Sri Lanka blames India for protracted war

 April 10, 2013

Colombo: Sri Lanka today blamed India for the Tamil separatist war which dragged for 30 years on the island.

The information department quoted Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as telling the local media that India could never absolve itself of the responsibility for creating terrorism in Sri Lanka

India's former permanent representative to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, called for an investigation into specific allegations of war crimes during the last 100 days of military operations in Sri Lanka.

Mr Rajapaksa, however, said those demanding accountability on Sri Lanka's part for alleged atrocities committed during the last 100 days of the conflict were silent on the origin of terrorism in Sri Lanka.

He said Mr Puri should realize that India's intervention in Sri Lanka had caused a major regional crisis when "Indian-trained Sri Lankan terrorists" raided the Maldives in November 1988.

Mr Rajapaksa said the international community should consider a comprehensive investigation into the issue beginning with the Indian intervention.

The information department quoted the defence secretary as saying that some interested parties were reluctant to acknowledge that Sri Lanka was a much better place today without the Tamil Tigers.

The Sri Lankan military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009 after 30 years of war. 

Colombo answers Indian political visit by simultaneously inviting Pakistani defence visit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 April 2013, 12:00 GMT]
While representatives of a section of Indian political parties were on a fact finding mission to the island, meeting various Tamil political, civil society, chamber of commerce and former civil members in Jaffna on Tuesday and Wednesday under the aegis of the Indian High Commission and the Indian Consulate in Jaffna, the SL government in Colombo is engaging with a high level Pakistani Defence delegation comprising 19 members who are on a one-week visit to the island. The visit by Pakistani defence delegation follows the visit of the Chinese Deputy Minister of Intelligence last week. 

The Pakistani delegation visiting Colombo was ‘concentrating’ on gaining awareness on Sri Lanka’s ‘defence, development, domestic and foreign policy matters’, reports in Colombo said.

The Pakistani delegation is meeting the SL Defence Secretary and presidential sibling Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, all the commanders of the three armed forces and the governor of the Central Bank, the reports further said.

The Pakistani defence delegation was also scheduled to visit the North, informed sources in Colombo said.

Last week, the Chinese intelligence minister visited Jaffna and Trincomalee in the company of the occupying Sinhala military.

The SL State in Colombo, as usual, is counting on its underhand abilities in prompting bureaucrats in New Delhi and sections of media in India, to sustain the line of the New Delhi Establishment to remain hostile to the interests and existence of the nation of Eezham Tamils, informed sources in Colombo said.

In the meantime, the Tamil delegates in Jaffna were unanimous in explaining to the delegation of Indian political party representatives that India talking about 13th Amendment or about 13 plus, would not help Eezham Tamils under the unitary character of the Sri Lankan constitution, sources in Jaffna said.

Except a few individuals of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), planted or prodded by the very powers that directed the genocidal war and continue to facilitate the structural genocide against the nation of Eezham Tamils, the grassroots sections of the Tamil polity remain sharp in comprehending the machinations and in articulating for the righteous aspirations of Eezham Tamils, young generation politicians told TamilNet.