The Government is doing everything in its capacity to defend the military personnel against the UNHRC allegations on war crimes, said Army Commander, General Shavendra Silva.
Responding to questions raised by the media, when he attended the wedding of a disabled soldier yesterday, March 8, the Army Commander said, “As soldiers engaged in our duties, we can be happy at the efforts taken by the present Government to stand up for us against the allegations made against us at the UNHRC sessions currently in progress. As you are aware, there are certain things which the UNHRC can and cannot do. But, we know how much we have done during the humanitarian operation”.
“Had we not safeguarded the ordinary people, we could have ended the war much earlier than May 18, 2009,” the Army Commander also said.
“At a time when the terrorists were using innocent Tamil civilians as a human shield, we acted with so much restraint in order to minimize casualties and that is why we were able to save so many lives. We know that eventually the truth will prevail. We hope that even in the future, those organizations working against us for financial gain, will realize what we have done and eventually commend us for the sacrifices we have made,” he added.
Commenting on the COVID-19 efforts, General Shavendra Silva said that over 720,000 people have already been vaccinated and efforts are continuing to arrest the spread of the virus. He said in comparison to many developed countries, Sri Lanka has managed to control the spread of the virus and maintain a relatively low death rate.
The Commander also said that the Government would continue with the vaccination drive and together with all other health precautions in place, the Government is confident of controlling the pandemic.
