Saturday, 13 December 2014 00:00
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“Sri Lanka today is a very different nation from what it was not so long ago… National security is essential for the survival of the State, and it is the foundation of peace, freedom and prosperity of any country,” said Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, delivering the keynote address at a gathering of professionals organised at the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) in Colombo 7 last week. Rajapaksa addressed the gathering of professionals on the theme ‘National Security in Sri Lanka’.The OPA was established in 1974, with several professional bodies mooting the idea of a joint professional body to cater to the country’s growing need of professional opinion. Over the years the OPA has grown into a powerful civil society body consisting of an impressive list of member associations, currently standing at 44, with a total membership of approximately 50,000 professionals in various fields, whose outreach could extensive in numbers. The OPA holds regular seminars and lectures for members and the public, creating awareness on good governance and for the development of the country.Recalling the ruthless acts of the LTTE during the past, he said that when President Rajapaksa was first elected to office in 2005, the country and its people had suffered from brutal terrorism of the LTTE for almost three decades. Moreover, a range of other issues stemming from the conflict also affected the country and halted its economic and socio-political progress, he said. He reiterated that the President inherited a legacy of such issues and threats of terrorism from the previous administrations. But, within a short period of time, lasting peace was brought as pledged, he added.Following is the full text of the speech:
It gives me great pleasure to speak to you this evening. At the outset, I take this opportunity to congratulate the new President and Committee of the Organisation of Professional Associations on their appointments, and wish them every success in guiding the future activities of this organisation for the betterment of the entire membership.
As Sri Lanka continues to build on the foundation of peace, stability and sound macroeconomic environment built over the last five years, our professionals have a great deal to contribute to its progress. The role of professional associations is also very important, and I am very happy to see that a lot of work is being done by them in this regard to foster greater proficiency and higher standards in all professions, which is essential for the long term development of our nation.
The subject of my talk today is ‘National Security in Sri Lanka’. As opinion leaders in our society, it is particularly important for professionals such as yourselves to remain aware about this critical issue. National security is essential for the survival of the state, and it is the foundation of peace, freedom and prosperity of any country. It is a complex concept that involves a broad range of issues including defence, economic security, foreign relations, and law and order. It is a vast subject that cannot be dealt with comprehensively in a short talk such as this. However, during the course of my talk this evening, I propose to share with you some thoughts on the most significant national security issues that Sri Lanka has faced, and to some extent continues to face to this day.
Sri Lanka in 2005
Sri Lanka today is very different nation from what it was not so long ago. When President Mahinda Rajapaksa was first elected to office in 2005, the country and its people had suffered from the brutal terrorism of the LTTE for almost three decades. Most of the landmass north of Vavuniya was controlled by the LTTE, and two-thirds of the east was under its dominance. Those in villages near LTTE-dominated areas lived in constant fear of their lives. People in the rest of the country never knew when a vehicle bomb, claymore mine or suicide bombing would claim their lives or take the lives of their loved ones. Political leaders, State officials and other public figures were assassinated ruthlessly. Vital economic institutions were constantly under threat, and several key targets including the Central Bank, airport and oil refinery suffered horrendous attacks. Even places of worship were not spared. The country was not free.
A range of other issues stemming from the conflict also affected the country and halted its economic and socio-political progress. Because of the uncertain situation throughout three decades, foreign and local investment remained at minimal level, causing a long-term suppression in our economic potential. With the increase in terrorist activity and the necessary armed response to it by the State, arms and ammunition became commonplace and started to flow to criminal elements, causing underworld activities to increase.
The priority of the Police and law enforcement agencies was to protect civilians from the dangers of terrorism, and as a result, routine law and order activities suffered. Our very democracy was threatened, with a large segment of the population living under a terrorist dictatorship, and the country overall was deprived of capable leaders through assassinations and other acts of terrorism. Emergency regulations were constantly in force, and individual rights and freedom had to be curtailed in favour of public security. The development of strong democratic institutions and the establishment of good governance were merely farfetched dreams. The ramifications of terrorism were deep and vast and affected every aspect of our lives.
Defeating the LTTE and its terrorism was therefore the most significant national security challenge Sri Lanka faced in the post-Independence era. From the 1980s, each successive President and Government, representing different political parties and philosophies, attempted to defeat or to contain the LTTE through various means. Peace talks, military campaigns and even foreign intervention were tried, but none of these measures resulted in a lasting solution to the conflict. It was in this environment that the President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to office nine years ago. Despite the failures of the past, however, the President had promised the people that he would defeat the LTTE and bring peace to Sri Lanka once and for all. Through the successful execution of the Humanitarian Operation over just two and a half years between August 2006 and May 2009, he ensured that Sri Lanka would finally be free from the LTTE’s brutal terrorism.
