« Two soldiers wait for electricity to power their sewing machines at a tailor shop opened up in front of their unit's headquarters, just outside Kilinochchi, northern Sri Lanka. The military has started opening cafes, tailor shops and other businesses throughout the north »

Jehan Perara’s article , « Economic and Political costs of over extending Military Role» has been published in the DBS Jeyaraj’s anti government website TransCurrent.

And DBS Jeyaraj makes his own comments in presenting Jehan Perera’s article. This is to examine his comments.

What have they against the Sri Lanka Armed Forces unless they want to be in the good books of the anti Sri Lanka Western Countries, perhaps hoping for a few priviledges falling into their laps.

The Sri Lanka Armed Forces are an integral part of our Nation and our country. Our Armed Forces cannot be compared to any other Armed Force in the world such as that of the NATO. Our Soldiers had been battered by a ruthless villainous terrorists, who were pampered and strengthened by the International Community, which despite banning the terrorist group, allowed the expatriate Tamils settled in their countries to form terrorist front organizations and collect funds to help terrorists in Sri Lanka to continue their massacres, murders and subjugation of poor Tamil civilians in the areas under their control .

The soldiers of our Armed forces did not take arms against the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. They were conscious that they were fighting a war against the Tamil terrorists and not against the ordinary Tamil people, who they were ever ready to help, whether they were running away from the terrorists or were among the terrorist kept by them as a human shield.

They the soldiers were brothers, sons and even fathers to Tamil Community harassed by the terrorists and forced to be their slaves. When they were being rescued, the Soldiers carried the old in their arms, wounded were helped to walk, the children were fed. When they were in the IDP camps they were provided security at risk to their own lives. When they travelled the soldiers were their guards providing security, and their wants. Now the war is over , and DBS Jeyaraj mourns , “Hello Friends, The war may be over but the Armed forces of Sri Lanka continue to play an assertive role in the affairs of the Country. »

But what was DBS Jeyaraj doing all that time , he was certainly before a computer in a warm comfortable room writing articles in favour of terrorists, and against Government Armed Forces, which he still continues to do.

To day the war against terrorism is over. But is terrorism over ? It is people like DBS Jeyaraj and Jehan Perera who give hope for “sleeping terrorists” to lie low until space is provided for them to be awakened.

Therefore the presence of soldiers is a boon to our nation and also to ungrateful Tamils who will again be provided security and protection and IDP camps in case the attempts of pseudo patriotic Tamils like Jeyaraj, Pakiasothy Saravanamutta, Kumar David , Jehan Perera et al , will succeed to revive terrorism once again.
If there were to be terrorism once again in Sri Lanka it will not be Jehan Perera and DBS Jeyaraj who will take arms against them; it will again be the Sinhala Buddhist Soldiers from Sinhala villages in the South who will sacrifice their lives to protect both the country and the people of all races and religions. Therefore, no one can question the right of the soldiers and the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka playing an assertive role in the affairs of the Country. Because it is on them that we will have to fall back, if the necessity arises.

DBS Jeyaraj borrows an image from Al Jazeera with the caption, « Two soldiers wait for electricity to power their sewing machines at a tailor shop opened up in front of their unit's headquarters, just outside Kilinochchi, northern Sri Lanka. The military has started opening cafes, tailor shops and other businesses throughout the north »

What is wrong in our soldiers opening , shops and cafes ? The complaint had been that they were carrying guns, and the Tamil people did not feel safe, but now they complain that they are working, running shops, cafes and boutiques. The Tamils should at least be happy that they are not carrying guns but being of service to the people, that is to them the Tamils.

