Internal problems of a country can be resolved through the commitment and dedication of its people and Sri Lanka is a good example in this regard, stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Problems can only be resolved through the will of the people instead of external interventions, he further stated.

The President made these statements while addressing the Ukrainian National Defence Academy yesterday (July 1) during his official visit to Ukraine.

President Rajapaksa further said that the experience of Sri Lanka in defeating terrorism was an example to other countries faced with challenges posed by terrorism. He attributed the reasons for the victory to the great humanism displayed by the country's security forces.

The President added that he was prepared to share the experience of his victorious forces in defeating terrorism with the security forces of other nations that are battling terrorism. He stressed that this sharing of experience will assist Governments and their security forces who seek to make the world a safer place by rooting out terrorism.

President Rajapaksa also expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian Government for the assistance extended to his country's fight against terrorism.

Following is the full text of the President’s speech at the Ukraine National Defence Academy on 1 July, 2010


I am extremely pleased to address senior officials of defence at the Ukraine National Defence Academy during my first official visit to Ukraine. I say this because I believe that we can share a gamut of experience on national security with the entire world.

Sri Lanka, last year, defeated the menace of terrorism which plagued the nation for three decades. Due to this tremendous victory, we have been the focus of military specialists all over the world. Analysts state that our experience will greatly benefit countries that face threats from terrorism.

The defeat of LTTE, the world’s most ruthless terrorist organization which introduced suicide bombings to the world, was an astonishing phenomenon to military analysts and Army Commanders of other developed nations. This may be because the LTTE’s strength was overestimated and the determination and skills of our military was underestimated. It is also due to the powerful media campaign carried out by the LTTE around the world. The capabilities of the terrorists were exaggerated by the use of various tools of media. Thus, the world, witnessing the deadly acts of terrorists, believed that no army is capable of defeating them.

On the one hand, I do not think it is wrong that many thought in this way because it was only the LTTE out of all terrorist organizations in the world that owned a navy and some aero planes. They also owned some light aircrafts. They came to Colombo, the Capital of Sri Lanka, in these crafts and hurled bombs they themselves built and terrorized the people. This is why the LTTE was named by most as the world’s most powerful terrorist organization.

These terrorists caused a lot of damage in our country. They attacked our airport and destroyed aircrafts. They attacked the harbour. They even carried out a bomb attack on the Central Bank of Sri Lanka using a lorry filled with explosives. They also attacked hotels targeting tourists and assassinated a President of our country, the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi as well as several Presidential candidates and politicians in Sri Lanka. Many of the democratic Tamil political leaders were murdered by the LTTE. Such are the destructive activities of the LTTE.

Yet my dear friends, I believe that the absolute commitment of the government and the people is crucial to face any challenge posed against the existence of a nation and its democratic structure. The strength of the military alone is not enough to eliminate terrorism.

Those in the military will gain an unwavering determination to rescue the nation from terrorism when the government and the people are committed. Thus, a nation must posses a firm political leadership. We gave a steady and unyielding political leadership for this purpose. Our military laid trust in that leadership and carried out their task successfully.

The next step was the timely acquisition of weapons, military crafts and ships necessary for the military. Similar to obtaining weapons for the military, we gave priority to fulfilling the needs of soldiers. It is with much gratitude I recall that Ukraine was among the foremost countries which offered military aircrafts and weapons without hesitation in this hour of need. It further strengthened the friendship between our two countries.

Friends,

We had to fight a ruthless terrorist organization that attempted to create an atmosphere of hatred among the communities by spreading falsehood and disinformation in addition to instilling fear psychosis through violence, intimidation and coercion. The terrorists did not respect law, ethics or international norms in battle.

Our forces have fought these dreaded terrorists with complete adherence to the Human Rights Declaration and keeping in mind the military discipline and humanitarian needs of the civilians besieged by the terrorists. It is not an easy task for an ordinary army.

Our forces had to launch a humanitarian operation to rescue hundreds of thousands of civilians who were forcibly held by the terrorists. We consider our security force personnel as great heroes as they achieved great victory against the terrorists while giving utmost consideration to the safety of civilians.

The fact that over 300,000 civilians have sought refuge in the security forces with complete trust and confidence reflects the quality of the humanitarian operation and the compassion of members of our security forces and the inhuman nature of the terrorists.

The terrorist, not only fired at fleeing Tamil civilians, they also sent suicide bombers along with the fleeing civilians. A female suicide bomber disguised as a pregnant woman blew herself up killing several innocent Tamil civilians and members of the security forces. Our security forces did not deter from the humanitarian objectives despite such dangers. They risked their lives to rescue the Tamil civilians held by the terrorists.

Friends,

Prior to this humanitarian operation, the morale of the forces was very low. They too believed that the terrorists could not be defeated. They were discouraged by that belief. Under our political leadership, the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Secretary identified strengths and weaknesses of the security forces and took effective measures to uplift their morale. We have reinforced their mentality and arranged for a good coordination system. We have looked into their personal needs and fulfilled them. Programmes were implemented to build houses for them and solve the health and educational needs of their family members. . In turn, the soldiers have also made heavy sacrifices. The government has also taken steps to increase the strength of the security forces and train them well.

All fund requirements were met without delay or obstacles. The navy has manufactured smaller attack crafts which were later proven to be very effective. All these are results of proper coordination between the political leadership and the defence administration.

We have launched thousands of attack naval crafts into the sea. By doing so, our navy has succeeded in preventing supply and transport of weapons by the terrorists and curb attacks by terrorist suicide boats.

Foreign military intervention to an internal conflict is not a solution. If a foreign army intervenes in an internal conflict, the people of that country may consider it an invasion. It is essential to have the support of the people to defeat terrorism. As the people do not expect the intervention of foreign forces to solve a problem, they will not receive the support of the people. The world can learn this from the Sri Lankan experience.

We all look forward to a peaceful world. Let us, for the security of our nation, unite to free the world from terrorism.

Thank you