Sri Lankan President says mechanism in place to address false allegations leveled against the country

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that a mechanism has been put in place at international level to handle the false allegations leveled against the country.


Addressing an Army passing out parade of the Sri Lanka Military Academy at Diyathalawa on Tuesday, the Commander-In-Chief said that many false allegations have been leveled against Sri Lanka of committing war crimes.


The President in his address to 253 Cadet Officers who passed out from the Academy told the new officers that foreign states are still trying to resurrect the defeated terrorist elements by accusing the country of alleged war crimes and to tarnish country's image.
The fight against such elements has already been launched and pursued at international levels, the President pointed out.
President Rajapaksa has added even though the war has come to an end, the government was continuing with the humanitarian operations in the form of development programmes in the country.
"The humanitarian operation that got underway in 2006 is still not over. It was not at all a war. Had we pursued a war, it would have ended soon after the decimation of the terrorist leader," he said.
The President said the continuing humanitarian operation has now entered a special phase and the Security Forces are working tirelessly to win the hearts and minds of the people suffered due to the war.
President Rajapaksa advised the new officers to learn Tamil language as well as other languages with a broader insight into the culture and heritage and serve the country.
Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commanding officer Sri Lanka Air Force-Diyathalawa Group Captain Lanka Kodippili, senior officers, and families of the graduates were present at the occasion.
(Photos by Chandana Perera)