DBS Jeyaraj has some difficulty to think objectively and reason out for himself the useful role that had been played by the Armed Forces and that it will play again if the necessity arises.
DBS Jeyaraj writes as if he is a Nostradamus or some such wizard, « This is more pronounced in the

Northern and Eastern provinces of the Country where the armed forces continue to dominate many spheres of everyday life in the regions where Tamils are a preponderant majority. » as if every thing is hunky dory and there is no fear of some one in a nearby country training another group of terrorists to take over North and East.
The man should be daft, he seems to have forgotten that terrorism arose in the North and East, and today it is the Tamils in the North and East such as the Sampanthan and his TNA Tamil cohorts with their demand for devolution of political rights who are going the length and breadth of the world complaining against the Sinhala Majority, inviting every one to help just the Tamil ethnic community, against a vicious Sinhala Majority Community.

If the problem of terrorism were to raise its head again it will be in the North and the East. It is therefore necessary to have a permanent military presence in these two Provinces, whether DBS Jeyaraj, Jehan Perera and the TNA MPs like it or not.
In the South JVP will not begin a terror campaign again. If they do there is the means to thwart it.

DBS Jeyaraj need not worry about any militarization of the South. The Sinhala people understand, as they have always understood that the Sri Lanka soldiers are their children a part of the country, its citizenry. The soldiers are not there only to fight terrorism, burry the dead, clean tanks, build bridges and roads, and clean drains or closets. They can also be employed like any other citizen to sell vegetables , stitch clothes or even overseer cricket grounds, and give protection to the country and communities at the same time. They don’t stand apart from the country and the people.

It is the Tamils like Jeyaraj who have a difficulty understanding not only the Soldiers, but also the Sinhala people, thinking only in terms of Tamils as the only community that has to be left alone, looked after and protected with full political rights devolved unto them.
Then DBS Jeyraja says, “ The increasing militarisation of society coupled with the increasing politicisation of the military is creating quite a dangerous climate in Sri Lanka. Arguably the defence secretary and Presidential sibling is “in practice” the most powerful man in the Island today.” In any country the President and the Defense Secretaries are powerful and important.

In Sri Lanka the Defense Secretary, as the brother (the sibling as Jeyaraj prefers to call) of the President, has become the person on whom the President could place trust and place his confidence, and accept obedience and support. Therefore , he is an important person in the country to-day. It was he who played the deciding role in coordinating the Security Forces in the elimination of the terrorists. Perhaps DBS Jeyaraj is reluctant to give him credit for that looking for faults to attack him as being the most powerful man, perhaps to create some sort of “ jealousy” amoung brothers- putting one against the other a Tamil ploy !!!

Then he pulls his last shot before presenting Jehan Perera’s article, “ All these developments trouble people concerned about the future well-being of the country. Some have begun speaking out or commenting publicly on this situation……..National Peace Council director and well -known analyst-commentator Jehan Perera has in a recent article referred to this situation. “

Who are these concerned people ? Jehan Perera ? The anti Sri Lanka countries of the West ? TNA ? UNP ? and JVP ?

They had always been against unity and progress. Can we now expect any thing else from them. But the people Jeyaraj… the people…. at least those in the South knows that, “the future well-being of the country”, is being taken good care of by the President, his government and the Defence Secretary. That is what matters.

The Tamil people including Jeyaraj, Jehan Perera are not grateful and are not patriotic enough wanting to take care only of the Tamils, and if the occasion presents itself to divide the country, to separate the North and East as a Tamil Homeland.

DBS Jeyaraj’s introduction to Jehan Perera’s article is a summary of it. Therefore , at least for the moment it does not need a separate reply. If however on re-reading I find it grossly in inappropriate, I will write a reply to Jehan Perera who was introduced by another journalist Nalin Swaris as follows:

“ Jehan Perera remains an unrepentant advocate of the LTTE’s cause - even of LTTE post mortem. Perera seems to have undergone a make-over and become an unbiased political commentator. Consider his painless, noiseless move to The Island newspaper from The Daily Mirror. However, a discerning reader will be quick to see that though his writings have become subtler, his heart is still in the den. »

No doubt DBS Jeyaraj seems so close to him.