Security, Reconciliation and Sustainable Development - Part II:

Steady progress in rehabilitation

Text of the speech by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the fifth annual symposium of the Kotelawala Defence University held recently

A special Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centre was established at Kaithady in Jaffna to cater to the reunification of married beneficiaries as well.

Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa

A special programme for ‘catch up education’ was provided in collaboration with the Education Ministry for young adults in rehabilitation. Forty six different vocational training courses were also provided to the beneficiaries. These courses were centred on many different fields, including agriculture, industry, services and entrepreneurship. Substantial opportunities were provided for training information technology, with assistance from private sector implementation partners, and a computer lab was set up with the capacity to train approximately 100 persons at a given time.

Humanitarian Operation

The reintegration of the rehabilitees to society took place only after trained counsellors assessed their preparedness to adapt to society and resume normal lives. Reintegration programmes were conducted at various stages, including a large ceremony that was held at Temple Trees in September 2011 in the presence of the President. In all, 10,973 rehabilitees have been reintegrated to society as of today -121 were released in 2009; 5,227 were reintegrated in 2010; 5,027 were integrated last year and 598 have been reintegrated so far this year. Only 636 beneficiaries remain in rehabilitation, and this is because they require more time to recover from LTTE indoctrination and regain full capability to lead a normal life.

The effectiveness of the rehabilitation programme is indicated in research that is being conducted by Dr. Kruglanski and Dr. Gelfland of the University of Maryland, College Park, in the USA. This research, which is based on a study of more than 550 individuals, has indicated that there has been a significant decline in the beneficiaries support for violence. The decline in support for violence has been strongest in those beneficiaries who were deeply invested in the terrorist agenda, therefore implying that the rehabilitation programme has been effective even for the most hard-core LTTE cadres.

In addition to the LTTE cadres who surrendered at the end of the Humanitarian Operation, nearly 4,500 more had been detained previously. Only about 560 cadres have been identified for prosecution and are being dealt with through the legal system, and because of their high level involvement in LTTE activities. Action has been taken to expedite the hearing of their cases in the courts. All the others were sent for rehabilitation and reintegrated to society.

All reintegrated beneficiaries of the rehabilitation programme have been given an unparalleled opportunity to resume normal lives in society. Programmes were created to support those who wished to set up their own businesses, including a special loan scheme for self-employment. Many have found jobs at various private institutions such as garment factories and other industrial facilities. Some have even managed to go abroad for foreign employment as a result of the skills they had acquired during the rehabilitation programme. A significant number of reintegrated beneficiaries are also being recruited to the Civil Defence Force. They will be paid a monthly salary, and used mainly in farming and in development activities. Through all these measures, the government has worked very hard to enable the former LTTE cadres to resume lives of normalcy within a peaceful and stable Sri Lanka.

Ancestral homes and properties

In restoring normalcy throughout the North, the progressive removal of the various restrictions that used to be in place as a result of the conflict has been a very significant step taken over the last few years. Restrictions used to be in place on travel to the North, including restrictions on foreigners, media personnel and staff of both foreign and local Non Governmental Organisations.

With the removal of all these restrictions, there is complete freedom of movement in the North today. Large numbers of local tourists travel from the North to the South and from the South to the North on a daily basis. Large numbers of visitors from abroad have also come to Sri Lanka over the past three years.

National security

Since July 2011, more than 51,400 foreign passport holders from over 100 countries have visited Sri Lanka and travelled to the North, including nearly 31,500 this year alone. A considerable number of them were expatriates visiting their ancestral homes and properties and their relatives in Sri Lanka. The complete removal of restrictions that had been imposed on various items was also important. During the war, the transport of certain items was restricted for fear that they would be used by the LTTE in offensive operations. As of today, these restrictions no longer exist.

Many restrictions that used to be in place at sea due to the grave threat posed by the LTTE’s Sea Tiger wing have also been removed. Limitations on the times and the locations in which fishermen could put to sea as well as the restrictions on the size of their fishing craft and the power of their outboard motors were removed in phases by October 2010. Restrictions on the times at which fishing could take place were gradually phased out between June 2009 and February 2010. Restrictions on fishing near critical harbours have also been greatly reduced.

The reduction in the numbers of security barricades, roadblocks and checkpoints in the North and East is also significant. There were large numbers of such security measures in place during the course of the conflict and immediately after, but these were gradually withdrawn after the dawn of peace. In 2009, there were approximately 2,000 checkpoints, sentry points and roadblocks in these two Provinces. Today, there are hardly any.

The presence of Security Forces personnel in the North has been greatly reduced, with 28 battalions being relocated to the East and the South. The overall number of troops has been reduced by more than 21,000 since 2009. More importantly, Security Forces personnel have been relieved of all duties in terms of law enforcement, and the maintenance of law and order has been completely handed over to the Police. While military camps will remain in strategic positions to uphold national security, the presence of military personnel will be unobtrusive.

In this context, it is important to underscore that military camps exist in various locations throughout Sri Lanka. It is the duty of the government to ensure that there is adequate security for the entire nation, and it is only logical to place military encampments in strategic locations.

