Author: TELO Admin

Ex- President Mahinda Rajakaksa says the Tamil Tigers killed 27,965 Sri Lanka soldiers and police as well as thousands of civilians and expects the current administration to defend military commanders.

The statement came after The United Kingdom announced sanctions including travel against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and well as a Tiger leader.

“It was I, as the Executive President of Sri Lanka who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE and the armed forces implemented that decision on the ground,” President Rajapaksa said in a statement.

“Three decades of LTTE terrorism claimed the lives of 27,965 armed forces and police personnel not to mention the lives of many thousands of civilians including politicians.

“What Sri Lanka defeated in 2009 was the organization that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had officially designated as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world.

“It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom introduced special legislation in 2021 and 2023 to protect their own armed forces from persecution by interested parties.

“Hence I expect the present government to resolutely stand by and defend former armed forces personnel who face persecution by foreign governments and organisations for doing their duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s national security.”

The full statement is reproduced below :

UK Sanctions against Sri Lankan armed forces Commanders

The United Kingdom govt. has announced sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya over unproven allegations of human rights violations during the war with the LTTE. It was I, as the Executive President of Sri Lanka who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE and the armed forces implemented that decision on the ground.

Despite the 2002 ceasefire agreement, the LTTE had carried out 363 killings during the ceasefire between February 2002 and the end of September 2005. LTTE attacks intensified in the first few weeks and months after I was elected President in November 2005. Among the most serious such incidents were claymore mine attacks on 4 and 6 December 2005 in Jaffna that killed thirteen soldiers, a suicide attack on a naval craft on 5 January 2006 that killed 15 naval personnel, and the suicide attack on the Army Commander inside Army Headquarters in April 2006.

Despite all that, my government held two rounds of peace talks in January and June 2006 in Geneva and Oslo which were unilaterally halted by the LTTE. The LTTE landmine attack on a civilian bus in Kebithogollawa in June 2006 which killed 64 and seriously injured 86, many of them children – was a pivotal moment for me and my govt. Military operations commenced in July 2006 when the LTTE closed the Mawilaru anicut cutting off irrigation water to cultivators in the Trincomalee district and did not stop until the LTTE was completely defeated on 19 May 2009.

I categorically reject the UK govt.’s allegation of widespread human rights violations during the military operations. Lord Naseby stated in the House of Lords on 12 October 2017 that the then UK Defence Attache in Colombo Lieutenant Colonel Anton Gash had in conversation with him, praised the discipline of the Sri Lanka army and stated that there certainly was no policy to kill civilians.

Because Lt. Col Anton Gash’s war time dispatches to London differ so significantly from the narrative promoted by the UK political authorities, only a heavily redacted version of those dispatches have been released. We conducted military operations only against the LTTE and not against the Tamil people.

Just months after the war ended, when my wartime army commander came forward as the opposition candidate at the 2010 presidential elections, the Tamil National Alliance issued a statement on 6 January 2010 appealing to the Tamil people to vote for the former army commander and he won over 60% of the votes cast in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, thus directly contradicting the narrative being promoted by the UK govt.

Imposing sanctions on Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan a.k.a Karuna Amman who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 and later entered democratic politics is a clear case of penalizing anti-LTTE Tamils so as to placate the dominant segment of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.

When the UK foreign secretary David Milliband came to Sri Lanka in April 2009 and demanded a halt to military operations, I flatly turned him down. Later, a London based newspaper The Telegraph revealed – quoting secret documents made public by Wikileaks – that Mr. Miliband had tried to intervene in Sri Lanka to win Tamil votes for the Labour Party. Regrettably, to this day vote bank politics determines the UK’s stand on Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE.

Three decades of LTTE terrorism claimed the lives of 27,965 armed forces and police personnel not to mention the lives of many thousands of civilians including politicians. What Sri Lanka defeated in 2009 was the organization that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had officially designated as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world. It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom introduced special legislation in 2021 and 2023 to protect their own armed forces from persecution by interested parties.

Hence I expect the present government to resolutely stand by and defend former armed forces personnel who face persecution by foreign governments and organisations for doing their duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s national security.

The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a hearing for 15 September 2025 to address petitions challenging the agreements through which India ceded the Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka in the 1970s.

This follows the Court’s recent decision to allow DMK leader T.R. Baalu to substitute the late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi as the petitioner in the case.

The petitions contest the legality of the agreements signed on 26 and 28 June 1974 and 23 March 1976, which formalised the transfer of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. The petitioners argue that these accords, executed without parliamentary approval, resulted in the unconstitutional cession of Indian territory.

