Sri Lankan forces ended LTTE civil war through 'humanitarian operation': Gotabaya

Marking the national War Heroes Day, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the armed forces ended the LTTE civil war in 2009 through a “humanitarian operation”, but the government still faces a UN-led probe into the alleged human rights violations

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has praised the country's military for ending the brutal conflict with the LTTE in 2009 and ushering in peace through a “humanitarian operation”, saying there was no hatred, anger or revenge involved in the nearly three-decade-long civil war.

In a statement issued to mark the War Heroes Day on May 18, Mr. Rajapaksa, who is also the Defence Minister, asserted that the armed forces, who “safeguarded the freedom and territorial integrity” of the country will never be forgotten, under any circumstances.

"Our armed forces put an end to the war and brought peace to the country through a humanitarian operation. There was no hatred, anger or revenge in it. Therefore, there is no room for racism or any other form of extremism in the motherland where peace was established. We regard it as a unique value in Sri Lankan society,” said Mr. Rajapaksa, who was Defence Secretary during the conflict with the Tamil Tigers.

The president, who is still facing pressure to resign for the country's current economic crisis, said the special day will be commemorated this year by recalling the immense sacrifices made by the armed forces, The Island reported on May 19.

Some Sri Lankans celebrated the 13th anniversary of the brutal war as War Heroes Day on Wednesday while others commemorated the deaths of thousands of war victims as Tamils Genocide Day.

Then-president Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 18, 2009 declared the end of a 26-year war in which over 1,00,000 people were killed and millions of Sri Lankans, mainly minority Tamils, displaced as refugees inside the country and abroad.

In the bitterly-fought conflict that started in 1983, the island nation’s military ended the brutal war by killing the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which fought for an independent state for Tamils in the country’s north and east.