War against separatist terrorism: Gen. Daya Rathnayake's narrative

The war against separatist terrorism could have been brought to a successful conclusion much earlier if not for utterly irresponsible, foolish, politically motivated and treacherous actions of successive governments.

- BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

President Ranasinghe Premadasa's handling of the war (January 1989-May 1993) is a glaring case in point. Premadasa's ill-conceived political strategies that had caused so much destruction at the onset of Eelam War IV, in June 1990, demoralised the armed forces and resulted in debilitating setbacks. Premadasa prolonged the war that lasted two decades (From Eelam War II to IV/ 1990 to 2009).

Former Army Commander General Daya Rathnayake, in his recently launched memoirs 'Sri Lankawe Bedumwadi Thrasthawadaya 1975-2009' (Separatist Terrorism in Sri Lanka 1975 to 2009) briefly dealt with Premadasa's handling of the war, after becoming the President on January 02, 1989. Perhaps, Rathnayake should have elaborated on Premadasa's period, as the LTTE underwent a drastic transformation during Premadasa's time. Premadasa not only directed the military to fully cooperate with the LTTE, the group was also provided with both arms, ammunition and finance, at the taxpayers' expense.

Rathnayake, nor the previous ex-military officers who authored books on the conflict, never really bothered to examine this aspect.