CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

“The President should not be saluted for the liberation of the East by the Armed Forces-opinion -Is it really so?

Sisira Pereira Panadura

The gallant soldiers of Sri Lankan Tri-Forces and the STF have now ridden the East off its LTTE clutches marking a historic chapter in the almost three decade old “terror” campaign of the fascist LTTE. Many a soldier over these 3 decades have sacrificed their precious lives and limbs in selfless determination to crush terrorism and salvage Mother Lanka from the grip of a blood-thirsty individual, hiding in the jungles of Wanni, dreaming of creating a dream homeland with its crown on his head at the expense of millions of lives of the innocent. The liberation of the East had become ever more significant lately, even more necessary than ever before, as the terrorist LTTE’s bogus self-determination campaign was given a flying boost by the traitorous Ranil W. administration on a silver plate in the guise of a CFA, earlier to which the LTTE was unable to “proclaim” territory, as against “demarcated territory” they could boast of after the CFA.

However, the LTTE has now changed stance and claims that they always operated in guerilla mode in the East and never held territory there. And they announce (with sarcasm) territory is not important. So say some nut politicos of the opposition too.

Even though this statement of the LTTE is out of sheer embarrassment at the swash buckling defeat they suffered militarily and psychologically (and the opposition’s henchman’s statement is due to sheer jealousy), the statement, in fact, is very noteworthy. The LTTE should actually hold territory in the East and establish its own administration machinery there in order to claim and fulfill one of the four criteria towards convincing the rest of the world that they really do have control of a piece of land, where they could self-govern. Their “guerilla mode” assertion, no matter how badly they need to save face, would do them no good in the long run, judging by the many years of mimicked “self-rule” in the East with all bogus LTTE military control of the land that they wanted to show to the wide world. And they were thriving on the CFA offered to them by the Ranil W. administration to strengthen and elongate their terror clutch within and beyond the so-called CFA borders. The separatist forces aligned to support and uphold the murderous terrorist outfit, were jubilant then that their decade long cessation campaign got yet another step-closer towards the building of the dreamland.

When the LTTE freely committed atrocities against the SL armed forces, police and the intelligence personnel, the forces were not allowed to plan anything military or to act in a way that the LTTE would be “offended”. The LTTE was breaching the CFA many times over and our tri-forces and the police were kept on hold, confined to barracks.

By whom?

The orders from the then administration to the military chiefs were clear. Even if you are attacked, don’t counter attack. Even if the terrorists built bunkers within and beyond the so-called boundaries expanding territory, mind your own business. Never fire a bullet. If the terrorists infiltrated Colombo and other strategic installation and hunted down political rivals and military intelligence leaders and operatives, stay cool. If the intelligence sources informed of any sinister campaigns by the LTTE that would threaten national security, breaching the CFA, stay deaf. If the LTTE breached the CFA, just report it to the SLMM and burry the dead and keep silent (and the SLMM had a gala time crediting everything into a “third party” account). Utter nothing in so much as a disgruntled whisper that would “harm” the “good relation” the Ranil W. government had with the murderous LTTE.

And, thus, with all these traitorous betrayals, the nation’s military pride was pulled down to hit the rock bottom. The bogus NGO campaigners and LTTE Diaspora and sympathizers around the world had a gala time painting a larger-than-life picture of the “terrorist LTTE military might” that was ballooned up to be seen as far more superior power than the Sri Lankan state’s military might. A power, they claimed, that the Sri Lanka should bow down to or else risk total annihilation.

When all these terror dancing was being done, the LTTE neither said that the East was not significant to their campaign nor that they only operated in guerilla mode there back then. On the contrary, they were gradually and systematically building up on their gains amply supported by an invertebrate government that had a Prime Minister who even went the distance to suggest and formulate plans to thin out the strength of the armed forces, if he were to become the President, in his election manifesto at the last Presidential elections!! That is the leadership and the degree of dignity that the present opposition leader’s then government was planning to bestow upon the Armed forces of Sri Lanka, the guardian angels of the Nation.

