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The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) expressed that the associated military expenditure with waging the Mullivaikkal massacre in 2009, the continued occupation subjecting of the Tamil people, and the subjecting of Tamil people to structural genocide are the main factors behind Sri Lanka's current economic crisis.
“Sri Lanka has raised the salary of the defence personnel by 45%, allocating 11% of its annual expenditure on defence” said Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, the Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Eelam. "Even after the war, it has deployed the bulk of its army in Tamil areas."
In spite of the armed struggle ending in 2009, the Sri Lankan state has continued to enlarge its army and annual expenditure on defence. Rudrakumaran urged the Sinhala and international community to investigate and raise concern over the excessive military expenditure by the Sri Lankan state. He has also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the army from Tamil-populated areas in the northeast.
"99% of Sri Lanka's military is active in service," claimed the TGTE adding that $170 million dollars was allocated for pension payments alone for retired military personnel. The Government of Sri Lanka has also raised the salary of defence personnel by 45%, the TGTE said, stating that the military’s presence has become even more entrenched in the past few years in the Mullaitivu District, where the last phase of the armed conflict was fought.
“We look upon with solidarity the Sinhala people who have taken to the streets to highlight their struggles over the economic crisis and livelihood problems. However, a change of regime would never be a permanent solution to this problem which would only be realized when the national question of the Tamils is resolved,” added Rudrakumaran.
See the full statement here.