Sri Wedage

They emphasized this yesterday, the second day of the three day international seminar ‘Defeating Terrorism - Sri Lankan Experience’ organized by the Sri Lanka Army to share the experience of Sri Lanka with other nations, under the direction of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

During the first session of the seminar yesterday, Majors General Nandana Udawatta, Prasanna Silva, Chagy Gallage, Jagath Dias and Shavendra Silva spoke on how the humanitarian operation was fought in the North and East and won by the Security Forces.

The speakers also stressed LTTE brutality by pointing out, among many other matters, how the LTTE used the No fire Zones for military activities, using their own people as human shields, recruiting children for military activities and using suicide cadres at the final stage of the operation to attack civilians and military personnel.

Major General Nandana Udawatta said that a well defined political and military strategy supported by the will of the public was the key factor in the victory over terrorism.

In response to a question raised by a visiting military representative, Major General Gallage stated that no support was obtained from the Karuna faction at an operational level nor at tactical level in the humanitarian operation in the East.

Major General Shavendra Silva responding to another question said that a clear explanation will be made by way of a court order soon as to what happened at the last stage of the humanitarian operation. He added that as there was a court action in progress in that respect, he could not make any comment as he also was bound by Sri Lankan Law.