Sri Lanka’s conflict was no civil or ethnic conflict. The State must address this and make necessary corrections. Sri Lanka’s conflict was terrorist and that is why Sri Lanka’s conflict is termed a Non-International Armed Conflict. The non-state actors were defined as terrorists engaged in acts of terror against the state of Sri Lanka. LTTE killed not only the Sri Lankan military but unarmed civilians that included Sinhalese, Muslims & even Tamils, politicians, Buddhist monks, children, villagers, public servants – in short anyone going against LTTE was killed.

LTTE threw the first stone in 1983 with the killing of 13 Sri Lankan soldiers. Prior to that LTTE initially named Tamil New Tigers in May 1972 killed the Tamil Mayor of Jaffna in July 1975 and a year later in May 1976 TNT became LTTE immediately after the TULF Vaddukoddai Resolution calling for a separate Tamil state and asking youth to take up arms. Separatism camouflaged itself in various pseudonyms was led on two fronts – politically by Tamil separatist leaders and via the gun by Tamil militants. LTTE emerged one of the many Tamil militant groups that had been initially trained in India with the knowledge of the Indian Government and tacit support of the then Tamil Nadu government.

By July 2006 the LTTE maintained approximately 25,000 cadres including regular combatants and auxiliary forces. By early 2008, LTTE increased its recruitment to 30,000 combatants. This would have increased with forced recruitment till LTTE’s eventual defeat.

No terrorist group has been as organized as LTTE

1. Auxiliary force for offensive/defensive operations – Eelapadai on payroll
2. Auxiliary force for logistics – Gramapadai
3. Land fighting force (special reconnaissance group, snipers, mine laying teams, tank/anti-tank regiment) – bulk of LTTE combatants
4. Sea Tiger wing established in 1980s. Sea Tigers even developed mini submarines. 52 Sri Lanka Naval Officers and 348 Sri Lankan Sailors were killed during these sea battles.
5. Air Tiger Wing – trained in private schools in Europe and South East Asia. LTTE shot down 52 airplanes and helicopters including civilian aircraft using Surface to Air Missiles
6. Black Tigers – LTTE Suicide teams – 274 male suicide bombers and 104 female suicide bombers (Total 378) died in action between July 5, 1987 and November 20, 2008 (21 years)
7. Intelligence Wing – used for reconnaissance, handling suicide missions, used to charm security forces/police, politicians and others to get information using devious tactics
8. Supply Network – LTTE fronts operated logistics, shipping fleet, warehouses/storage for arms, fundraising, illegal & legal income sources
9. International support/propaganda mechanism – LTTE fronts, legal, procurement, shipping, Church, media/propaganda (tv channels/radio/websites etc) all this taking place under the noses of the countries that have banned them.
10. International criminal network – illegal drug smuggling, arms smuggling, human smuggling, money laundering, credit card scams, extortions, taxes,

LTTE had its international headquarters in London since 1984. The office was opened by Bishop Rayyappu Joseph. UK banned LTTE in 2001 but LTTE operates quite openly through its fronts and shows money can even influence foreign MPs. LTTE has front organizations operating in some 50 countries and inspite of Sri Lankan Government banning 16 of these fronts in April 2014 not a single country investigated the names listed under UNSC Resolution 1373. So much for wanting to clamp down on international networks. These fronts were not only involved in legal activities as a cover but engaged in many illegal activities that included money laundering, human smuggling, narcotic and arms smuggling, credit card scams and a host of other acts. Is it a surprise that foreign MPs regularly attend events of LTTE fronts in all of the countries where the same MPs are demanding the Sri Lankan Government for war crimes against Sri Lanka’s Army?

LTTE kitty must be far more than the $300m annual profit in 2004 given that it saves on arms ammunition and maintenance of combatants since 2009. Which means every demand made by these LTTE fronts operating from the very countries that they are banned in is echoed by the foreign MPs, HR groups, paid media and others obviously on their payroll. When any party demands what LTTE fronts are demanding there is definitely something fishy about it.

