Dignity of war heroes will be safeguarded | Daily News
Will withdraw from Intl organizations that accuse security forces if needed - President

Dignity of war heroes will be safeguarded

Will not bow to undue pressure - President
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa laying a floral wreath at the foot of the National War Heroes Monument in Battaramulla yesterday. Pictures by President’s Media.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa laying a floral wreath at the foot of the National War Heroes Monument in Battaramulla yesterday. Pictures by President’s Media.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he will not leave room for attempts to discredit and destroy the dignity of the war heroes who brought peace to the country in 2009.

Speaking at the eleventh National War Heroes Day memorial tribute to honour all heroes who fought for freedom and contributed to the battle against separatism for the last three decades, the President said he will take every measure to protect the dignity of the heroic armed forces.

“It is the national responsibility to ensure their rights,” he said at the memorial event held at the War Heroes Monument in Battaramulla yesterday.

“The pain of the war is not strange to me,” he said. “I assure you under my administration,

we will not allow anyone to exert undue pressure on the Sri Lankan Security Forces or harass them. “If any international body or organization continoulsy target our country and our war heroes using baseless allegations, I will not hesitate to withdraw Sri Lanka from such bodies or organizations.”

The President accompanied by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, commanders of the tri-forces, Inspector General of Police and other dignitaries laid wreaths at the monument at Parliament grounds in honor of the forces who died on duty. The President added that Sri Lanka possesses a form of administration that was an oasis for all religions and nationalities.

“Throughout its history, people in this country including Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher have had equal rights.” he said. “The motive of the extremists was to divide us. If they were successful in their attempt, our history could have taken a different course. Sri Lanka could have become a country where communities hate each other, engage in continuous battles for borders, fear of war is a common norm of life and another hapless and divided country.”

As a gallant officer, the President who engaged in active service for 20 years, and later as Secretary of Defence for 10 years said that he was well aware of the sacrifices made by the war heroes and their families. “The honour of liberating the country from this catastrophe should be given to all our heroic troops who fought for the peace in our country for a long time. We remember with immense gratitude, all the war heroes including General Kobbekaduwa and General VijayaWimalarathna who fought for this victory for more than three decades and laid their lives for the country.”

The President credited Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa for giving leadership for the battle in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief 11 years ago on May 19, 2009, to completely defeat the separatist terrorism which the country was in engulfed in.

“With the end of terrorism, an environment where people could live without fear or anxiety and enjoy their human rights freely was created. After a period of 30 years, we ensured democracy and build an atmosphere where free and fair elections could be held.” he said.

“The atmosphere where people can travel freely without any restrictions to any place of the country was restored. Our war heroes and their families made immense sacrifices to usher in peace to the country which was engulfed in terror.”

He added that the ‘war is not a bed of roses’. “Especially, the war heroes had to face numerous bitter experiences and difficulties when battling one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations in the world which did not respect law. During those 30 years, helpless civilians got killed everywhere in the country. A large number of lives and properties were lost due to suicide attacks, bombing in buses, trains and buildings carried out by the terrorists.”

 


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