Some View Points- By Darmitha-Kotte

From the moment news reached the people of Sri Lanka that our victorious and jubilant Combined Armed Forces had performed their duty by their Motherland in the most impeccable manner & freed us from the clutches of LTTE terrorism, the spontaneous outburst of happiness and relief in the hearts and minds of Sri Lankans was seen every where at street corners, road sides, parks-you name it, people were there congratulating the valiant soldiers and the Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse. This was a very natural expression of the true feelings of our people. We as a nation have suffered untold miseries at the hands of a brutal terrorist outfit for 3 decades.

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When the writer states ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-weƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ it does not implicate only the Sinhalese and the Muslims, Burgher, Malay communities but with an emphatic stress that the Tamil community in this country suffered most at the hands of the LTTE which supposedly was representing them as their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-sole representative.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ If we are not deaf or blind we would have seen the relief in the faces of the ordinary Tamil civilians who dared to flee from the clutches of terrorism during the last weeks and months! Some of them were heard to cry outƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- Aney Rajune(King-appealing to President Rajapakse to save them) Apiwe BeraganneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” that was the honest appeal they made to the Government while running away from brutality towards the protection of our soldiers! Does this not speak volumes of what these innocent people have endured?

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At this point those who wish to understand and know what Sri Lanka has gone through, know very well all the atrocities committed by Prabhakaran and the LTTE-there is no need to repeat them over again.

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True patriots of Sri Lanka whether they live here in Sri Lanka or abroad have unanimously and wholeheartedly congratulated our President, Commanders of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and Civil Security for the dramatic & excellent precision and coordination with which they networked together in one of the most dramatic of battles to bring the war against terrorism to a climax and grand finale! Battles cannot be fought without loss of life or damage to property & for this we bow our heads in sympathy for those who sacrificed everything to defend the country so that we, may have a better tomorrow and a harmonious & brighter future. Absolute commitment and discipline on the part of our Combined Forces was the reason for this success story & well done!

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Those Who Are On The Fence At This Moment of Jubilation:

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It is no secret to those who have been following the progress of events related to the battle against LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka that we Sri Lankans have had to battle on 2 fronts- LTTE terrorists on the one hand & pro-LTTE unpatriotic elements in our society who have worked tirelessly tooth and nail together with international affluent powers with vested interests on the other, the amazing thing is that we have managed to survive both until now.

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It is with deep regret that it needs to be stated here that the Catholic Church, the Rev.Archbishop & the Bishops of Mannar and the North fall into a category that we could call ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-on the fenceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ & their actions have spoken larger than words on how they have continued to work in unison with the LTTE terrorists not to save and protect our country but to divide it! These sons of Mother Lanka have been sending out press statements through Tamil Net website-the mouthpiece of the LTTE appealing time and time again for foreign intervention in our internal conflict which is most regrettable. Numerous are the times they have appealed to the Catholic Bishop of Australia and The Pope in The Vatican. When they face a crime in this country do they request The Vatican or Australia to arrest the culprit? Many are the letters we have seen written by Sri Lankan Christian expatriates criticising the attitudes of these Church Fathers in relation to the LTTE terrorism but we guess that those people never received any response to their appeals? Today, in the face of absolute defeat for the terrorists at the hands of our Armed Forces they have reluctantly come out with half hearted messages of congratulations towards our President & Commanders of the Combined Forces.

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In his press release Rt.Rev.Archbishop Oswild Gomis states:(quote) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦In a sense, we could say that we have won the battle but the war is not ended. The war would end only on the day that we grow in nationhood realizing that we are all one people in one country with equal rights. We have to realize the fact that we are a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural community. As such we are now left with the great task of nation-building forgetting our ethnic, political and religious differences.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦We have to leave the sad and bitter memories of the past three decades and look positively and optimistically towards the future in hope. All of us have to share the blame for our division and forgive each other. We should have the humility and wisdom to learn from the sad experiences of that pastƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (end quote).

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It is prudent to request the Rt.Rev.Archbishop to kindly go back through memory lane and see for himself where he and the Catholic Church has faulted in their effort to divide this country which was once harmonious? Who transgressed? Whose plan was it to harm our Motherland? How many historical photos have been taken with Catholic Fathers participating in LTTE meetings? Was this to unite Sri Lanka or not? Who permitted LTTE to plant landmines within the Madhu Church premises spanning a couple of acres & for what specific agenda? Why was the Holy statue of Our Lady of Madhu taken further into LTTE terrorist held area without conducting it out of the terrorist clutches & for what purpose may we ask? The answers are only too clear without wasting too much time to think! Could it be that the Bishop of Mannar was in deep slumber until the LTTE terrorists planted all the landmines in the backyards of the Madhu Church?

