Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said here on Friday, that by the end of this year, he would solve the problems of the Northern Tamils, which, he said, were created by the LTTE’s terrorism and separatism.
“It is our intention to make the people in the North be the most pleased by this victory over terrorism,” the President said in his address to the nation on Victory Day, the first anniversary of the victory over the LTTE.
“Many who went to the North are satisfied with the work done by the government towards the welfare of the displaced people. We have already appointed an Independent Commission to inquire into the causes that led to terrorism, the lessons we can learn from this, and reconciliation,” he told a vast gathering of civilians and troops at Galle Face.
Referring to the three-year military action against the LTTE, which ended in May 2009, Rajapaksa said that the “great humanitarian operation” was only meant to eliminate terrorism and not to hurt the common Tamil man.
“We left no room for even one bullet to be fired against ordinary citizens. Therefore, we consider day as one which unites all our people,” he said.
WARNS OTHER NATIONS
Warning countries which still supported the LTTE because they were themselves not threatened by it, Rajapaksa said that countries that showed sympathy towards terrorism and separatism would themselves be the victims of terrorism one day.
“This is the lesson of history,” he emphasised.
Assuring Sri Lankans that terrorism and separatism would not be allowed to raise their heads again in the island nation, Rajapaksa said: “ The people should have complete faith and confidence that the land that was liberated from terrorism through great sacrifice of life will not be handed over to the forces of separatism again.”
SWIPE AT FONSEKA
Taking a swipe at former Army Commander, Gen.Sarath Fonseka, but without mentioning his name, Rajapaksa said that the latter’s charge about the killing of surrendering LTTE leaders was a “betrayal of the armed forces” and was meant to bring them into “disrepute.”
The President went on to say that the Sri Lankan forces had gone into battle “ carrying a gun in one hand, and the Declaration of Human Rights on the other.”
They had taken food to the liberated Tamils of the North “full of human kindness in their hearts,” he said.
“It is only those who have hatred towards the country and nation can betray such heroes. The beneficiaries of such a great betrayal will only be the separatists,” Rajapaksa said.
NO TO AID WITH STRINGS
The President said that the problems of the Tamils and other minorities had to be solved by Sri Lankan themselves and not outsiders. External aid was welcome but not those with stringers attached.
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