The Katchatheevu issue has been a longstanding point of contention, particularly in Tamil Nadu, where political leaders have periodically called for the retrieval of the islet.

In 2014, the Indian government informed the Supreme Court that reclaiming Katchatheevu was not feasible, asserting that no Indian territory had been ceded, as the area was disputed and had never been demarcated.

The upcoming hearing is expected to revisit these arguments and assess the constitutional validity of the 1970s agreements.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism has issued a statement in response to the decision of the government of the United Kingdom (UK) to impose sanction against three former military commanders and a former minister.

The ministry said it takes note of the Press Release dated 24th March 2025, issued by the UK, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) entitled “UK Sanctions for Human Rights Violations and Abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War”.

As stated in the press release, the UK government has imposed sanctions on four individuals, three of whom are former military commanders of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said it is also noted that the UK FCDO Press Release refers to “a commitment made during the election campaign to ensure those responsible are not allowed impunity”.

In this regard, the Ministry said it wishes to underline that this is a “unilateral action” taken by the UK government which involves an asset freeze and travel ban on the individuals concerned.

“Such unilateral actions by countries do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka,” the ministry said in the statement.

It further said that the government is in the process of strengthening domestic mechanisms on accountability and reconciliation and that any past human rights violations should be dealt with through domestic accountability mechanisms.

The statement further said that the position of the Government of Sri Lanka was conveyed by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath to the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has arrested former State Minister Sathasivam Viyalendran.

After being produced before the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court, he has been remanded until April 1.

Sri Lanka, strategically located on the busy East-West maritime route, has seen a notable influx of warships from major global powers between 2024 and now. India led with eight naval vessels including two submarines, followed by China with five, Japan with three, the United States with two, and France with one aircraft carrier strike group. These increased naval engagements had deepened Sri Lanka’s growing importance in regional maritime security, with global powers deepening defence and security relations in the Indian Ocean region.

According to the data, India has been actively strengthening its maritime ties with Sri Lanka, sending a series of naval vessels between 2024 and now, the data showed. Between 8-10 January 2024, the Indian Navy’s INS Kabra, a Fast Attack Craft, docked at Colombo Port. Following that, INS Karanj, a submarine, visited the port from 3-5 February 2024. In late February, the Indian Coast Guard ships ICGS Samarth and ICGS Abhinav arrived at Galle and Colombo Ports between 27 February and 1 March 2024. Between 20-23 June 2024, the INS Kamorta, an anti-submarine warfare corvette, docked at Trincomalee.

Later in the year, the INS Shalki (submarine) visited Colombo from 2-4 August 2024, followed by the INS Mumbai, a guided-missile destroyer, from 26-29 August 2024. In November, INS Vela, another submarine, made a visit to Colombo from 11-13 November 2024. The most recent Indian naval visit was from INS Kuthar, a Khukri-class corvette, which arrived in Colombo for a three-day operational visit from 3-6 March 2025.

China, on the other hand, has sent five vessels, including both warships and support ships, to Sri Lanka. On 26 August 2024, three Chinese warships—Hefei (Destroyer), Wuzhishan (Landing Platform Dock), and Qilianshan (Landing Platform Dock)—arrived at Colombo Port for a formal visit. This was followed by the Po Lang, a Chinese sail training ship, which docked at Colombo on 8 October 2024. On 21 December 2024, the Peace Ark, a Chinese naval hospital ship, arrived in Colombo as part of Mission Harmony-2024, providing medical services to Sri Lankans.

Japan has also increased its maritime presence in Sri Lanka, with notable visits from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). JS Samidare, a destroyer, conducted joint exercises with Sri Lanka’s SLNS Gajabahu at Colombo Port from 20-22 June 2024, and made another visit from 17-19 November 2024. Additionally, the JMSDF’s Murasame arrived in Colombo on 22 March 2025, for a replenishment visit.

The United States Navy made two important port calls in Sri Lanka in 2024. The USS Spruance, a guided missile destroyer, visited Colombo from 19-20 August 2024, and the USS Michael Murphy, another Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, arrived from 16-17 November 2024. In addition to these visits, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, was in Colombo from 19-21 March 2025. Also, Admiral Steve Koehler, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited Sri Lanka on 10 October 2024, to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.

France’s Clemenceau 25 aircraft carrier strike group arrived in Colombo on 16 March 2025, reinforcing regional maritime security collaboration. This visit highlights the long-standing maritime ties between Sri Lanka and France, which were further cemented with the establishment of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies (RCMS) in 2024.