LTTE has itself to blame for the debacle that befell them. Swarnam is the tiger who sealed the ultimate fate of the LTTE by deciding to close the Mavil Aru sluice gates in July 2006. Exactly a year prior in 2005 LTTE assassinated Sri Lanka’s much loved Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar in his own residence flouting the ceasefire agreement signed by then PM Ranil and Prabakaran in February 2002. Months before the closure of the Mavil Aru sluice gates LTTE attempted to assassinate then Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka. Everyone has forgotten LTTE committed over 5000 violations of the CFA – how many did LTTE have to commit for action to be taken by the international community?

LTTE refused to open the sluice gates that denied water to 17,000 farmers in the East of Sri Lanka. Denying water is regarded a war crime. Under much pressure the GOSL ordered its troops to force open the gates. LTTE response was to attack several towns simultaneously in the East forcing the Sri Lankan Army to retaliate.

After just 1 attack the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 which had nothing to do with 9/11 and continues to occupy it. However, Sri Lanka’s military offensive against LTTE came after suffering 30 years of terror, failures in chit chats with LTTE, 5 peace talks, negotiations and ceasefires and even the failure of foreign mediation. Therefore, Sri Lanka was within its sovereign rights to look at the welfare of 20m people as against a movement that was threat to all citizens. Obviously the parties wanting to provide oxygen to the LTTE were indirect beneficiaries of the LTTE though none would not wish to openly admit so. However, it is timely that an inquiry is held to link every local and international individual/group that benefitted from LTTE kitty while holding a public/international portfolio and using their position and office to save the LTTE for these are all accomplice to LTTE war crimes and murders.

LTTE cowards did not meet its enemy head on as they should and instead these cowards decided to herd civilians to keep as hostages and human shields. This was why Sri Lanka had to engage in a military-cum-humanitarian rescue operation. It is poignant to note that the LTTE had its own trained & armed civilian force (engaged in combat in civilian clothing) as well as LTTE combatants who fought in uniform.

So now those legal luminaries, human rights activists sitting in Geneva and New York please tell us how a soldier can in the heat of a battle determine according to the Geneva Convention books who is a civilian (not engaged in combat) and who is a LTTE combatant who is fighting in civilian clothing BEFORE HE IS SHOT DEAD BY THEM? Or according to these legal luminaries fighting text book battles by words, the soldier is supposed to browse the page for the action he should take and get shot dead doing so! All those in UN and others throwing the law books, let us remind you people a battlefield is far different to you people quoting clauses sitting in some posh room in another country!

The reports by the 6 legal international terrorism experts clearly exonerates Sri Lankan Troops of any of the hyped war crimes charges coincidentally by factions that have some connection to the LTTE Diaspora. As such their reports should only end up in the dustbin.

LTTE refused to open Mavil Aru sluice gates in July 2006 and that led to its defeat in East Sri Lanka by 2008. Two more chances to surrender was given by the Sri Lankan President which was also rejected. LTTE declared it would fight to the end. So they got what they asked for. Let us remind all that LTTE were no angels. Tamils and soldiers captured and tortured by LTTE if alive would have told how they were treated by LTTE. The grueling stories by the child soldiers that were given a Presidential pardon after the conflict and returned to their families reveal much of the suffering and tortures they went through as children holding gun instead of books.

The defeat of the LTTE embarrassed many a human right & NGO too – they had stationed themselves virtually next door to the tigers in both North & East and had collected funds claiming to assist the people of the North but when the Army defeated LTTE and moved north none of the supposed development had taken place. Kind hearts that gave funds to various HR organizations/NGOs must demand an investigation as to what they did with the money sent. This was clearly revealed when a Canadian delegation came post 2009 and many others arrived http://www.sinhalanet.net/foreign-funded-derogatory-reports-cannot-match-what-world-leaders-saw-and-said-about-sri-lanka

When it began to look obvious that the 40,000 lie was failing the strategy changed to genocide and even that is looking silly as the census statistics reveal no reduction in Tamil population – so where the hell is genocide? Where were those now lavishly using term ‘genocide’ when Sinhalese & Muslims were chased out of the North. Isn’t the claim that the North is ONLY occupied by Tamils a result of the ethnic cleansing by LTTE?

