Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris contributing to the Session One on ‘Challenges and Prospects of Counter Terrorism’ in the ongoing ‘Defeating Terrorism - The Sri Lankan Experience’ international seminar at Colombo Galadari Hotel said on Tuesday (31) that the Sri Lanka Army, not only defeated LTTE terrorism, but also enabled Tamil civilians en masse to get access to livelihood.
The victory against the LTTE was not a conventional war and it was different from an orthodox military approach. Sri Lanka had to fight for a different cause to save lives of thousands of besieged Tamil civilians, for whom the LTTE claimed that it was fighting for, Prof. Peiris added.
It was a war of strategy, perceptions, humanitarian concerns, survival and psychological orientations. The extent of psychological penetration into civilians by LTTE for years as well as the fear-psychosis that gripped the northern society was evident in all sectors, including little children in the area, he said.
No space was left by the LTTE for articulation of any dissenting voice as in the case of the brutal murder of my good friend and Tamil intellectual, Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam who was brutally gunned down by the LTTE. In the same way, the LTTE did not allow anyone to surrender to the international organizations giving up violence. ‘The Army had multiple roles to play; protecting Tamil civilians, own troops and arsenal on one hand and feeding thousands fleeing away from LTTE atrocities on the other. In a way, it was playing a fatherly role while treating the sick too alike at the same time,’ Prof. Peiris said.
It’s a matter of sadness that the Darusman Report did not make any mention of this fear-psychosis created by LTTE among civilians in their findings. Nor have they recognized the Army’s efforts in rescuing so many lives of civilians who were fleeing from LTTE clutches for safety. The quintessential of the whole humanitarian operations, as pointed out by Secretary Defence, has not addressed the socio-cultural dimensions that exist among ethnic groups in this part of the Asian society either, he noted.
In the post-conflict scenario, counter terrorism measures have been vigorously launched and Army’s contribution is in full swing in relation to infrastructure building, road-making, resettlement, rehabilitation, reconciliation, etc since it is the sound economy that remains inextricably connected to the lives as the final outcome. As at present, private sector contribution in the north has rekindled hopes of the bread winners in those areas as more and more investments are flowing. It was a war fought without a parallel and its success story pursued with the support of Navy and Air Force ensured the safety of our sea passages in the continent, the Minister, Peiris concluded.
