Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader and lawyer Udaya Gammanpila has described Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath’s response to the British government’s sanctions on four Sri Lankan war heroes as a “spineless” reaction aimed at appeasing the Tamil separatist voter bloc.
Speaking at a media conference held at the party’s headquarters in Pitakotte, Gammanpila criticized the government’s response as lacking strength and substance. He stated:
“Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath issued a statement yesterday on behalf of the government, which has been delaying a response to the sanctions imposed by the British government targeting the Tamil separatist voter bloc. However, the statement is weak and ineffective. The government merely states that Britain made a unilateral decision, which is not surprising. The response does not indicate that the decision was made in consultation with the Sri Lankan government. As the Foreign Minister mentioned, the claim that this decision will derail Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process is certainly true.”
Gammanpila continued to argue that when Britain makes such serious accusations against Sri Lankan war heroes, a stronger response is necessary. He emphasized that the war heroes acted on orders from the Commander-in-Chief and not on their own accord. Therefore, the Sri Lankan government has a duty and responsibility to protect them.
“The position of the JVP or the Compass government is irrelevant to us and the world. But the entire world is watching to see how the Sri Lankan government, which sent these war heroes to the battlefield, responds to these allegations,” he stated.
He further questioned the credibility of the British government’s decision-making process:
“What investigation did the British government conduct to reach such a conclusion? What is the basis for selecting only these four war heroes? The statement even mentions allegations of sexual harassment. If so, what are the specific allegations, and why was the former Army Commander during the war bypassed in favor of the Navy Commander who was primarily involved in sea battles?”
Gammanpila expressed shame at the Sri Lankan government’s failure to challenge the British government’s statement by raising pertinent questions and providing a strong defense of the nation’s war heroes.
He also implied that the weak response may have been influenced by external forces, particularly mentioning U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung.
“We as a country are ashamed that our government lacks the backbone to firmly respond to the British government’s baseless allegations against Sri Lankan war heroes. While Britain takes no action against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was found guilty of war crimes by the Chilcot Report, our government remains silent. Minister Vijitha Herath, known for his patriotism in the Patriotic People’s Movement, may have drafted this statement, but we have reason to suspect that it was altered by Julie Chung, the U.S.-appointed Governor-General of Sri Lanka, who seems to be ruling over our government. If this is the case, Minister Herath must explain how this happened,” he concluded.
