Minister Mangala Samaraweera addressing the parliament on 22nd said recent escalation in violence was precipitated solely by the offensive actions of the LTTE. “The Government hasn't, I must stress, initiated any offensive actions in breach of the Ceasefire Agreement”, said Minister Samaraweera.

Full text of the statement...

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to participate in this urgent debate on the current situation in the North & East. In presenting this urgent debate, Hon. Mavai Senathirajah states that he holds 'the Government primarily answerable and accountable for this grave humanitarian crisis' and wants to know what steps the Government will take to prevent its intensification. However, what Hon. Senathirajah doesn't say is that this 'grave humanitarian crisis' was essentially triggered off by the offensive actions of the LTTE several weeks ago in Mavilaru. It would have been more appropriate if some of the concerns mentioned by Hon. Senathirajah were brought to the attention of his current patron saint in the jungles of Kilinochchi instead of him, as usual, trying to justify the terror and the aggression of the LTTE by making 'Government primarily answerable.'

I do sympathize with Hon. Senathirajah's dilemma because as we all know, no questions of dissent are tolerated by the LTTE and had he dared to question the 'Chief Whip of the LTTE', Hon. Senathirajah too would have become a statistic confined to the pages of history like so many other democratic Tamil leaders who dared to question the 'sun god' living in the dank, nocturnal jungles of Kilinochchi. I wish my colleague long life and good health.

However, as a Government committed to a negotiated settlement to the ethnic crisis, a Government committed to the rule of law and human rights and as a Government committed to extending the democratic writ to the long suffering Tamil people in the LTTE controlled areas where they have been stripped of their right to dissent, the right to vote, and where their young children are forcibly kidnapped everyday to join the dwindling ranks of the LTTE, I can assure this House at the outset that we will not shirk our responsibility of continuing to provide protection and assistance to all our citizens, Tamil, Muslim or Sinhalese.

First of all, I like to point out that the recent escalation in violence was precipitated solely by the offensive actions of the LTTE. The Government hasn't, I must stress, initiated any offensive actions in breach of the Ceasefire Agreement. When the LTTE encroached into cleared areas and closed the Mavil Aru Anicut, the Government was left with no choice other than to ask the Army to exert military pressure on the LTTE to open the gate as thousands of families were suffering due to the LTTE's usage of water as a weapon of war and blackmail. It later turned out that the real strategy of the LTTE was that Mavil Aru was a diversion to tie down the Security Forces so the LTTE could engage in even more serious violations of the Ceasefire Agreement by attacking Muttur and bringing Trincomalee harbour under threat so that supplies to Jaffna would be disrupted or broken. It is now obvious that the present humanitarian crisis was ignited by the LTTE's desire to capture and dominate the Jaffna peninsula. everything that has happened since Mavil Aru and now have been the result of this brutal and aggressive offensive campaign of the LTTE.

Muttur which was a predominantly a Muslim town has always been an irritant to LTTE's master plan of attacking Trincomalee harbour. Just as the LTTE in 1990 carried out a horrendous form of ethnic cleansing by ordering the Muslims in the Northern Province to leave within 48 hours, many Muslims in Muttur feared the present attack was the beginning of yet another round of ethnic cleansing. As a result, thousand of Muslims fled the area. Many residents fleeing the LTTE carnage in Muttur gave eyewitness accounts on how LTTE intelligence cadres had picked out Muslim youth who were suspected of having helped the Government Security Forces. It is believed that 100 such youth were massacred near Pachchanur.

Having failed on the Muttur and Mavil Aru front, the LTTE subsequently launched further attacks on Jaffna from the areas of Muhamale and Nagakovil as well as from Kayts and Mandathivu areas. Once again Security forces were compelled to repulse these attacks at some cost both to themselves and the LTTE.

As the LTTE faced one setback after another, in its usual style the LTTE tried to divert attention from its own brutal Human Rights atrocities by accusing the Government of various Human Rights violations. The first allegation immediately after the LTTE execution of 100 Muslim youth in Muttur was that 17 workers attached to the French Aid Agency Action Against Hunger in Muttur were executed. The Government strongly condemns the reprehensible killing of 17 Sri Lankan nationals and under the directive of the President, the Government has begun to conduct an impartial and expeditious investigation into the killings. The Government has requested assistance from the Commonwealth of Australia to provide forensic experts to assist the Special Investigating Team. In an effort to uncover the truth regarding these killings, the Government sent a special team of Judicial Medical Officers to Muttur to conduct post-mortems on the deceased.