The establishment of camps in locations such as Mannar, Palaly, Elephant Pass, Poonery, Thalladi, Karainagar, and Mullaitivu began in 1951. They were set up to enhance internal security and minimise the smuggling of persons, drugs and materials between Sri Lanka and India, which was rampant at the time. When the LTTE emerged as a significant military threat and intensified its attacks on military camps, successive governments extended the territories around the camps into High Security Zones. This enabled the military to exercise greater control in these areas, which would otherwise have been infiltrated by the LTTE. With the defeat of the military arm of the LTTE, these High Security Zones are no longer needed. They were dismantled in stages and the land has been handed back to the civilians.

The camps themselves will remain for purposes of national security, but the remaining security restrictions that exist are limited to the Palaly Cantonment. However, even within the Cantonment, civilians have free access to the airport and the Kankasanthurai harbour. While it is true that there are still some civilian properties within the Cantonment, it must be stressed that civilians have not occupied these properties for the last 20 to 25 years. The government has taken measures to pay compensation to the owners of these properties and to provide alternate lands to them. It should also be noted that lands that had been forcefully taken from the people and occupied by the LTTE for many years have also been released to their legal owners.

Significant achievement

Perhaps the most significant undertaking in restoring normalcy in the North was the restoration of the democratic process. His Excellency the President was very keen to ensure that the people who had lived under the virtual dictatorship of the LTTE for so many years should feel the full benefit of living in a democratic nation. As such, he was very keen to have elections in this Province as soon as possible. Local authority elections were held for the Jaffna Municipal Council and the Vavuniya Urban Council as early as August 2009, and the Presidential Election and General Election followed not long after in 2010. These elections were the first in which people throughout the entire country could vote freely and without fear of LTTE reprisals. Local authority elections held island-wide last year saw free and fair elections being throughout the North and East.

The Tamil National Alliance emerged first in most electorates, but the main government party also came close in several of them. The fact that political plurality has returned to these areas is clear from the results of these elections. The swift restoration of democracy and the right to vote has returned to the people their voice in governance. It is an incredibly significant achievement.

The sustenance of national security in Sri Lanka depends on the inclusiveness of our democracy, and the equality of all our citizens. In the past, there was a certain degree of mistrust between communities that led to certain unfortunate incidents. It is our duty as Sri Lankans to put this past behind us and build a bright future for our nation. In this regard, it is essential that there is no longer any suspicion of discrimination or unequal treatment that might encourage people to follow an undemocratic path and bring back the divisions of the past.

The confidence the people have in their leaders, and their confidence in the proper functioning of the electoral process is one aspect of this. Another very important aspect is the ability people have to build better futures for themselves. That is why, as was described before, the government has focused so much attention on restoring the infrastructure and services needed to facilitate the return of economic life in these areas.

It is also extremely important that all our citizens have equal access to the services provided by the state as well as state institutions. In this regard, I am particularly pleased to note that the actions taken by the government to increase the numbers of Tamil speaking policemen have been extremely successful. 789 Tamil policemen have been recruited between 2009 and 2011, and they have been trained and posted to these police stations. In 2012 alone, a further 425 have been recruited. Training in Tamil language has also been provided to additional numbers of police personnel. Eleven new police stations have also been established in the North, and all the people who live in that region now have equal access to the state's mechanisms for law and order.

Employment opportunities

The renewed economic opportunities and freedoms that the people of the North now enjoy are vastly different from what they were when much of the Province was under the LTTE. Children are free to go to school and have the chance to improve their prospects in life. Employment opportunities for adults are increasing day by day, and a great deal of support has been given to those individuals who are interested in starting up businesses or finding other means of self-employment. Farmers in the North have been greatly benefitted by the many initiatives taken to upgrade irrigation; support has also been given to them through programmes to provide seeds, fertiliser and machinery. Fishermen have benefitted from the removal of restrictions and programmes to help them obtain fishing craft. As a result of these initiatives, the economy of the Northern Province is undergoing a significant revival.

In this context it is important to stress that all of the government's actions with regard to the North has been aimed restoring vibrancy to this long depressed region of Sri Lanka. Unlike in the past, the residents of the North have all their democratic rights and have equal and unrestricted access to the services offered by the state. While there are still a few pro-LTTE elements amongst the residents of the North as well as within certain ethnicity based political parties, and while they may still try to destabilise the peace if given the opportunity, the fact is that the people of the North no longer have any reason to feel isolated or disfavoured.

All of the issues that the Province and its residents suffered from have been resolved in a remarkably short period of time through the government's genuine efforts to expedite demining, reconstruction and new developments in the towns and villages, to resettle the IDPs, and rehabilitate the former LTTE cadres. Democracy has returned to the region, the civil administration is fully functional, and the people have unrestricted opportunities to make better futures for themselves. I have every confidence that they will make full use of these opportunities, and that it will not be long before the Northern Province is a flourishing and vibrant region of our nation. That is why I am certain that the path the government is presently on is the best way in which to ensure long-term peace, stability and national security.