There is no ethnic cleansing in the East by the Govt

The capture of Thoppigala long considered the nerve center of the LTTE, and the subsequent celebrations by the government has received both praise and criticism. While the Opposition UNP accuses the government of politicizing the capture, the government maintains it was only concerned with liberating the East for the people to enjoy greater freedom.

The President on Thursday dismissed criticism that the capture of Thoppigala was an attempt by the majority to have its sway over the minority ‘We will not only ensure the right to vote but also carry out speedy development work, with the construction of roads, hospitals, schools, industries and the supply of electricity, giving new hope and new life to the people in the east,” he said.

Governor of the Eastern Province Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama tells Hard Talk that with a positive frame of mind and the cooperation of all including the international community the government can democratize the province without much difficulty. He insists that development is a must to build the confidence of the people on the administration. Such confidence he believes will make the people see that the LTTE is not the alternative and they will move closer to the government and the ‘LTTE will find it difficult to survive in that scenario.’

Q: Was Thoppigala more a political victory combined with a media frenzy than a real strategic military operation against terrorism?

* Democratising the East is a daunting task.
* Karuna is also threatened by the LTTE.
* Karuna will be a certain substitute for the LTTE and the TNA.
* If the TNA wants to be the power they were they will certainly have to work for it.

I see Thoppigala as the last bastion of the LTTE war machinery in the Eastern province. It’s true that Thoppigala is surrounded by a large jungle area, but they had camps there and these camps were supposed to be impenetrable and they were operating from these camps. Therefore by capturing Thoppigala and the surrounding area we have prevented the LTTE from using those camps to conduct various types of campaigns against the civilians and the military in the area. So I see it certainly as a military victory.

Q: But how do you see these accusations by various sides including the opposition?

I don’t know why they make these accusations, but as a retired naval officer I see the capture as a strategical military victory if you are going to ensure security in the Eastern province.

Q: But the military aspect apart isn’t democratizing the East easier said than done?

It's certainly a daunting task. One just can’t bring normalcy overnight. We have to work hard with all stake holders such as other political parties including groups like Karuna, who have to be brought in to the democratic stream. It needs to be done and you need to look at it positively. It may not happen immediately but we should be able to do it within the course of the next few years. I am very sure that if we have a positive frame of mind and have the cooperation of all including the international community we can democratize the province without much difficulty.

Q:What is the position of Karuna and other paramilitary groups in normalizing the East?

I think there is a little bit of exaggeration as far as Karuna is concerned. He is also threatened by the LTTE and therefore will have to defend themselves, like Douglas Devananda in the North. But the EPDP came in to the democratic fold and Karuna also should join the democratic system laying down their arms. But if they are threatened they may have to defend themselves. Until their safety is assured it will be difficult to totally disarm them. So I don’t think anybody would like to lay down arms and come in to the democratic stream and just get eliminated. But we should be able to make sure that Karuna is not permitted to carry arms in the East. Presently the armed forces and the police are preventing any other groups from carrying arms.

Q:What is his presence like in the East today? What is your assessment of his presence, political or otherwise in the area?

I will not be able to tell you because I have no communication with him, but from what I see in the newspapers they have a political wing which of course get in touch with me sometimes. They were in touch with me when they wanted some housing for some Tamil people who had not got houses after the Tsunami. And they also seem to be filling the vacuum created by the departure of the LTTE. And if they come strong with eminent persons to back them I think they will be a certain substitute for the LTTE and the TNA.

Q:But in a scenario where Karuna is to be de-armed how and who will monitor that Karuna cadres don’t carry weapons in the province?

Certainly in the cleared areas they are not permitted to carry arms. At various check points if they are caught and arrested, certain action will be taken. They are not supposed to carry arms in any of the areas now.

Q:What was the message that the killing of the Secretary conveyed?

That was a means of taking revenge from the government for liberating the East. He was a high profile target; he was a very dedicated, motivated, honest officer who served all communities alike. His track record as the GA Ampara was equally good winning the respect of all three communities. So he was a soft target. It was a target that the LTTE could take with ease. But taking him doesn’t mean that the security in the East is in anyway compromised. We will ensure that such soft targets will not be available to them in the future.

Q:How would you ensure the security of government servants in the future?

We are taking adequate measures to see that they will be looked after much better in the future.

Q:Do you have any idea who will take his place?

No appointment has been made and the government will be making that decision.

Q: With the greater possibility of guerrilla operations being stepped up till it becomes too costly for LTTE to carry on fighting in the east, how viable are the resettlement or development plans proposed?

How I look at it is that they will go back to their traditional guerrilla warfare of the pre 1990 era, where they will try to take opportune targets and disturb the administration. The only way I see is to win the hearts and minds of the people and prevent LTTE having safe houses to operate from because they have lost all their bases in the East. If there is development and there is confidence of the people on the administration and they realise that the LTTE is not the alternative they will move closer to the government and the LTTE will find it difficult to survive in that scenario.

