(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Commemorations for war victims blocked; rajapaksa says will not bow to critics
addressing sri lanka’s fifth year of victory celebrations after ending the war against terrorism president mahinda rajapaksa said that the country celebrates a victory of peace.
“we are celebrating the victory of peace not the victory of war” said president rajapaksa addressing a gathering in southern matara on sunday.
this year’s celebrations for president rajapaksa under whom the military pushed forward to win the war are clouded by an impending international inquiry over alleged war crimes committed by the government troops at the end of the war.
in march this year the un human rights council passed a resolution calling for an independent international probe into the final phase of the war in which thousands of soldiers terrorists as well as civilians died. a un report which the sri lankan government refutes puts the number of dead at 40000.
addressing the gathering in both sinhalese and tamil the president told the people that he is “determined to carry on the celebrations” despite calls by western governments to call off this year’s victory parade.
“this (the victory day) will be celebrated forever” said president rajapaksa. “some governments are blind deaf and dumb. they are opposed to our celebrating this victory” he said.
most of the western envoys in sri lanka did not attend sunday’s celebrations which featured over 7500 troops from the army navy airforce and police forces.
on friday the canadian high commissioner to sri lanka shelley whiting refused to represent her country saying that the annual military parade hurts post-war national reconciliation.
“canada has encouraged the government of sri lanka to retire its annual victory day parade which perpetuates roles of victors and vanquished within the country for a day of remembrance for all those who suffered as a result of the conflict” said whiting in a statement to the media.
“the ltte was a scourge that brought untold suffering to this island nation and all its people however five years after the end of the conflict the time has arrived for sri lanka to move past wartime discourse and to start working seriously towards reconciliation” she said.
lanka government has also ordered a ban on all commemorations this weekend for victims of the conflict which was one of the bloodiest in asia’s post-colonial history.
police on sunday blocked tamils from going to a hindu temple in the town of keerimalai in the battle-scarred jaffna peninsula and the main state-run blood bank refused donations fearing it was linked to remembrance of war victims a tamil politician said.
eswarapatham saravanapavan a tamil lawmaker who also runs a newspaper in jaffna said that while he managed to enter the temple civilians were prevented by police from attending a service to bless the dead.
“the temple had prepared alms for 1000 people but there were only five including myself because of the security blockade” saravanapavan said. he said police and troops obstructed him at many places.
“within our newspaper office we had a remembrance for those who died in the conflict” saravanapavan said adding that the blood bank had refused to accept donations from his staff on sunday. many people donate blood as a sign of invoking merit for deceased loved ones. police on friday also broke up a remembrance service that was being held in council offices in jaffna.
the sri lankan military defeated the tamil tiger rebels which the fbi termed as the “deadliest terrorist force in the world” after a final bloody battle in which the army killed the terrorist leader velupillai prabhakaran in 2009.
the tigers who have assassinated two world leaders including the indian prime minister rajiv gandhi were known for their suicide bombings recruiting child soldiers and ruthless terror activities.
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(with inputs from afp)
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