Rajapakse personally authorized final stages of war: SL Army Chief

The current head of the Sri Lankan army, Jagath Jayasuriya, has said that President Mahinda Rajapakse personally instructed armed forces to press ahead with military operations despite coming under massive international pressure during the final phases of the war in 2009. [caption id=“attachment_288509” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The Army Chief’s statement is unlikely to be looked upon kindly by Rajapakse: Reuters”]  [/caption] “President Mahinda Rajapaksa was determined and did not give in to pressures of the international community to suddenly stop the military operations when the Wanni humanitarian operations were entering a decisive phases around April 2009,” Army Chief Jagath Jayasuriya told troops in the town of Kurunegala, according to the Daily Mirror  newspaper. Though couched in praise, Jayasuriya’s statement is unlikely to be looked upon kindly by the Rajapakse administration who have sought to distance themselves from charges that troops indiscriminately bombed civilian areas in the final stages of the war against the LTTE. Sri Lanka were also recently chastised by the United Nations Human Rights Council for not implementing recommendations to enhance reconciliation efforts in areas affected by the war. The UNHRC resolution also asked for greater transparency from the government. The UN resolution was widely decried in Sri Lanka, where it was portrayed as an attempt by the United States and other Western countries to interfere with the sovereignty of the country. The Army Headquarters issued a statement quoting the Army Chief’s statement which read, “I still remember, the President, personally giving me a call instructing me to pursue the operations as planned, though he remained under enormous pressure to stop it. It was the country’s political leadership that gave strength to us to be successful".