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The role of the military in any country changes from time to time. The Security Forces of Sri Lanka, which played a leading role during the era of terrorism, are now playing a different role in the North and the East,
which are being developed with renewed vigour in the post-terrorism scenario. Kilinochchi, where the high tempo battles were fought in defeating the LTTE, is now facing the same reality.
The Security Forces personnel who fought fiercely with the LTTE now co-exist with the people in Kilinochchi after the displaced civilians have been resettled there. However, they are keenly following the security situation there to ensure that there is no repetition of the bitter past.
Security Forces Commander Kilinochchi, Major General Udaya Perera, in an interview with the Sunday Observer, discussed these changing issues in Kilinochchi.
Day by day, being a flexible organisation, we have to change our concepts in a changing environment. During the era of terrorism, we fought a battle with the help of the other establishments of the Sri Lankan Government, and it was the role of the Government approach to terrorism. We had to take a leading role and the others played a supporting role.
Through that role, we could comprehensively defeat the LTTE. In the post-terrorism scenario, until the resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction was partially done, we had to perform a leading role because this area was virtually under the clutches of the LTTE and had been severely affected by the high tempo battles which were fought here in Kilinochchi. So, the Army had a huge role to play.
One thing we must understand is that the Military does not come under the Provincial Government and that it takes orders only from the Central Government. The President is the Commander-in-Chief and we have a Secretary of Defence.
However, there are a few challenges because there are some provincial politicians who are very short-sighted and narrow-minded. They can also liaise with the centre and get the Military to work more or get more support from the Military to develop the area.
They also must understand that whether they are provincial politicians or national politicians, that this is a national Army and we are not just focusing on a particular province. Sadly, some narrow-minded politicians who carry the LTTE ideology do not understand this. Some of them do understand the situation, but due to hidden agendas, they want the Army out of here.
This slogan may be coming from the outside world or from the international community and the diaspora. As far as the majority of the diaspora is concerned, they want a conflict here. Without a conflict in Sri Lanka, they cannot flourish in their adopted countries as they will be deprived of their refugee status if the international community decides that there is no problem in Sri Lanka.
And they will not get priority when getting citizenship in other countries if there is no issue or conflict here. So there is a segment in the diaspora who needs a conflict to gain that status.
Fund-raising activities of a section of the Tamil diaspora has now become their business and livelihood. Now they don't send money in its entirety to Sri Lanka and keep a portion for their benefit. All these avenues will be closed if there is no issue here. Therefore, they are striving hard to push the poor vulnerable community here back to another conflict. That is their idea. Unfortunately, certain political parties such as the TNA have give in to those demands.
Otherwise, as far as the working relationship is concerned, we have nothing to do with them. We go on a national agenda and we don't take orders from them. But if they want any help from us, we are ready to help them with the consent of the Central Government. I don't think the Centre will ever say no to any of the good things they request. We can have a very cordial relationship, but you need two hands to clap.
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