Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, March 25 (Daily Mirror) – In the wake of recent sanctions imposed by the UK government on four individuals, including Shavendra Silva and Wasantha Karannagoda, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa questioned whether the new government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, will defend the former military commanders when foreign powers target them.

Yesterday, the UK government imposed sanctions on four individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations during the Sri Lankan civil war, including extrajudicial killings, torture and/or the perpetration of sexual violence. The individuals sanctioned by the UK include former senior Sri Lankan military commanders and a former LTTE military commander who later led the paramilitary Karuna Group, which operated on behalf of the Sri Lankan military against the LTTE.

Posting on X, MP Namal Rajapaksa stated: “We will always protect our war veterans—now and forever. Their sacrifices secured our peace, and we will never allow anyone to undermine their legacy.”

The statement as follows:

Sri Lanka was the first nation to fully defeat terrorism, yet the West continues to selectively target our war veterans while ignoring those who funded and justified LTTE brutality. The latest UK sanctions aren’t about human rights—they’re the result of relentless LTTE-backed lobbying, manipulating foreign governments to act against those who brought lasting peace.

This is not justice; some Western politicians are enjoying the perks of lobbying money, putting our nation’s reconciliation at risk. People from both the North and South must understand that the freedom we enjoy today comes from tough decisions. These sanctions will lower the morale of our forces, and if another crisis arises, they may lack the courage to fight if we don’t support them now.

Those behind these sanctions don’t care about the safety of the Tamil community—they are only creating more problems and further jeopardizing reconciliation. Their real goal is to disrupt the progress made, especially as Tamil communities in the North and East now have a clear path to vote for national parties. We will never allow anyone to hamper reconciliation between communities.

I want to reiterate once again—the war was against terrorism, not against any ethnic group. I urge the Tamil community not to fall for the agenda of certain Tamil politicians who receive perks to fuel divisions between communities through certain INGOs.

@anuradisanayake @HMVijithaHerath

 —Your government came to power with support from those who have always undermined our military’s sacrifices. Will you defend them now when foreign powers attack those who secured peace for Sri Lanka, or will you stay silent?

We will always protect our war veterans—now and forever. Their sacrifices secured our peace, and we will never allow anyone to undermine their legacy.