Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lt. General Daya Rathnayake in an interview with the Dailymirror shared his views on the recent violence in the South-western region of the country and asserted that the Sri Lanka Army is a reflection of the vibrant cultures that exist in Sri Lanka and is not confined to a race or religion. He asserted that the intelligence network in this country was strong and there would be no room for a revamp of any armed extremist element within the country.
You have been at the helm of the war and have seen what this country went through over the last thirty years, do you fear that this country would go back to it, due to extremist elements?
No. It will never happen. It will be nipped in the bud. These issues are minor issues that are usual in a post conflict scenario. The people responsible, the religious leaders, political leaders and social and community leaders and all officials must understand and work towards nipping this issue in the bud.
I have seen many community leaders and religious leaders working with emotion and their decision making is dominated by emotion and not reason. This happens when you let emotion control you.
However, responsible people, the media and every others in society must get together to create dialogue, converse and ensure that these things do not spread out. We have lived through and we possess enough experience from the past and have seen the results of working with emotion.
As a military establishment we would not let these things go any further. We urge and are calling on everyone in our endeavour to ensure a peaceful State, rich with its co-existence. There are people who are instigating violence. There are international elements who want to see this country suffer and are exploiting some of us, but we should be wary of them and ensure that we live as one country in harmony with each other.
Some quarters have drawn comparison with the recent incidents in Aluthgama and July 1983. What is your view of this comparison?
These are issues which arise in a post conflict era and we must not be quick to step in to make comparisons with July 1983 and begin to research or explore it on an angle based therein.
If this kind of issue is permitted to escalate then of course it can go either way. July 1983 was a very unfortunate incident and we have experienced the results of it throughout the past three decades. We must never let that happen again.
"The people of this country have lived in harmony and mutual coexistence for centuries if not millennia. This country is the shining example of coexistence to the rest of the world"
That is our identity as Sri Lankans. This is the identity we must protect and espouse. There are interested parties who are attempting to tarnish this image but the majority of the country is peace loving, humble human beings who are proud of this culture of rich co-existence which adds so much value to us as a proud nation.
Even this issue, all right thinking people must come together and stop it now. We won’t let anybody exploit this country and let any party take advantage of the peace and stability that this country has enjoyed after so much suffering. Our sole effort should be to prevent the escalation of violence and further consolidate religious and cultural harmony which is an integral part of the Sri Lankan heritage and culture.
There was also an assertion made at a recent rally which led to the violence in Aluthgama to the effect that the Sri Lanka Army was a Sinhalese Army and that the Police was a Sinhalese Police. As the Commander of the Army your comments on this?
Just because a narrow minded person makes such a comment, I didnt event expect a responsible paper like you to ask that question from the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army based on that comment.
The way that we have demonstrated ourselves and our discipline over the last 65 years clearly shows that we have never during a single moment been biased towards any religion, race or political party.
We have never taken a side or sided with any group against the interest of the Sri Lankan people as a whole. During the 65 years of our history we have witnessed enough and more challenges which of course included communal and other disputes. Even during the thirty years of conflict that we faced as a country, the Sri Lanka Army has never let an instance during which we have not demonstrated that we are the Army of the Sri Lankan people.
No right thinking person should have an iota of misunderstanding about this. We have never been biased towards a racial or religious group.
The Sri Lanka Army is the reflection of the vibrant multi cultural Sri Lankan society it is a reflection of its culture and it is a reflection of the good practices and traditions of the rich heritage of this country.
The Army comprises very cultured human beings from all cultures who take pride in their professionalism and patriotism.
In the past the Army has gone out of its way to make sure that no body is harassed and there should not be an iota of doubt that we will protect all communities living together in this country at all times.
How strong is the intelligence network in the country? Is there a chance of a revival of the LTTE or any other armed outfit?
No. There is no chance of a revival of any sort of extremist, armed element in this country. We have a very strong intelligence network and therefore nothing will go beyond levels that we cannot control. The Army however cannot do this alone and all responsible people from all organizations should get involved and ensure that there would be no situation which escalates further than it has.
There is a sense of fear among some communities and a sense of mistrust has arisen as a result of the recent incidents. As the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army what have you to say to these people?
What happened was a very unfortunate incident and it is time to sit back and think, to reflect and ensure that nothing of this sort occurs in the future.
The people of this country have lived in harmony and mutual coexistence for centuries if not millennia. This country is the shining example of coexistence to the rest of the world. That is the proud heritage that this country possesses. If you look at the Dalada Maligawa, there is a Church and a mosque within sight and this is the most revered Buddhist sight of worship. That’s the beauty and richness of the Sri Lankan culture and its heritage.
We are the only country that you would see a Buddhist temple, a Kovil, a Church and a Mosque all within the same locality.
Such co-existence is not evident in any part of the world and that is why I say that we have been the shining example to the rest of the world.
That is our identity as Sri Lankans.
This is the identity we must protect and espouse. There are interested parties who are attempting to tarnish this image but the majority of the country is peace loving, humble human beings who are proud of this culture of rich co-existence which adds so much value to us as a proud nation.
If this kind of issue is permitted to escalate then of course it can go either way. July 1983 was a very unfortunate incident and we have experienced the results of it throughout the past three decades. We must never let that happen again.
We must ensure that this happens and continues to happen and all right thinking people must get together and work towards building upon that rich culture. (Courtesy: Daily Mirror)
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