By
Maj Gen Shavendra Silva
(Text of Speech made by Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative in New York Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva at the US Marine Corps University)
pic courtesy of: dailymirror.lk
Gentlemen, at the outset I make a wider view on what stand I appear on your stage while holding ambassadorial representation in United States, particularly all along with the issues of United Nations; that is what is relevant to the Sri Lankan context in the global arena.
Such a conversation into the mostly and moderately talked ‘Sri Lankan Defeat of Terrorism’ in my part of the world had been an extraordinary, eye catching and embracing for enthusiasts whoever who is for, irrespectively to the previously held a number of conventional rules and regulations, rather on primitive restrictions across international layers buying ‘terrorism cannot be defeated by military means’, thus many are aware that we, the whole Sri Lankan nation together has defeated terrorism in our country.
That was not a ceremonial event but much more than to us because we, comparatively the tiny little nation had undermined a terror group which had been one time labeled as the world’s No 1terrorist organization by FBI and for that matter it gained chart top in many parts of our region and beyond.
Since you are at a so sophisticated and top secret affiliation to modern warfare in any part of the world with US Marines I, at the highest point in my good knowledge assure that terrorism can certainly be tamed and defeated if you learn lessons from the past. In my opinion the terror fighting is much more than fighting for countries in conventional modus operandi. The saga of neutralization of Sri Lankan terrorism was no doubt a great remark in the world history even though some shadows of it are still fluttering and dancing outside the country without leadership and doctrine to be presented to win international sympathy today. We in our country had a very tactful and brutal common enemy called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) that had its roots deeply in the world of horror and terror all along with other sinister outfits that included Al-Queda that still pops-up from various corners of the world where you being Marines are at a great risky service deploying troops in probable threatened areas undertaking and neutralizing its powers.
In a similar course, I was leading a division that marked highest number of victories in the last battle against terrorism in Sri Lanka. It was the famous 58 Division of Sri Lankan Army that did the truth and honest duty to the country as for the wish of the highest authorities of our country.
In the meantime, I have selected a couple of slides for easy reference and I wish that I will be able to descend a little bit in you for the purpose of orientating you to the fact which still remains that LTTE too, is a global outfit along with others in such a nature even though its physical elements were totally eliminated by us, by military means couple of years back perhaps for the first time in history. We graciously are proud of it and are generously prepared to give out how we did it. More promisingly our island nation is now free of terror and fear of untimely death but walking through a strenuous period while re-gaining our lost identity and solidarity among the communities.
In the legend of our little country, it had been an island within which it still has a strong history of own that runs back to the early ages of the world evolution that is second to none of the recognized civilizations. We have had all communities, basically Sinhalese as the majority and Tamils, Muslims, Christians and others lived harmoniously in the island earlier. Later in the face of invading forces, those island men who were our good old ancestors, had to fight for survival. Many battles were won and equally were lost. Enthusiastic history readers sitting here must know the sequence of events in the past better than I do in relevant parts in the world as well as in the Asian region and other areas. And long after that, our island became a colony of the British empire for a period of time that changed many things in the country’s history, until the dominion state within Commonwealth circle under the crown of the queen ultimately awarded. In 1948, our country received independence and in 1972 Sri Lanka became an Independent Republic on the basement of equal rights for all communities under one flag and that was the Lion flag of Sri Lanka.
Precisely, I believe what required here is how we defeated terrorism and what methodology adopted in combat against LTTE, the Sri Lankan terrorist. Mine was different to that of other terror outfits in the world as it was found profound in the history and progressively surfaced from guerilla fighting to a fully fledged combat terror group comprised of an army of hardcore fighting cadre, a strongly supported combat air wing with suicide small aircrafts and a complete self destructive suicide sea vessels around two third of waters off our island. This I am putting forward solely for the better understanding that makes room for the comparison with other terrorist groups that are elevated to scare the world in today’s scenario. Many of you might aware by now of the regular blood bathing events inflicted by LTTE in our country. You might have seen their atrocities against humanity over print and electronic means during past.
