(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has vowed he will not permit officers and other ranks who fought in the separatist war to be discredited and emphasized he will not hesitate to withdraw from international organisations that seek to do so.
Speaking at the 11th anniversary of the ending of the conflict and the Remembrance Ceremony for fallen soldiers the President said “I will not allow any room for attempts to discredit and destroy the dignity of our war heroes who made countless sacrifices to bring peace to entire Sri Lanka.”
“If any international body or organization continuously targets our country and our War Heroes, using baseless allegations, I will also not hesitate to withdraw Sri Lanka from such organizations,” the President said addressing the National Ranaviru Day Commemoration held at the National War Memorial at Battaramulla yesterday.
The President said that under his administration, all the measure will be taken to protect the dignity of our heroic forces always.
“It is a national responsibility to ensure their rights,” he added.
He pointed out that war is not a bed of roses, the war heroes had to face numerous bitter experiences and difficulties when battling one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations in the world which did not respect the law.
The President said that during those 30 years of war, helpless civilians got killed everywhere in the country. A large number of lives and properties were lost due to suicide attacks, bombing in buses, trains and buildings carried out by the terrorists.
“The prime objective of the Humanitarian Mission was to bring lasting peace in the country,” he said.
Moreover, he said that in a situation where even leaders of powerful countries have emphatically stated that they would not allow any action against their war heroes, in a small country like ours where our war heroes have sacrificed so much he will not allow anyone to exert undue pressure on them or harass them.
