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Hinting that Sri Lanka will re-examine its war with the Tamil Tigers, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has said his country “will certainly engage with and account for the events of the past, [but] our focus must be on the future”.
Launching the report “Humanitarian Operation — Factual Analysis”, compiled by the Ministry of Defence as an answer to a series of reports, books, and documentaries that have been released since the conclusion of the war in May 2009, he said the allegations made in a section of the international press were “quite absurd”.
He denied the allegation that LTTE soldiers or civilians were tortured. “Take for instance the allegation that the security forces killed or gravely mistreated those who surrendered or were detained. This has been repeated loudly and repeated often, but it is not an accusation that stands up to scrutiny. By the end of the humanitarian operation more than 11,000 LTTE cadres surrendered to security forces. Despite the various acts of terrorism and mass murder they had committed, these cadres were not mistreated in any way. The 595 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. Most of the remaining cadres are undergoing further rehabilitation programmes and will be reintegrated to society when they are ready. Those culpable for atrocities at a higher level will be prosecuted through legal channels,” he said.
Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former Colonel with the Sri Lankan Army who ran the war for his brother and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, told an audience comprising members of the diplomatic corps and international NGOs stationed in Colombo that Sri Lanka had taken utmost care to look after not only those citizens who were oppressed by LTTE terrorism in the North and East but also those who were directly connected with the LTTE.
Challenging the number of civilian casualties — some international reports had said up to 40,000 were dead — he claimed this was “a vague accusation, based on even vaguer arithmetic, which keeps getting repeated without any sort of critical analysis by people who should know better”.
His reasoning: According to the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, the number of civilians in the North was between 75,000 and 1.5 lakh. According to the U.N. Resident Coordinator, the number was between 1.2 lakh and 1.8 lakh. According to the World Food Programme, the number was 2.1 lakh. According to the Government Agent in Mullaitivu, the number was 3.05 lakh — the highest estimate. The registered number of IDPs at the end of the war was 2.94 lakh.
He also released a video, Lies Agreed Upon, which sought to contradict the basic premises of the British Channel 4 documentary Sri Lanka's Killing Fields.
Keywords: Sri Lankan Tamils, Eelam war, LTTE, civilian death, human rights violation, ethnic clashes, Gotabaya Rajapaksa
I am a Tamil and had relatives inside the war zone till the very end. From what I hear from these relatives, the SL army took extreme care in safeguarding the civilians, the army helped the elderly, carrying the disabled on their shoulders, physically helped children and women, at several instances risking their own lives. Nobody, including our tamil politicians- is talking about these gestures the armed forces did to the desperate Tamil civilians, but about some terrorist leaders getting killed. LTTE sent suicide bomber, mingling with the fleeing civilians, and this girl exploded in the middle of a refugee camp trying to kill an army officer. This cowardly act put all civilians in danger. The entire blame of civilians getting killed is on LTTE . Now, that this is over, let us unite and focus on re-building the country. My request to my fellow Tamil brothers back home,- dont get fooled by the diaspora Tamils who have no interest on you.
Contrary to often repeated chorus that says there were no international media, there was Al Jazeera that even broadcast footage taken from there and there were Indian journalists all along. For some people only the 'white master's journalists' constitute international media, just as the for them US, Uk, France are the 'international community' when there are hundreds of other countries in the world. Lies may be quick off the mark and run, but the Truth catches up and overtake to debunk the lies.
India should feel guilty of letting down the people of its own origin, they are helpless people. india being super power of the region has the Moral responsibity to look after the helpless people in the region
Where is the HR abuses committed by US and British troops when it invaded Iraq? Where are the true numbers? Poor Iraqies are still suffering from that war which was initiated to get even with Sadaam. This war was conducted after 30years of suffering from the carnage which LTTE imposed upon every innocent citizen of SL. When LTTE slaughtered 500 odd surrendered policemen did we hold Tamil Diaspora accounted for that war crime? They financed this war and held entire SL hostage for long 30 years. SL military couldn't fight this war without zero civilan casualities when the enemy was hiding behind civilians and they knew they did not have anywahere to run. Just because they hold white flags means we should let them live? Why did US killed unarmed Bin Ladin? Isnt it a HR abuse? Channel 4 is after SL Govt simply because they were kicked out when they were tried to sneak into the warzone to report pro LTTE news. Visit SL today and see how freely Tamils are moving around anywhere in Sri Lanka.
By the same argument, India should also account for the killing going on in India as a result of many told and untold wars within India. According to Indian citizens even Indian citizens could not visit many areas where the troubles are, leaving aside the international press!
Thanks to Hindu for publishing this news. According to Gotabaya Rajapakse around 10,000 people did not register as IDPs soon after the war. As most of these figures were recorded before the final stage of the war it is quite possible that most people who had relatives and friends elsewhere in the country fled to their places. There were others who took a boatride to India too. Now, let the critics challenge him with their evidence. The UN should explain how it arrived at a 40,000 figure.
The Rajapakse regime has not allowed International media, journalists, Human Rights groups, diplomats and NGOs to Tamils areas during and after the war.War Crimes accountability is under the International Law and R2P. India should stay away from this process and recent comments of Ms.Nirupama Rao in Colombo were not in line with the international Laws and norms.
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