So what ultimately required was a total defeat of them because LTTE had devastated everything in the country. We, the armed forces had nothing but launching a full swing war against terrorism with the intention of winning it at any cost amidst strong and strange warning and pressure from all over. So, We made our final attempt without failing and it was not to kill but to salvage innocent victimized civilians in the LTTE jaws and it was named the Final Humanitarian Operation in Sri Lanka which you witnessed our victory over our common enemy couple of years back.
War fighting gentlemen, is a kind of art that is being done risking lives in any pandemonium. In our country, we were at a war against terrorism and it was the most ruthless one as you can remember how LTTE activated its fighting elements to the extent which it leveled against humanity identified as the most sinister in the world. For your information, thousands of worthy lives of civilians perished including the lives of various political leaders from two major communities who saw solutions to the problem. Among such victims, were the Tamils as the majority than Sinhalese. (20 local Tamil politicians & 9 Sinhalese including 1 regional leader, Rajiv Ghandi of India).I do not wish to carry along with more and more introduction to the sinister motives of our washed out rival but yet some of the facts will play constructively on lesson learn part, as there are shadows of LTTE terror still pop up haphazardly .
Similarly, I must tell you about the last military operation in Sri Lanka to a certain extent leaving your judgment on to the humanitarian access of the military that could have salvaged thousands of civilians without themselves being subjected for getting committed suicide under LTTE. That was not a war the government of Sri Lanka waged with the intention to kill the enemy but to rescue them and that was the success behind our victory. I think this is the first time I’m disclosing the true fact of our success in USA. It is similar to the Desert Rat and the Jackal story in Africa Gentlemen, Rat gets up early to run for the survival from the Fox but other eternally watchful Fox wakes up earlier than the Rat in the desert. Unless other than you willfully commit to become an enemy to your own enemy you will not kill him. How you become an enemy to your enemy is a matter to be discussed.
I can still remember one great and amusing quotation which had been an inspiring thing in my early life in the Army particularly influenced me to become an aesthetic fellow in military attire that filled me with joy even at present. That was, that I was told by somebody to ‘Join the Army, See the world, Meet interesting people and beat them’ obviously the most interesting man I met in my military carrier was my enemy. You might have witnessed our actual battle scenarios from various video footages by now, where there were gallant foot soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army marching across enemy strongholds and garrisons to rescue innocent native Tamil civilians from the jaws of the LTTE terrorists who have emerged from the inside of them. LTTE’s act of terror and carnage need not explanation especially at their final stages in the country as their survival was totally found resting on the lives of the civilians who have been deprived of almost all the civilized norms and ethics in the society.
Northeastern Tamil civilians who were under them in areas previously controlled by terrorists had been permitted to open their mouths only when eating something to survive and that also according to the wishes of the terror organization. None of the non-state actor had spoken on behalf of the native civilians unless other than the government of Sri Lanka itself took measures to address the deprived people under enormous pressure by way of launching a massive rescue mission against LTTE as it was the only way to deal with existing terrorism.
The government of Sri Lanka launched the final operation at this crucial juncture despite warnings and pressure from many a number of outfits and personalities who insisted on military devastation, a blunder that would take place at the breach of negotiation with the rivals. But nothing could have been done to the inspired soldiers of our category to thwart our attempt to see the final episode of the whole drama that was dragging our country to a nightmare for more than thirty years. We drew our swords and defeated the enemy and rescued the whole nation from the evil of terrorism.
We the military together could have finished the sinister 30 year old war during our times and it was the most delightful thing in our lives. How we defeated terrorism? Was it because of we totally eliminated the physical strength of the LTTE permanently from the country including their leadership?. No my dear Gentlemen, we hit knocked out to the most vulnerable weak point of our enemy in the ring by winning the civilian factor to our side. To tell you very frankly, we have won the terrorism long before the date which is considered the final day of the LTTE leader where he died in the mangroves of lagoon water in eastern seashore of the island. The winning day of SL military was the day that the very first Tamil civilian had escaped towards us through blockades of LTTE.