Sri Lanka in 2009
The defeat of the LTTE and the dawn of peace was a pivotal event in Sri Lanka’s history. But even though the country was finally able to look forward to a bright new future of peace and prosperity, a new set of challenges had to be swiftly dealt with to restore stability. Demining and resettling those displaced by the LTTE during the last stages of the conflict, rehabilitating LTTE cadres who had surrendered or been captured, and rebuilding areas that had stagnated under LTTE dominance for decades were the most immediate of these.
Disarming armed groups, repealing emergency regulations and restrictions on movement on land and sea, reviving democratic processes and re-establishing elections in the north and east were also critical. Normalcy had to be restored to the country at large. Steps also had to be taken to ensure national reconciliation and create a platform conducive for rapid economic growth.
As a result of the concerted efforts by the Government since 2009, each of these post conflict challenges has been overcome systematically. Sri Lanka today is one of the most peaceful and most stable countries in the world. In addition to solving the post-conflict problems, important national infrastructure including power generation, roads, railways, ports and airports has been invested in. Urban development has been rapidly accelerated.
A sound macroeconomic environment has been created to spur investment and ensure rapid, yet sustained, economic growth. Because of all of this, Sri Lankans today enjoy the full benefits of peace and have complete freedom and countless opportunities to build better futures for themselves. However, despite all of these positive accomplishments, the nation still faces potential threats to its security. Guarding against these threats remains the most important duty of the Government.
Possible re-emergence of terrorism
Despite the end of the war five years ago, the foremost threat to Sri Lanka’s national security remains the possible re-emergence of terrorism. From the 1980s onwards, a lot of support was generated for the LTTE and the separatist enterprise internationally. Extremist elements within the expatriate Tamil population together with the LTTE’s vast international network remain committed to this cause even to this day. They continue to fund political groups promoting the separatist ideology in the democratic mainstream, and they continue to try and restart armed conflict within the country. Although studies carried out by two American professors have shown that former LTTE cadres who underwent rehabilitation no longer support separatism, LTTE cadres who evaded capture by going underground or fleeing the country continue to work towards this objective. These non-rehabilitated cadres, together with the LTTE’s international network, pose a significant threat to our national security.
After the demise of Prabhakaran, the LTTE’s former procurement chief Kumaran Pathmanadan, better known as KP, took control over its international network and indicated that it would continue to work for the separatist cause through peaceful means. However, a breakaway faction emerged almost immediately, led by Nediyawan, who wanted to continue Prabhakaran’s ideology of violence. Nediyawan’s group is now known as the Tamil Coordinating Committee, and is based in Norway. It has control over most of the assets of the LTTE’s international organisation, including its media networks such as TamilNet.
KP was arrested by the Sri Lankan Government in a major intelligence and diplomatic operation that took place in August 2009. After his arrest, Rudrakumaran took over the leadership of the main network and began working towards establishing a “Government in Exile”. This group now calls itself The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. Pretending to fight for Tamil rights, its primary objective is to lobby foreign Governments for the establishment of a separate state in the North and East of Sri Lanka.
Another prominent LTTE-linked group is the Global Tamils Forum which emerged in February 2010, bringing together many members who had been involved in the British Tamils Forum and other similar groups elsewhere. The head of the GTF is the so-called Father Emmanuel, who has been engaged in a propaganda campaign against Sri Lanka for many years, targeting Tamil expatriates, Foreign Governments and International Organisations. Under his guidance, the GTF has successfully influenced a number of politicians from various political parties in European countries as well as the United States, Australia, Canada, and India to support the separatist cause. The GTF has also courted officials within international organisations such as the United Nations, the European Union and various international non-governmental organisations to obtain their support.
Yet another group that is active internationally in supporting the separatist cause is the LTTE Headquarter Group, based in France and headed by Vinayagam, a senior intelligence cadres who managed to escape during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka. This is a group known to engage in Human Smuggling, with some of its past operations including the sending of the “Sun Sea” and “Ocean Lady” vessels from South East Asia to Canada in 2009 and 2010. The members of this group generally maintain a low profile and their movements are kept to a minimum as most of them have been issued Red Notices by Interpol for their involvement in criminal activities. They also keep their distance from both Nediyawan’s and Rudrakumaran’s groups, but maintain links with the GTF.
All of the LTTE-linked groups are coordinated by the GTF and united by one overarching objective. Their unwavering intent is the division of Sri Lanka and the establishment of a separate state for Tamil Eelam. There are several strategies through which they will try to achieve their objective. These include: Destabilising the country through whatever means possible; winning international opinion for the separatist cause and increasing pressure on Sri Lanka; continuing to push for the resumption of conflict by reorganising local pro-LTTE elements within Sri Lanka.
