President defends Security Forces

Chaminda Perera

*Certain elements undermining Security Forces’ victory

*Will not allow war heroes to be taken before a war crimes tribunal

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stressed he will never betray the Security Forces and is ready to face any accusation on behalf of the Security Forces that made tremendous sacrifices for the nation. The President was addressing representatives of over 64 Trade Unions at Temple Trees yesterday.

He said he will not allow the war heroes to be taken before a war crimes tribunal.

“The forthcoming Presidential Election is a contention between the grateful and the ungrateful,” he said. The President said the country could not have achieved victory over terrorism which claimed thousands of innocent lives without the Security Forces and the Government protested actions by certain quarters of the country to disgrace them.

“We raised our voice against sinister elements that attempted to undermine the Security Forces’ achievement in the North and the East. The Opposition levelled baseless allegations against the Security Forces that played a key role in the liberation of Sri Lanka from the clutches of the LTTE terrorism,” he said.

He said certain elements were engaged in the game of undermining the Security Forces’ victory in the North and the East.

“We appeal to them not to level charges against the Security Forces but to level them against me,” he said.

President Rajapaksa said the people wanted to free the country from the scourge of terrorism at a time Ranil Wickremesinghe betrayed this proud nation to terrorists through a Ceasefire Agreement.

The Government fulfilled the pledge given to the people through the Mahinda Chinthana by eradicating terrorism and created an atmosphere in which people of all communities could live in peace with dignity, he said.

He said the Government came forward to safeguard the Security Forces and their reputation when the international community and the Opposition were engaged in the dirty game of leveling baseless charges at them.