Falsehood will be laid to rest - Defence Secy
Sandasen MARASINGHE
*Allegations aimed at discrediting Sri Lanka
*Fails to bear scrutiny
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that the falsehood created
by the LTTE’s international propaganda machinery together with some in
the Tamil Diaspora will be laid to rest with the publication of the
Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis enabling the world to conclude
beyond any doubt that the humanitarian operation was just. He made this
observation at the launching ceremony of the report titled Humanitarian
Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 - May 2009 at the Hilton Hotel
yesterday.
The Defence Secretary said that the purpose of this report that has
been compiled by the Defence Ministry is to set out the factual
background and operational context, which brought peace to Sri Lanka by
liberating the people from brutal terrorism of the LTTE in May 2009,
against which baseless allegations have been leveled.
Defence Secretary Rajapaksa in connection with one such allegation
that Security Forces killed or gravely mistreated the civilians who
surrendered to the forces, questioned as to why they level false
allegations to a government that extended care to even the families
directly linked to the LTTE, former LTTE cadres themselves and even the
parents of LTTE leader Prabakaran, and that of the so called LTTE
political wing leader Thamil Chelvan and the leader of the Sea Tiger
wing Soosai.
The Defence Secretary also said that these distorted allegations have
been repeated loudly and repeated often by parties with vested
interests, but it is not an accusation that stands up to scrutiny. He
added that the sole purpose of these allegations is to discredit Sri
Lanka and disrupt the prevailing peace in the country.
He also said that it is extremely unfortunate that there are some who
get swayed by such malign and absurd accusations instead of paying
attention to the facts. He added that they have got carried away by the
media hysteria generated by LTTE apologists, and have neglected to
verify the true picture for themselves.
The Defence Secretary said that by the end of the humanitarian
operation, more than 11,000 LTTE cadres surrendered. “Five hundred and
ninety five child soldiers who surrendered were reunited with their
families within one year, while over 6,100 adult cadres were
rehabilitated and released by June 2011.” He added that most of the
remaining cadres were undergoing further rehabilitation programmes and
will be reintegrated to society when they are ready.
External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris also spoke. Secretary to
the President Lalith Weeratunga, ministers, members of parliament,
ambassadors and high commissioners, secretaries to ministries, Chief of
Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke, Army Commander
Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Air Force Commander Air Marshal
Harsha Abeywickrama and Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilake
Dissanayake also participated. |