At this moment I must also place on record the government's appreciation of the valuable work done by NGOs to help the country especially in the North & East. The NGO workers should not be attacked by anybody and reprehensible acts like the in Muttur should be stopped immediately. Investigations into this massacre will be carried out expeditiously because the Government is determined to clear its good name from such heinous allegations.

Despite serious concerns about the impartiality of some individual members of certain NGOs, Sri Lanka which has the most liberal regime as far as NGOs are concerned will continue to be supportive of NGOs who have played a major role in the country's socio-economic development.

The allegation made by the LTTE that the Government bombed an orphanage and killed school going children is yet another glaring example of LTTE's campaign of disinformation and lies to cover up their own record of being an organization which strengthens its cadres by forcibly recruiting children. In fact, to exhibit the bodies of young persons all set in a row to the world media is a reprehensible exercise in utter cynicism by the LTTE. The very children whom the LTTE abducted in the prime of their youth to pursue their terrorist goals are now being exhibited to the world amidst a flood of crocodile tears. The global community must condemn the use of children and youth as cannon fodder by the LTTE and child recruitment must be stopped immediately.

The humanitarian situation has been brought under control in the Jaffna Peninsula. 8,410 refugees have fled to India since the LTTE began its campaign of violence in the North & East. It is obvious that the LTTE is orchestrating the influx of refugees to India by spreading false propaganda in order to put strain on the excellent relations we have with India. Under President Rajapaksa's direction, the Government and UNHCR have established refugee centers in Trincomalee and Mannar to accommodate and care for the people who have been temporarily displaced. There is no need for refugees to flee across the Palk Straits. We are very thankful to the Government of India and the Government of Tamilnadu for assisting those who have come to India.

During this period we also saw the LTTE extend its campaign of aggression to Colombo. The Pakistani High Commissioner was targeted for assassination in the heart of Colombo. This dimension of LTTE terrorism is of great concern to the Government, and almost certainly, to the international community as well. Like all international terror organizations, its obvious that the LTTE too is now targeting other countries which maybe assisting Sri Lanka's campaign against terrorism. The Government has taken measures not only to the strengthen security of the High Commissioner of Pakistan but other members of the diplomatic community as well. At my ministry's request, the Ministry of Defense has designed a special focal point at the level of DIG to consult the diplomatic missions to make necessary arrangements for additional security where necessary.

The assassination of Kethishwaran Loganathan, Deputy Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat was also a great blow to our peace making process. Ironically Kethish was killed on the same night and the almost at the same minute when my predecessor Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed by the LTTE one year ago. The only crime committed by Kethish as well as former EPDP member Sivadasan, who fortunately escaped an attempt on his life, were to be Tamil dissident voices which challenged the LTTE claim to be the sole representative.

Despite all these serious provocations, the Government is committed to a negotiated settlement with the LTTE. An important point that I would like to point out is the fact that the Government has not initiated any offensive operations on its own to attack the LTTE except in self defense and to maintain and protect the positions established by the ceasefire. Whether it was in Mavil Aru, Muttur, nagu Kovil, Muhamale, Kayts or Mandathivu, the Government forces were simply trying to prevent the LTTE from committing aggression against the positions established by the ceasefire. The Security Forces' actions were clearly designed to repulse or deter such actions.

Since President Rajapaksa was sworn in on 19 November until now, despite the continuous killings we did not fire a single shot offensively. Whatever deterrent actions that were carried out were limited in scope and time. Even when the second in command of the Army, Gen. Parami Kulatunge was killed by a suicide bomber, no retaliatory action was taken by the Security Forces. The Government was forced to take action in the face of serious violations of the ceasefire in Mavil Aru, Muttur and Jaffna. Even the air attacks that were carried out were directed at identified targets to prevent the supply of cadres to the LTTE during these operations.

President Rajapaksa's patience and restraint has been appreciated by friends of Sri Lanka both here and abroad. The recent Middle-East crisis was ignited by the fact that two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped which brought untold suffering to thousands of people and caused damage to property on both sides of the conflict. Yet president Rajapaksa despite losing as many as 304 soldiers remained calm and restrained and patient.

