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Army camps in North that US did not know

23 February 2012 08:06 pm - 6     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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In the run-up to the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) the United States was seen intensifying its shuttle diplomacy to Sri Lanka with renewed calls for what it called  'justice' for 'war victims' and 'demilitarization' of the North.
 
The last of the contentious demands by the US came in the form of a request made by Maria Otero, the Under Secretary for Democracy to Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa that Sri Lanka should remove army camps in the Northern Province.
 
It's quite obvious that the US diplomat, many of her colleagues and several others who are talking about Sri Lanka today presume that the military camps in the North were set up during or just before the war to help fight the LTTE.
This is wrong.
 
The bulk of the camps in the North and also in the East came into being under what was called Operation Monty (named after Major Montague Jayewickrema) launched in 1951 by the then government to fight human and material smuggling between India and Sri Lanka. A reference was also made to the need to prepare the country against external aggression by the time the bases were set up.
 
As a sovereign state, obviously these remain the areas of paramount importance to Sri Lanka even today.
 
The first camp to open in the North was one in Mannar soon to be followed by similar establishments in Pooneryn, Palaly, Elephant Pass, Thalladi, Karainagar and Mullativu and later to other areas in the North and the East also.
 
Apart from those, Trincomalee which functioned as a military base even under the British continued to operate even after the British vacated it.
 
By demanding the dismantling of camps what the US and its allies ask for is the destabilizing of a security mechanism that was in place for the last sixty years.
 
With over 1000 military bases over the world and some 205,118 of the 1.5 million servicemen stationed overseas, all for its own security interests, the United States surely is not in a position to ask Sri Lanka or for that matter any other country to do away with its legitimate arrangement made to sustain internal security measures.

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  Comments - 6

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  • faqi Friday, 24 February 2012 12:23 AM

    The US has over 750 military bases overseas in other countries. Why are they there? They are not part of USA. Their covert operations have murdered thousands all over the world. Check the record for the past 50 years, more innocent civilians have been murdered by US armed forces than all the other countries put together. They cannot point fingers at anyone. At least a Sri Lankan could go anywhere in safety. Can we say the same of an American. They are them most hated in the world. Do they every wonder why that is so? No one thew shoes at our President!

    tamilan Friday, 24 February 2012 04:41 PM

    srilalanka is a small country , northen province poplation
    and land small than other provinces . but militrary and militari camp much than other province . USA and we are
    looking every small and big camps by google map .
    vanni has 4 district mannar, vavunia, kilinochchi, mullaithivu .
    only one district has 12 big army camp , 24 small army camp ,4 nevy
    camp, 4 police station . it had 2army camp and 2 police station in 1982.

    anju Friday, 24 February 2012 08:51 PM

    The US pretend to uphold democracy in other countries (afganistan, egypt, syria, iraq ... list is endless) but their motives are purely to enrich themselves. Nothing else. They don't care about the people in those countries one bit.

    These countries that america has 'saved' are in a worse mess than they were before american intervention....

    The people should see the US for what they really are and not for what they profess to be or show the world..

    tamil Friday, 24 February 2012 11:47 PM

    Google map saw how many new small and big army camp in the Northeast,

    Giann Saturday, 25 February 2012 05:25 AM

    Really...who is this US diplomat. Does this person know that the US has the largest number of bases, personnel and equipment stationed all over the world. Why are these bases stationed in these areas? If the US can have bases all over the world, Sri Lanka has all the right to have camps or bases in any part of our country. How can the US even make a statement like this.

    MOHINUDEEN Sunday, 26 February 2012 04:14 AM

    Who are these devide and rule fellows dictating terms with Sri Lanka? As a sovereign nation we have all the rights to have military bases in any part of the country. US, Israel and the Western world wants to create some sort of trouble in the internal affairs of a country and get involved to supply arms to fight against the other. For example we have seen what has happened to Iraq, Libya and now Syria. These hypocrites should put their house in order rather than poking their faces in the internal affairs of other countries. Sri Lankan Government with the Leadership of HE the President Rajapakse should not give in to this belicose hypocrites and should run the country with the help of the loyal citizens like the same way he conducted the war to destroy the terrorists. May Almighty God bless and protect our Motherland from all external evil.


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