Q: But how wise would it be to go ahead with the resettlement and development plans right away? Wouldn’t they be a sure target?

If development and resettlement doesn’t take place, it is a breeding ground for terrorism. If you want to wipe terrorism off, people have to be resettled and permitted to live a peaceful life with opportunities for livelihood activities. The government is focusing seriously on this programme and we are trying to bring in more and more investment to the area. This should be the attitude of the government and they are on the right track.

Q:Are you in anyway concerned that with the attention moving to the North soon, and the troop withdrawals that may have to take place security may be compromised affecting these plans?

The East can’t be forgotten. If that happens the victory will be lost. That is why I said that development will be the engine that will drive the economy of the East. And to ensure that we must ensure that the security is maintained. I don’t know about the North but I know that we can’t neglect or compromise the security in the East. The security experts will decide on that and I feel that the same level of troops will not be there when the LTTE is flushed out, but what is required is an adequate amount of troops to manage the security. Now that the areas are captured you don’t need such a high level of troop presence. How much they will move and retain is really a question for the defence authorities. But for development to take place you can’t compromise on security.

Q: There is speculation that the Government is not settling returnees in Trincomalee and the Government is accused of purposely carrying out ethnic cleansing. What is your response?

There is no basis for such accusations and the Government is not pursuing such a course of action. The Trincomalee Urban Metro Development plan which has been discussed for a very long time under various Governments was taken up again in 2006. This plan was discussed in detail with the UDA and the Provincial Council, Government Agent and his network and the Chairman of Pradeshiya Sabhas and all Ministries in the central Government directly involved. The Zoning plan was subsequently derived for the overall development of the Town. To cater to certain development areas naturally had been identified. The people who lived in these areas will be relocated with minimum inconvenience. They will be provided with housing etc; better than what they originally had. In fact during the accelerated Mahaweli scheme I remember villages were relocated and even for the Matara Colombo highway too a large number of families were relocated. This is not new in Sri Lanka. For development various changes are necessary.

Q:What percentage of funds really is in place for the development plans?

Huge amount of funds have been committed. I wouldn’t be able to say off hand but a fair amount of funds are committed. Some are committed directly by the government. Even in the Gama Neguma programme , the involvement is great. A lot of infrastructure and livelihood projects are going on in each village. So a lot of things are happening over there.

Q: So the government is not looking out for private banks to help out?

Certainly at the end of the day you can’t carry it out without the participation of the private sector. It won’t be complete especially in the present economic equation. However I see that the reluctance is not by the government but the private sector, but as soon as they see that the security situation is conducive they will walk in.

Q:How many people are already settled and what are the plans for the immediate future?

It is very successful. Resettlement in Batticaloa except for Thoppigala and Vaunativ which were recently liberated where de-mining process needs to take place, will take some time. About 40,000 people are in Batticaloa and to be resettled there. Then we have about 10,000 left from Trincomalee in Batticaloa and they are being brought in batches and are being resettled after making the infrastructure in place. The difference is that in Batticaloa the displaced were resettled fairly quickly and they were resettled within six months because the schools and hospitals had only suffered minimal damage. But in Trincomalee displaced people had been away for more than a year. The resettlement programme is moving fairly satisfactorily.

Q:What about the elections? The Parliament yesterday passed the Bill to hold fresh elections in Batticaloa.

That is not a provincial subject but a decision for the central government. If you look at the Eastern province comprising of the Batticaloa, Ampara and Trincomalee districts, in 2006 we had Local Government elections and members were elected for all the PS in the Trincomalee and Ampara districts and some in Batticaloa. So I think that elections will be held only for the few that were not held in 2006.

Q:But can you ensure free and fair elections with the obvious difficulties for main Tamil parties like TNA fielding candidates with the presence of Karuna, who voted against the Bill?

TNA will certainly have to prove it at another election. You can’t just be in Parliament and say that they represent the people. And maybe if there is an alternative party, they may grab power from them. Certainly the government will have a free and fair election and if the TNA wants to be the power they were they will certainly have to work for it. And at the moment they are not doing anything.

Q:What do you mean they aren’t doing anything?

Well other than just talking about their rights on media they are not on ground.

Q:But isn’t their concern that with a greater armed presence of Karuna cadres they will not be able to campaign in any election?

No I don’t think so. I will not subscribe to that, because unless they live in uncleared areas and now there are no such areas, if they want to come and do politics or development activities in the East and certainly if they feel that the security is insufficient they can request for special security for that purpose for such duration which will be provided. They have never made such a request to my knowledge.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/21/opinion/2.asp)