Constant vigilance essential
Although the Government has successfully foiled all attempts by the rump of the LTTE to resume violence in Sri Lanka, it has to be admitted that some efforts of LTTE-linked groups have been successful to a certain extent in the international arena. Despite the war having ended five years ago, the internal affairs of Sri Lanka have been kept at the forefront of certain multilateral organisations. An investigation whose justification and legitimacy has been categorically rejected by the Government is being carried out by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
There is credible evidence that a concerted campaign has been mounted by the rump of the LTTE and its sympathisers to fabricate evidence against Sri Lanka for this investigation. Just last month, blank forms containing signatures of conflict affected persons was found in possession of an ex LTTE cadre. Many of those involved in demanding for an international investigation, and in working towards tainting this investigation against Sri Lanka are trained LTTE cadres and operatives, backed by other parties with vested interests.
The agenda behind these LTTE linked individuals is simple. They wish to discredit the conduct of the Humanitarian Operation that freed Sri Lanka from terrorism. They wish to discredit the Government and undermine its attempts to achieve lasting national reconciliation. They wish to mobilise the international community against the Sri Lankan State and use multilateral mechanisms to create a path for the establishment of a separate state. With the failure of the armed terrorist conflict, the remnants of the LTTE is trying its best to subvert international processes to achieve the same goal it always had of creating Tamil Eelam. This is a major threat to Sri Lanka’s national security.
Within Sri Lanka, the Government has acted strongly and continues to work hard to prevent the re-emergence of separatism and the resumption of violence. Investigations are carried out on reports of cadres who have not undergone rehabilitation, and action is taken to send these individuals through the rehabilitation process if the reports are found to be true. When information is received about LTTE operatives trying to resume their activities here, decisive action has been taken to prevent them from proceeding. For example, in April this year, a small group of LTTE cadres led by K. P. Selvanayagam, alias Gopi, were killed during a shootout with the Army during a search operation in Vavuniya. Gopi had been overseas, but had returned to Sri Lanka to try and resurrect the LTTE and resume violence against the state. This shows just how current the threat of the LTTE remains to this day, and why constant vigilance is essential.
In order to guard against the threat of separatism and terrorism, it is essential that the Government maintains adequate security in the former conflict areas. Although the presence of the military has been greatly reduced, camps need to remain in key locations and intelligence services need to remain constantly at work to guard against the re-emergence of organised violent groups. The Government has done a great deal of work to improve coordination amongst the intelligence organisations, including the State Intelligence Service, the Intelligence Directorates of the Armed Forces and the Special Branch of the Police. The resources available to these organisations have also been augmented, and a lot more focus has been given to training and capacity building. This is essential in order to combat the threat to national security that the remnants of the LTTE organisation continue to pose.
In addition to these precautionary measures, the military has been actively engaged in winning the hearts and minds of the civilians in the former conflict areas. The military has constructed houses, developed infrastructure, provided material assistance for livelihood enhancement, helped conduct religious ceremonies and observances, and provided many other forms of support for the people. This has greatly helped bring this long suffering segment of our population back to parity with the rest of the country, and it has ensured that support for the resumption of violence at the grassroots level remains very low.
Unfortunately, the continuing activities of certain political groups that support the ideology of separatism, constantly works against this status quo. These groups more or less talk openly about achieving the very same objectives that the LTTE had. Though they appear to have a democratic face, their actions and remarks clearly show that the extremist separatist ideology has not yet disappeared. Though they speak from a democratic platform, their ultimate objective is achieving the division of Sri Lanka. This is a danger that we must all guard against. The journey we have come on together as a nation over the past five years needs to continue uninterrupted if our nation is to achieve its aspirations and regain its rightful place in the world.
Unfortunately, the global context today is such that countries which do not work in the way expected by certain powerful states can face considerable difficulties and even eventually succumb to conflict and lawlessness. It is very important for us to be aware of what has happened in countries such as Libya, Egypt, Syria and even Pakistan over the past few years. Most of these countries today are in turmoil and the prospects of them achieving normalcy in the foreseeable future are slim. The mechanisms through which these countries plunged into chaos need to be understood by us all, and guarded against. We must all work to ensure that such a plight will never befall Sri Lanka, which is starting to reap the many benefits of just and lasting peace.
Maintenance of stability
The most critical thing for Sri Lanka today is the maintenance of stability. Ensuring that our present progress does not become obstructed requires continuity. All of the problems resulting from three decades of terrorism cannot be solved in five years. The sheer range of issues was too great to have been dealt with comprehensively in such a short span of time. Nevertheless, the Government has focused on addressing these issues in a systematic way.
Between 2006 and 2009, the focus was on ending terrorism and bringing peace to Sri Lanka. From 2009 to date, the focus has been on maintaining that peace, ensuring stability, and creating a macroeconomic environment conducive to rapid and sustained economic growth. As we go forward, I am absolutely certain that all the remaining issues we face as a nation, including reconciliation and good governance, will be systematically addressed and solved. For this to be the case, we must not stray from the transformative path we have been on for the last several years. Instead, we must continue on this journey together as a nation, and achieve all that we can for Sri Lanka and all Sri Lankans.