We in the military have done enormous sacrifices for years to see this result. We spent the whole youth in the military to see this result. Our soldiers lost limbs, we lost lives of men and finally we discovered the most strategically important portion of the whole show. If not for our humanity, tender and kindness would that innocent civilian be taken under our shelter amidst showers of gunfire on the battle field? That inspired the biggest ever human rescue mission in modern times at a place called Vellamulli Vaikkal where I being a Division Commander could have manoeuvred my valiant soldiers to raze the whole enemy line within one and half hours in a pitch dark night where there were not a single civilian casualty was reported due to gun fire except for the enemy inflicted three suicide explosions inside the civilians. We did our best to the civilians who needed freedom. That is why the operation is widely recognised as the biggest Humanitarian Operation ever to conduct in our country.
I can never forget the supreme sacrifices of my men in battle. But more over than anything else, what was inspiring in my life is none of the thing other than the blessings of the rescued civilians by me who are now totally free to live on their own native land.
Though you might have seen me and my men in amour those days, those innocent native Tamil civilians know us very well and they know what our soldiers have done to ease them in the battle. They know that we gave our food and ration packs to them for days and weeks without considering our own hunger and comfort. There comes the true commitment to the course of action. Need not say the amount of burdens in the battle enclosed with the life risk. They know that we went in front to safeguard them when they were escaping.
They saw our soldiers giving their chest to enemy bullet when they were firing during their escape. All in between our soldiers became nurses and did some labour room duties in some instances when delivering mothers took our shelter in war torn areas where there were not a single aid agency volunteered to appear for the assistance. What else more about the humanitarian part in the operation where, nowhere in the world could hear things of this nature?
All these we did because we did see and read our enemy for years and years that made us to live among them. That made us to identify him and predict what he was up to at the next time. So, we had our sound plans accordingly in all four phases of war and launched into a victorious battle. Not that we had a supreme fire power or sophisticated technology except for couple of instances but we certainly had courage and commitment to fight to the last blood on the field. Sure it will become more interesting to make a movie out of what we did against terrorism in our country.
Post war development
Well L.G, as the war is over by now what remains is obviously the entry into development. We have to regain what we lost during the time of conflict. As together we have lost many things we have to recover them jointly. More prominently, there will be no security zones as previous in the areas around military presence. People are free for their living today.
Well gentlemen while quickly glancing at the final few minutes of my speech, winning a war is not merely eradicating enemies but it certainly carries aftermath sequence of work routine to finish it. Concurrent and coincided activities along with war fighting are must in order to bring the glory of mission accomplishment. Wherever the war is being fought and it is to say won, you have a great fight to be done behind the screen as what we have done and at the peak by now. I do know you are well aware of these things and are already deployed to do so in future but as a man who fought a terrorist war I’m certainly aware that world at large will not point guns at each other explicitly but active in covert mode all over by way of launching guerilla and terrorist tactics which are more sophisticated than open combat.
I have experience for more than 30 years in guerilla and counter terrorism and that made me to be victorious at the end. And to see the success I had to sacrifice almost all the things for whole three decades. Mind you, sustainable solution will last after patience and sacrifice. So that everybody should climb together to a common platform to win a common goal as we did in our country. So for that you must have your discipline over the matter and the need to know basis is obviously a must to be kept to the utmost level and you must also know what to tell and how to use your mouth in the eyes of universal camera. It’s true that media is a weapon to be used in battles but never forget that it is a double edged weapon both sides sharpen to sink through any melt object at any time.
My past along with the counter terrorism is a novel experience and by the grace of god I could live to tell it to the world. I would like to educate many in future with the solid practical experiences of mine emphasizing many things I played under silent mode to win the decades long LTTE terrorism in our country.