Army Chief dismisses allegations No ex-LTTE men involved in crimes in North

BY Kavindya Chris Thomas-2017-08-16

Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake dismissed the direct involvement of ex-members of the now vanquished Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in the number of recent violent incidents reported from the Northern Province.

Speaking at the media briefing, to announce the seventh annual Colombo Defence Seminar yesterday (15), the Commander made these comments responding to queries put forward by journalists.
When inquired as to whether any non-rehabilitated LTTE members have been involved in the events of last month and this August, the Commander claimed that due to several isolated incidents, which coincidentally involve a former LTTE member, does not mean that the national security is at risk.
He noted; "There was an ex-LTTE member who had been involved in the organization's activities during the early 1990s.

He had been present during the brawl that resulted in the death of the Police Officer providing security to Jaffna High Court Judge M. Ilancheliyan last July. Even in the Kopay incident, where two Police officers were assaulted, also former LTTE members were not involved.

None of these incidents concerning sword attacks and such have any connection to these individuals or their former organization."

He added that following the armed conflict in 2009, the Sri Lanka Army had rehabilitated 12,180 former LTTE members. Out of that, 1,963 of them were in the Jaffna Peninsula. Six hundred of them were women. Additionally, there were 200 individuals who took part in LTTE activities that were not rehabilitated and who remain in Jaffna.

"Only one non-rehabilitated LTTE member was reportedly involved in the Kopay incident. But that was also coincidental. None of these incidents are the result of the former LTTE members, rehabilitated or not, coming together. Therefore, it is not a threat to the national security."
Commander Senanayake was also inquired regarding the country's current security situation.
"Sri Lanka's threat perception has two aspects; internally, after 2009 there has been no major militaristic conflict which we consider as an achievement. There are smaller, more isolated incidents that take place but they are not a major threat to our national security. If after 2009, peace was fragile, now we are going towards solid peace

"Externally, we have never had any militaristic threats. There are other economical threats. Criminals are using Sri Lanka as a transit for narcotic trafficking. These take place due to the strategically important location of our country in the Indian Ocean. These non-traditional threats are not militaristic in nature. The armed forces and the Police are on alert to ensure that this will be minimized.

The journalists also inquired as to whether the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has been categorized as a specific topic of discussion for the Colombo Defence Seminar, has any special interest in the country with regards to being a security threat.

"We are clearly not under any immediate threat from the ISIS," the Commander noted adding, "But the organization's actions and how it has impacted the world as a whole will definitely be discussed during the seminar; which is why it has been mentioned. Just because, ISIS will be discussed during the CDS does not mean that the organization is a threat to our national security."
(KCT)