Speaking at the National War Heroes Day celebrations at Sri Jayawardenapura - Kotte, on June 7, President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised that “task of safeguarding democracy and restoring peace” will soon be accomplished.
“As we remember and honour our Heroes of War, on behalf of the country and the nation, we pledge to complete the task of safeguarding democracy and restoring peace for which they sacrificed their lives and assure you all that the day is not far when we shall accomplish this,” the President said.
Launching an attack on the media and the international community, the Sri Lankan President also called on the opposition, unions and other to not “betray the nation”.
While it was “possible, if necessary, ... to use the armed forces to erect fences and barricades ..., how can we fence or barricade the mouths of those who hate the country?” the President asked.
“I ask all political parties including the opposition, and various other organizations not to betray the victory we have won as a nation. If anyone tries to destroy this, it would amount to destroying a great mansion built upon the aspirations of the people,” he said.
The President said that though politicians were able to respond to allegations, “at the theatres of war at Jaffna or Muhamalai, the troops who come forward ready to sacrifice their lives facing up to enemy bullets, and their officers, have no opportunity to respond to false charges and allegations.”
“When we began we had to make a great commitment to build the morale of our troops. It is not possible to win a war with weapons alone.”
“For this it is necessary for the soldier who goes into battle to have trust and confidence in his leadership. In order to build their morale we had to resolve many problems affecting then, such as service conditions, weapons training, suitable housing, and education for their children,” he said.
“By facing up to the international forces that were attempting to make us withdraw the steps we had taken against terrorism, and by replying to the false charges they made, we showed that we were not ready to betray our troops,” he said.
“From the time it began, the battle against terrorism, against Eelam; this battle to develop the country, has been pulled back to serve the interest of various forces. This was due diverse pressures such as international opinion or the interest of those in this country who seek to profit from the slogan of peace,” he said.
“But we have not made our troops take a single step forward for political reasons and also they have not taken any step back due to any such interests or pressures, and will not do so in the future too,” the President said.
Noting that the memorial was near the location of the legislature, the President said “We considered it important to have this memorial to our War Heroes located near our supreme legislature because of the service rendered by our War Heroes to safeguard parliamentary democracy and the rights of the people.”
“Now, the representatives of the people will also have the opportunity to pay their respects to the heroes who are protecting democracy before they enter the shrine of democracy,” he said.
Praising the Sri Lankan soldiers, President Rajapaksa said: “The time is not very far when our War Heroes will be honoured not only in our country but throughout the world. Our War Heroes are fighting with sacrifice of their lives to mark a full stop in
“There was a time when no one thought our War Heroes will be able to give this example to the world. Our War Heroes are not only engaged in battling terrorism, they are also engaged in a great operation to ensure and provide the human rights and the necessities of the people,” he said.
