September 04, 2011
Sept 04, Colombo: Sri Lanka today stands proud as a nation that eradicated terrorism from the country and in doing so made South Asia too safer from terrorism, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today.Addressing the Rotary South Asia Conference on 'Development and Cooperation' at the Galadhari Hotel in Colombo on Sunday, the President said Sri Lanka achieved this success with limited resources and without the economic and fire power other countries waging war against terrorism have at their disposal.
"We have achieved this with much less of the assets, and none of the deceit and duplicity of those who have been waging a War on Terror for more than a decade; those with much more economic and fire power than we had and many more allies than we ever had, but are still caught up in the killing fields made by un-manned drones and other lethal devices that attack civilians, too," he said.
President Rajapaksa who was the chief guest at the conference said it is regrettable that individuals and institutions trying to prosecute Sri Lanka for defeating terrorism are unaware of the truth about Sri Lanka's prolonged battled against terrorism and the nature of the terrorists.
He pointed out that the same countries accusing Sri Lanka of war crimes are harboring those who funded terror in Sri Lanka and providing them with a safe haven to rapidly raise funds now to destabilize the country again.
"Have they no concern for the truth about Sri Lanka's agony and the humanitarian actions that under-scored our battle against terror? Have they no interest in the truth?" he asked.
The President told the audience Sri Lanka is now trying to consolidate the hard-earned peace to bring much needed relief to the people who immensely suffered for decades under the terrorist control.
Speaking of accountability during the war, President Rajapaksa emphasized that for most of those raising voice against Sri Lanka, "accountability is only a verbal apology for civilian deaths that are dismissed as collateral damage in heavy bombings."
"Our commitment to human rights is second to none, and with such commitment we seek to transform our society to one of peace, pluralism and equality," the President said.
He appreciated the Rotary's help during the humanitarian operation and their philanthropic support to provide relief and resettle the displaced.
The President of Rotary International Kalyan Bannerjee welcomed the President presenting him with a memento.
The three-day conference is being held at Galadari and Cinnamon Grands hotels in Colombo from September 4-6 to mark the 82nd anniversary of Rotary Sri Lanka.
Former Presidents of the Rotary International Rajendra Saboo and Bill Boyd, President of the Rotary Organization Committee N. R. Gajendran and Governor of Sri Lanka's Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal also participated in the event.
