Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary denies allegations of killing surrendering LTTE leaders during war

Secretary of Sri Lanka Defence Ministry Gotabhaya Rajapaksa today denied the allegation that the Sri Lanka Army had killed LTTE cadres when they had tried to surrender.



Releasing the report titled "Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 - May 2009" on Monday at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo, Rajapaksa has said the government had no intention of killing LTTE leaders when they surrendered to the military since the government directly looked after families of LTTE leaders.

"Why should the government, which directly looked after the family of LTTE leaders, kill those who surrendered to the military," he asked.

He has said that nobody had contacted him for a surrender during the period of the war.

He has added that 11,000 former LTTE cadres have surrendered and 6,000 of them so far have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society. Another 595 child soldiers have been handed over to their parents, he said.

"The false claims and allegations made by the Tamil Diaspora together with the LTTE international network will be laid to rest with the launching of the report," Rajapaksa has said.

The 161-page report compiled by the Ministry of Defence on the Humanitarian Operation, according to the Defence Secretary, aims to provide the factual background and operational context of the war that ended the 30 years of Tamil Tiger terrorism by the LTTE in May 2009.

The report which begins with a detailed analysis of the terrorist outfit, its growth and the atrocities it committed describes the resumption of hostilities in 2006 during the ceasefire period. The final part of the report is a brief overview of the consequences of the Humanitarian Operation that eliminated the organization in Sri Lanka and brought peace to the island nation.

Commenting on the documentary aired by Britain's Channel 4, the Defence Secretary said the serial broadcasts of the British TV station is an attempt to tarnish the country's image and divide the people. "It is an attempt to set back the peace that has been won after three painful decades," Rajapaksa noted.

He hoped with the publication of this document, the false allegations "will be laid to rest once and for all, and that the world will see, beyond any doubt, that the Humanitarian Operation was just."