Reactions to the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War
Reactions to the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War on 18 May 2009 have generally been positive and welcoming, while some countries expressed concern over the civilian casualties and the humanitarian impact.
Sri Lanka
Streets were filled with joyous scenes of jubilation.[1][2] United National Party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, through a telephone call, congratulated President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the state's security forces on 18 May 2009 for their victory over the LTTE.[3] In a press release issued that day, Roman Catholic Archbishop Oswald Gomis said:
I congratulate His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapakse, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, for his very courageous leadership and thank the Chiefs of the Defense outfit who supported him with deep commitment and self-sacrifice. I also offer my deepest sympathies to those who laid down their lives in battle and those innocent civilians killed, trapped in war.
In a sense we could say that we have won the battle but the war is not ended. The war would end only on the day that we grow in nationhood realizing that we are all one people in one country with equal right. We have to realize the fact that we are a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural community. As such we are now left with the great task of nation- building forgetting our ethnic, political and religious differences.
It is imperative that there be a political formula that will inspire confidence and promote a sense of belonging among the minority groups in the country. We have to leave the sad and bitter memories of the past three decades and look positively and optimistically towards the future in hope. All of us have to share the blame for our division and forgive each other. We should have the humility and wisdom to learn from the sad experiences of that past.
It is then, and only then, that we could build nationhood that will bring true peace and prosperity to our beloved country – Sri Lanka. Let us always remember that united we will flourish but divided we will perish.[4]
With the announced end of the war, Sri Lanka's stock exchange registered its sixth highest percentage gain ever.[5]
International organisations
Other countries
Asia
Africa
Europe
Lord Malloch Brown, the Minister of State Foreign and Commonwealth office in UK said, in the House of Lords, "Indeed, in our initial contacts with the president, we congratulated him on finishing of a brutal 26-year war, which was instigated by the Tamil Tigers-a terrorist group" replying to Lord Naseby who raised the matter in the House of Lords. Agreeing with Lord Naseby, Lord Malloch Brown said, "the political solution to this must come from inside Sri Lanka from a process set up and led by President Rajapaksa." Speaking further, Brown said, "But we also made it extremely clear to him that, whether or not that victory would be seen as the opening of a new and happier chapter in Sri Lanka depended on whether he could now go that next step and show the statesmanship to find a political as well as humanitarian solution to this community's issues." He further said, "On 17 May, the Prime Minister announced an additional œ5 million in humanitarian aid for Sri Lanka, taking the total to œ12.5 million since September 2008." Speaking before him Lord Naseby said, "My Lords, have Her Majesty's Government congratulated the Sri Lankan Government on defeating the Tamil Tigers and bringing peace to the country? On the international front, is it Her Majesty's Government's policy primarily to tackle the resettlement of the 250,000 Tamils and the 100,000 Muslims who were ethnically cleansed from Jaffna, or is it to continue to lecture that there should be a constitutional settlement, which really rests with the Parliament of Sri Lanka?"[26]
Americas
The Sri Lankan defence ministry said that US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert O. Blake, Jr., called Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on 18 May 2009 regarding humanitarian aid to displaced persons and reconciliation with the Tamil people.[29]
References
- "Celebrations at the end of a 25-year war in Sri Lanka". demotix.com. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- "Sri Lanka hails end to 26-year civil war". People. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- Gamini Gunaratna, Sri Lanka News Paper by LankaPage.com (LLC)- Latest Hot News from Sri Lanka (18 May 2009). "Sri Lanka: Opposition Leader congratulates Sri Lanka President". Colombopage.com. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Archbishop congratulates Armed forces on the conclusion of war". Defence.lk. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Sri Lankan stocks shoot up on war victory". Times Online. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- "Geneva, 19 May 2009 – Joint Press Conference held by UN Secretary-General and World Health Organization Director-General, Margaret Chan". United Nations. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- "Summary: 18 May 2009, Brussels – Council of the European Union, 2942nd GENERAL AFFAIRS Council meeting, Conclusions on Sri Lanka". European Union. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- "Britain sold arms to Sri Lanka while civil war raged". Archived from the original on 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- "Statement by the Official Spokesperson on Sri Lanka". Ministry of External Affairs (India). 18 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- "Iran congratulates Sri Lanka on defeating terrorism". Defence.lk. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Japan PM welcomes end of Sri Lanka war". Lanka Business Online. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- Miadhu News (19 May 2009). "President congratulates Sri Lankan President on ending civil war". Miadhu.com.mv. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Maldives News". Minivan News. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Pakistan felicitates Sri Lanka on 'great victory over terrorism'". Defence.lk. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "On the End of Sri Lankan Civil War: Department of Foreign Affairs". Dfa.gov.ph. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "MFA Press Statement: The Situation in Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama calls on Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
- Sri Lanka News|Ministry of Defence – Sri Lanka Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Defence.lk. Retrieved on 2010-12-03.
- "Sri Lanka'dan Gül'e Son Durum Bilgisi". TRT World. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- Vietnam welcomes the victory of the Government and people of Sri Lanka. Mofa.gov.vn (2009-05-21). Retrieved on 2010-12-03.
- "Vietnam welcomes the victory of the Government and people of Sri Lanka". Defence.lk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- South African Government calls for Dialogue in Sri Lanka, 21 May 2009
- James Wray and Ulf Stabe (19 May 2009). "Norway urges Sri Lanka to aid refugees". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Russia, Iran congratulate Sri Lanka on ending civil war_English_Xinhua". News.xinhuanet.com. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Media Release". Eda.admin.ch. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Written ministerial statement on Sri Lanka (19/05/2009)". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ""British government congratulated President Rajapaksa for finishing off terrorists" – Lord Malloch Brown". Defence.lk. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – Media Room – News Releases". W01.international.gc.ca. 25 March 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- "Daily Press Briefing May 18, 2009". United States Department of State. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- "'US will continue to support Sri Lanka's humanitarian relief efforts' says US Ambassador". Defence.lk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.