There can not be any military success against a ruthless terrorist outfit (now being capped as the second most brutal terrorist organization in the world) without proper political vision towards destroying the terrorists and their henchmen and their amalgamated terrorist campaigns. There can not be any successful military campaign against the LTTE without the command of a solid commander-in chief at the political helm who would not bow down to terrorism and kowtow to sinister international forces that try to manipulate Sri Lanka to achieve their own interests. All Sri Lankans who have lived through these three decades of LTTE terrorism and genocide know that. During those few years when the pride of a nation was being hit for a six by the unpatriotic forces and the glee-eyed LTTE supporters from around he world, the traitorous regime in power was overthrown (and the very single hand that was responsible for the overthrowing also lost its own greedy campaign to elongate its power tenure thanks to a timely and historical ruling by the Supreme Court). A new commander-in-chief to command its forces was elected by the masses, much to the relief of a long-battered and ill-treated nation.

Governments do change but the LTTE doesn’t. It is focused and organized to bring doom to the entire country, if they are not allowed their way. It has always being committed to its goal of spreading a terror campaign and its Poitical, Military, Financial, judicial (you name it) actions are all decided by one blood-thirsty leader who will take “no” for an answer from anybody against his own wishes, whims and fancies. And the LTTE sympathizers all over the world, factions with ulterior campaigns against Sri Lanka, unpatriotic forces, power hungry politicians, all got together and started attacking the Sri Lankan regime into giving in to the internationally backed pressure to carve a separate homeland to the terrorists. They said there is ample evidence that the LTTE is invincible and the Sri Lankan state is a week minor against the might LTTE. They said the LTTE military machine was far stronger than that of the state and if a war was to break out, the SL armed forces would be doomed and the State would run the risk of losing its remaining territory too. The many elaborated news articles, features and reports in pro LTTE media (including BBC and the like) often highlighted how the LTTE was running a de-facto state in the East establishing police posts, judiciary and even banks. All the LTTE sympathizers hoorayed in glee. No mentioning about “guerilla mode” there.

Enter Mavil aru.

The LTTE hijacked Mavil aru threatening thousands with life. No antiwar factions, no Humanitarian champions, no NGO’s or INGO’s marched against that brutality. They were simply watching with fingers crossed until the LTTE marched forward and capture more territory. The government would not fight the LTTE, we have made sure that it wouldn’t. That was their notion. In fact, that was the notion of many that had seen dirty politics ruin everything in front of their own eyes time after time.

Then the tri-forces planned out the campaign to free people from the LTTE terror and the much-awaited (on the part of patriot Sri Lankans) and much hated (on the part of all LTTE supporters and unpatriotic forces) political nod came through, much to the disappointment of the pro-LTTE forces. Then they waited in anticipation until the LTTE routed the SL forces to say “we told you so”. When the first hints started emerging to the effect that the Sri Lanka’s highly professional tri-forces are really having the upper hand and the superiority to rout the LTTE with the success at Mavil aru, as against the lies of the LTTE’s out-of-proportion propaganda machinery, all unpatriotic forces and LTTE sympathizers all over the world were shaken badly from their comfortable postures with a sudden rush of adrenaline.

They may have suddenly stood up exclaiming wide-eyed..”What the…!!”…

And they couldn’t bring themselves to believe that the “military might of LTTE” picture that they have been so painstakingly painting since the LTTE killed its first victim, has suddenly begun to smudge and capsize. These malicious forces then sprung back to work night and day to bring pressure on the government to halt any further military operations against the LTTE, that would have ruined their coveted painting further more. Everyone of us must have witnessed how the NGO’s, INGO’s, Human rights groups anti-war activists, various media and opposing political elements within Sri Lanka and abroad came to the fore and started doing everything imaginable to deter the advance of the SL troupes in to “LTTE-held territory” in the East. Even the LTTE itself announced, “Enter Vakarei at your own peril”, in one of the reports on Tamilnet. When all this happened, these sinister clans hoped that by doing so, they will be able to stop the government, much like they did in the past, from giving the much needed “political go ahead” to execute the plans drawn by the Military experts to capture the terrorist-held land.