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The agenda of attempting to convert Sri Lanka into a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious country is also all too obvious in his message without being ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humble and wiseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in understanding the true historical facts related to Sri Lanka. This is where the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-warƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ still has to be fought is it not so? In this endeavour the Rt.Rev.Archbishop is working together with other Christian Church Fathers & it is no secret anymore.

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Apart from the above sector of our society, we also have other unpatriotic forces who have been contributing towards the attempted break up of this country. Those will include the likes of late J.R.Jayawardane, the late R.Premadasa who even magnanimously handed over arms to LTTE from our own State armoury during his Presidency, Chandrika Kumaratunga together with Mangala Samaraweera and his active role in the Sudu Nelum Movement as well as with her P-Toms and Ranil Wickramasinghe with his CFA and open ticket freedom given to the LTTEƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  for them to claim their mythical ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Home LandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ systematically while doling out slogans of freedom and democracy and undermining the sentiments of the majority of Sri Lanka. Where is Ranil Wickramasinghe today? 2-3 days ago he left for Norway & for what purpose we may ask? Was it to bring about peace in this country or to attempt further, to check the possibilities of re-creating terrorism with the help of Norway whose credentials have proved to be very much in question?

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ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We Have Won The Battle, But The War is Not EndedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

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Rt.Rev.Archbishop Oswald GomisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s words are true in every sense when considering the fact that enemy forces both local and international working overtime & tirelessly to harass the Sri Lankan Government which they must never forget is a democratically elected Government committed to safeguarding & protecting the sovereignty of our country. This war is by no means to be overlooked or forgotten because their efforts will multiply now in the guise of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humanitarian aidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to resettle the IDPs or as reported by Constant Brand the Associated Press writer has reported on 18^th May 2009 writes that the European Union has called for an independent war crimes investigation into the killing of civilians in Sri Lanka! Why has the EU been deaf, dumb and blind to all the atrocities committed by Prabhakaran and LTTE against Tamil civilians?

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Before the EU targets Sri Lanka, in the true sense of justice to the world, they must first bring charges against USA,UK, Japan, Israel and all other western powers which have declared war without any rhyme or reason on other countries and committed so called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ within the territories of other countries against the citizens of those countries. Is this asking too much from the EU? There is ample evidence against both UK and the USA for their wonderful records in Afghanistan & Iraq just to name two countries who are not even neighbouring countries even to have overstepped territorial boundaries! Japan & Vietnam too have been at the butt end of American atrocities which should be investigated first to show the world how dedicated the EU is towards humanity before they can even think about Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lankan government has not committed any crime whatsoever against the nation but have acted in the best interests of the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and fought a three year war against the worst terrorist outfit in the world called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and proved that terrorism can be wiped out of any country if there is true commitment to the cause. Is it a crime for the Sri Lankan Government to unify our country? Can the EU show us with evidence any country that has gone to war, winning a way without civilian casualties? If that be the case prove those facts of Sri Lanka first before burning your fingers by attempting to insult and belittle an independent and sovereign country like Sri Lanka.

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ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The warƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that Sri Lanka now has to fight is against international enemy forces who wish to enter Sri Lanka in the guise & name of engaging in humanitarian programmes but with an ulterior motive of again ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-injecting poisonous weedsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of dissention within our soil. This must never be permitted. Just as our Armed Forces were capable of eliminating terrorism from our country, our government and our Armed Forces are fully capable of planning out the resettlement of IDPs and offering solace to the innocent civilians who have suffered for so long. It will only be our own people who can understand and solve our problems within our country.

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Anuj Chopra writing for The Christian Science Monitor(US) on 18^th May 2009 reports on statements made by more individuals who are engaged in the anti-Sri Lankan war such as ParkyasothyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of Centre for Policy Studies and Jayadeva Uyangoda of the Political Science Department at Colombo University who have right along been great LTTE sympathizers and doing more harm to the harmony of our society.

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We can certainly see the truth of Archbishop Oswild GomisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ statement that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦the war is not endedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and therefore it more important now than ever before, to check the activities of all organisations who come as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-wolves in sheepƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s clothing. The Government of Sri Lanka needs to be doubly careful about sweet sounding NGOs and INGOs who will all attempt to enter our country again for them to gain financially through bogus projects with foreign agendas. Our solutions must be from our country, for our country and with the absolute welfare of our country at heart. We do not need foreign ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-theoriesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ which have not even solved problems within their own countries let alone solve problems of others.