‘If there is any genocide – it is by the LTTE’  

Lord Naseby is the Chairman of the All Party British Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group

The LTTE diaspora together with the retainer local/international NGOs, rights activists even politicians are grabbing any straw they can to create an argument. The beauty of a lie is that you have to ice it with another lie and then too many lies lead you nowhere. This is the embarrassment that came to those who tried to plug a supposed mass grave found in Mannar with claims of genocide by Sri Lankan army to discover the killings were committed during colonial rule!

To accuse Sri Lanka’s military of war crimes there has to be the dead. No dead bodies, no skeletons and not even names of the supposed dead. But they can find foreign forensic experts living in UK who can take a photo and point to a gunshot wound and say it was done by the Sri Lankan Army – wow, so impressive! The British can also find star witnesses who claim she mixed blood with water and gave innocent Tamil victims…. Doctor’s not the freak ones please explain what happens when blood and water are mixed!

So 10 years on we are still battling the fake news. Soldiers saved close to 300,000 Tamils of which many were full time LTTE combatants, part time LTTE combatants, LTTE family members but they were all taken to the refugee camps, fed three meals a day and numerous programs initiated for them. No foreign delegate landing can expect these programs to be 5star hotel treatment while completely ignoring that their troops are firing drones and killing innocent people while invading countries and plundering their resources for no valid reason.

The LTTE continues to remain banned with India recently extending the ban on LTTE by another 5 years because LTTE international still poses a risk though the ground force has been neutralized. Many LTTE combatants thanks to their friends in the NGO/diplomatic & UN circles fled overseas and are now operating from the very countries that banned them. The big talk about ‘war on terrorism’ is worth tuppence if the countries waging the war on terror do not in the least investigate the allegations most of which affect the citizens of their nations.

East Sri Lanka was liberated of LTTE on 10 July 2008 exactly 2 years after battle commenced.

North Sri Lanka liberation campaign was launched on 5 March 2007 and ended on 19 May 2009 with the complete defeat of LTTE ground force including its entire leadership.

19,282 Security Forces personnel were killed and 82,104 were maimed or wounded in battles against the LTTE (before 2006) 6261 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and 29,551 were wounded after 2006.

Sri Lankan forces killed 25543 and wounded 111,655 with 5000 soldiers missing.

These heroes sacrificed their lives and limbs not for some corrupt politicos to be bartering the country and compromising the lives of all citizens for their luxury living.

The country has suffered much because of politicians and they should not be allowed to legislatively do what terrorists tried to do with the gun which the Armed Forces had to lay down their lives to stop.

At the 10^th anniversary the traitors and weasels who were too chicken to call LTTE as terrorists and who now sit in governance denied Victory Day celebrations but no sooner there is a change of Government we want Victory Day to be celebrated.

The irony of it all is that following the EasterSunday jihadi attack, even the TNA now wants armed forces beefed up in the North …. and these were the people who went to Geneva demanding removal of the military from the North. What damn hypocrites they are.

We want everyone & any organization linked to LTTE to be investigated & criminally charged

We want the remaining LTTE combatants to be served legal notices for the victims of LTTE terror

We want proper legislation to deny anyone separating or attempting to divide the country under any name

We want the education authorities to ensure proper history of the country is incorporated into the syllabus and every school – public, private, international etc must follow only one history syllabus that written by a patriotic academic panel

We want all school texts revised and the role of the Armed Forces & Sangha to be properly included with our national heroes to be given special place not the colonial pop stars.

Shenali D Waduge

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