The pressure thus mounted on the government to hold its military campaign, was immense, may be the strongest ever in SL history, and had the government given in to it, the story would have been different by now. And all the subsequent successful military operations there onwards were planned and executed only because the Commander-in-chief heading the government that the masses had democratically elected, said “OK” with a resolve and a vision to ending the LTTE terror campaign and free the people from the LTTE clutches.

What was the result?

The LTTE lost heavily, militarily and psychologically and for the fist time in the history of the LTTE terror campaign in the country, the armed forces became triumphant in forcing the LTTE to abandon their coveted East and subsequently say that they no longer hold territory in the East but operate in Guerilla mode. The thousands of people who were living under fascist rule of the LTTE breathed a sigh of relief and chose to escape to liberated areas in search of freedom and better lives. The armed forces of Sri Lanka regained its lost moral and dignity that was sold so cheaply by ill-will politicos of traitorous governments and salvaged Mother Lanka its lost pride in the eyes of the international community.

Then the disillusioned LTTE Diaspora and the pro-LTTE forces tried their plan B, to belittle the achievement in the East by the tri-forces. LTTE said they are on Guerrilla mode there. Some said the captured areas are nothing but jungle and of no significance. Some said the LTTE tactically withdrew so that the forces marched in to empty land. Some said, okay, let’s see if the army can hold on to the territory. Some said, okay, where are the big guns that the LTTE had in the East? (a full multi barrel rocket launcher was unearthed a few days back by the forces). The pro LTTE media said aid would be not forthcoming to develop the East if the armed forces are to supervise the NGO’s activity in the liberated areas (they obviously want a free reign ‘cos they have hidden agendas). One party went to courts and filed a petition in courts challenging the HSZ concept in the East saying that the government is trying to rob peoples land (They conveniently forgot to say the same thing when the LTTE was occupying the people’s land and property to wage war against the state-anyway their case was thrown off by the courts with an ear load of admonishment from the Chief Justice-good show!). By all of these approaches they tried to prop up the falling picture of the LTTE they painted that has now horribly capsized and smudged.

Then when the government announced of a national commemoration to mark the victory in the East and to bestow gratitude and salute the valiant soldiers who fought for the sovereignty of the motherland, the same unpatriotic forces and the pro-LTTE factions got agitated. It was like rubbing pepper in their already sore-eyes. Even when the LTTE had been routed in the East, they didn’t want the government to give the victory a wide publicity because,

1. such an event would attract more international and national attention and would cause the LTTE immense embarrassment. All pro-LTTE media were concealing this huge victory so that the “poll ratings” for the LTTE would not nose dive among the Diaspora.

2. such an event would have the capacity to generate patriotism among the Sri Lankans to rally behind its forces and the government, realizing the need of the hour to defeat the LTTE and its terrorism

3. Such public commemoration would convince the Sri Lankans further how much unpatriotic and betraying the Ranil W. government (the dear darling of the pro-LTTE international and national forces) had been to the country and its armed forces during its tenure in power.

And the main opposition party of Sri Lanka goes on record saying that the President should not be saluted for the victories (do they accept that it is a victory after all?) the Tri Forces and the STF has achieved in the East. They say that the Forces are to be saluted instead.

What they forget here is that in saluting the President, we salute the Commander-in-chief of the armies of Sri Lanka. When the Commander-in-chief is saluted, the honour goes entirely to the gallant men and women of the Forces and the police he directed to achieving their planned goal.

In contrast, the Ranil W. government directed the SL forces to confinement, shame and betrayal. For that, it is fundamental that his government is not entitled to such an honour. Because his administration didn’t have any and in fact took away the honour of our armed forces and the nation.

If the people who accuses the President of receiving the tri-forces and police salutation, in marking the regaining of East, can not see this simple fact, what else can they be feeling other than the sheer green eyed monster?

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