It has now been over ten years since the conflict in the North and the East ended through a decisive military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), described by the FBI as being the most ruthless terrorist group at that time. But it was not just a military operation to reclaim territory – it had the much higher purpose of liberating thousands of civilians held hostage by the LTTE in the No Fire Zones.
This objective was achieved by the Armed Forces in a spectacular fashion, braving the bullets of the last remaining cadres of the LTTE. Sadly, much of the world did not recognize this immense feat. Instead, many believed the Tamil Diaspora’s version that around 40,000 civilians perished at the hands of the Security Forces – a charge that would later find its way to reports commissioned by the United Nations.
Three architects of that victory over terrorism are now at the helm of the Sri Lankan State – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who as the Defence Secretary coordinated the military effort in close consultation with his brother and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who gave political leadership to the campaign and the present Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (retd) Kamal Gunaratne, who was one of the most active battlefield commanders.
The deliberate killing of civilians was never on the agenda of the Sri Lankan Governments or the military at any time during the 30-year-conflict period. On the other hand, it was the LTTE that engaged in this brutal practice, judging by its track record of bombings and assassinations. However, civilian casualties are inevitable in any conflict – thousands have already died in current conflicts and terrorist incidents in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Pakistan. After a careful scrutiny of the available evidence, it was found that some civilians in the North and East have either disappeared or died in the conflict period, a far cry from the often-touted figure of 40,000 which has no basis in fact. Moreover, successive Sri Lankan Governments had not hesitated to take legal action against any soldiers who had engaged in violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). An Office on Missing Persons was also established to inquire into any instances of disappearances.
However, reality has not been able to surpass the myth that Sri Lankan Security Forces engaged in mass-scale extra-judicial killings of civilians. The very people who accuse Sri Lanka of engaging in such acts have failed to recognize that the Sri Lankan state rehabilitated nearly 12,000 hardcore members of the LTTE, who have now become useful citizens. If the Security Forces indeed killed that many civilians, it would have been a no-brainer for them to kill the known LTTE cadres. Instead, the State gave them another chance at life. In fact, when one of the senior military officers responsible for the rehabilitation program got a service transfer, all former Tiger cadres, their parents and villagers worshipped him and cried for hours.
It is against such a State and an Army that the international community has framed the charge of IHL and civilian killings. Several UN resolutions were passed against Sri Lanka as a result of powerful Western nations bringing this matter up at the UN Human Rights Council. However, our diplomats were able to gain victory in a resolution adopted immediately after the war, where many Third World countries sided with Sri Lanka. Over the next several years, Sri Lanka defended its Security Forces against charges brought against them, while promising an internal accountability mechanism that would solely be domestic in nature without any foreign interference. However, the previous UNF administration capitulated and co-sponsored a resolution that brought great harm to the country and the Security Forces.
With the next sessions of the UNHRC in Geneva just months away, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has boldly come forward to put things right. He has told a recent meeting with foreign correspondents that the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council pertaining to Sri Lanka would “not be entertained in its current standing”.
“The Geneva Resolution cannot be entertained in its current standing. It is not possible for the Government to act against its own country.” After serving as Defence Secretary during the last defining years of the conflict, he has stressed that is not possible to allow any harm to the soldiers or the independence of the country.
This is indeed a breath of fresh air coming after the previous Government’s anti-Security Forces agenda, where it hounded members of the Intelligence community and the Security Forces and even jailed some of them. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pledged to do justice on their behalf, though the legal process may take some time. These are war heroes who had given up their normal lives for the defence of the motherland and they do not deserve this fate.
We now have a firm assurance from the President that no action inimical to the interests of the Security Forces would be allowed to run its course. The onus is now on our diplomatic community to show the world the true ground reality in Sri Lanka and the Government’s efforts to address the grievances of the minority communities.
The post-presidential election result map showed a country deeply divided over ethnic lines. This is not a healthy trend. We now face the onerous task of bringing all the communities together for the common cause of developing this resplendent isle. A true Sri Lankan identity will go a long way towards achieving this lofty goal.