I ask the TNA members to tell me of any other leader in the world who would have behaved with such restraint in the face of such provocation. It is in this context that on August 21st, H.E. the President very clearly informed the Donor Co-chair Ambassadors that the Government will seriously consider any initiative that incorporates a clear commitment to a comprehensive and verifiable cessation of hostilities personally declared by the LTTE leader Prabhakaran because in an organization led by the wishes of one man the wishes of others don't carry weight.

However such a cessation of hostilities should not be used by the LTTE as they have done in the past to regroup and strengthen themselves militarily. In fact the press release issued by the Department of Justice of the United States on August 21st is a clear and unbiased picture of how the LTTE has been using the CFA to rearm and strengthen themselves. In a tangible demonstration of support against global terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation the United States conducted an undercover sting operation to apprehend LTTE procurement agents seeking to purchase sophisticated weaponry.

It is reported that four persons had met in Queens, New York with undercover FBI agents who were posing as black market arms dealers to purchase 10 surface to air missiles, training in the use of these missiles and 500 AK 47 machineguns at a total cost of 937,500 Dollars. Several LTTE activists have also been arrested for attempting to bribe undercover FBI agents posing as State Department officials in an effort to get confidential information regarding the proscription of the LTTE in the United States. As a mater of fact, the Department of Justice in its press release says “these four defendants were acting on the directions of senior LTTE officials in Sri Lanka and many of them had personally met with Prabhakaran and other senior members of the terrorist group.”

We welcome the support of the United States authorities in implementing the legislative framework relating to foreign terrorist organisations. We are hopeful that other countries which have proscribed the LTTE will also follow in the same direction and give teeth to the proscription by taking action against the illegal activities of the LTTE.

Despite the LTTE abusing the spirit of the CFA to arm themselves while conducting offensive military actions, the Government's committed to addressing and solving the genuine grievances of the Tamil people. In fact, President Rajapaksa has asked the committee headed by Tissa Vitharana's to expedite its work so that the framework for a settlement can be presented to the country as early as possible. However, even at this late stage even if its imperative the LTTE also show the genuine commitment to solving Tamil issues through negotiations not only by word but by deed as well. The LTTE must renounce violence and must become a member of a democratic pluralistic society.

As the house is aware, the Government has always maintained that it remains ready for talks anytime on both the Ceasefire Agreement and other substantive matters. The Government is more than prepared to address and solve the genuine grievances of the Tamil people. However, in order to achieve these objectives, it is imperative that the LTTE show a genuine commitment to solving the issues of the Tamil people through negotiations.

The Government believes that there is still opportunity for the LTTE to give up the path of violence it has chosen and resume a dialogue without any conditions being attached to it. It is now time for the LTTE to focus on the substantive core issues of devolution of power rather than chase an unattainable chimera of a mono-ethnic separate state which does not belong in today's civilized world. A large majority of people in Sri Lanka including most Tamil people believe in a pluralistic, democratic society and reject the concept of a separate state demarcated along ethnic lines. The only way to resolve the conflict is through negotiations and the Government remains fully committed to a political process to address the genuine grievances of the Tamil speaking people of this country. We therefore, urge the LTTE to shun violence and become a member of a democratic pluralistic society.

Finally, would like to take this opportunity to quote you from an open letter I wrote to the leader of the opposition way back in 1996. “What is needed today is a political solution acceptable to all communities affected; a solution which will take us away from the horrors of war; a solution that dispels mistrust and suspicion, a solution which will address the justifiable grievances of all communities living in this country, a solution that will enable all citizens to live with honour and dignity. In an underdeveloped country like ours, what is needed is not a war that kills people but a war to improve the quality of living of the people; a war against want; a war against hunger and a war against ignorance.”

In conclusion, I would also like to thank the speaker for giving all members copies of the Dhammapada. In fact, going through the verses of the Dhammapada today, I saw some verses very appropriate for us living in Sri Lanka today.

“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robed me. In those who nurse such grudges, hatred will never cease.”

The time has come for us in Sri Lanka to stop pointing accusing fingers at each other. Time has come to stop talking about the past, stop living in the past nursing ancient grudges. Instead we must all look forward to a brighter future.

Source: http://www.slmfa.gov.lk/ministrynews.asp