Sinhala Buddhist monks, members of the military and senior political figires were present as the Minister of Defence hosted a poetry book launch this month, with Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne writing 2579 poems on the state defeated LTTE 'terrorism'.
Gunaratne commanded troops during the Tamil genocide and stands accused of personally overseeing and directing war crimes. He was commander of the army’s infamous 53 Division during the 2009 massacres, and allegedly oversaw numerous abuses, including sexual violence, summary executions and the disappearance of those who surrendered to the military. Amongst those his troops are accused of executing is Tamil journalist Isaipriya.
His latest book, the second on his time within the military, reportedly reflects on his “personal experiences as a military officer during the war”.
At the launch event, Gunaratne and his wife presented the very first copy of the book senior members of the Sinhala Buddhist clergy. Other senior military and government figures were also present, including fellow accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“Gunaratne’s first-hand experiences lend authenticity and emotional depth to the poems, allowing readers to grasp the gravity of the war and the immense sacrifices made to preserve Sri Lanka’s sovereignty,” said the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence.
After the war ended, Gunaratne went on to run one of Sri Lanka’s most notorious torture camps in Vavuniya.
In 2017, he told an audience that “traitors” who attempt to divide Sri Lankan by introducing a new constitution must be killed. He went on to slam attempts to introduce a new constitution as “on the requirement of the Western forces and Tamil Diaspora to please Tamil separatists”.
There have been calls from British parliamentarians calling for him to face sanctions.
