Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe said he disputed the UN's estimated figure of the numbers of Tamils killed at the final stage of the armed conflict but Sri Lanka was "willing to verify it", in an interview with Thanthi TV.
Referring a report published by a UN Panel of Experts, which stated that at least 40,000 Tamils were killed predominantly by government shelling, Mr Wickremasinghe told Thanthi TV that he did not think the casualty number would come to that.
Criticising the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) as "very, very irresponsible", Mr Wickremasinghe said it was difficult to liaise with the NPC's chief minister when such statements were passed, adding that people were killed on all sides.
See transcript of interview here.
Extract reproduced below:
THANTHI TV: I must definitely ask you about the resolution that the Northern Provincial council of Sri Lanka has now passed. The allegation is that the successive Governments of Sri Lanka have been committing genocide against the Tamils. What is your response?
Ranil Wickremasinghe: Very very irresponsible statement by the Chief Minister. I don’t agree with it. Makes it difficult for us to communicate with the Chief Minister when he passes resolutions like this. This will be the same position in India, if a Chief Minister passed resolution accusing Delhi of committing Genocide. I have been dealing with Mr. Sammanthan &the members of the TNA resolving the issue. Yes, there was a war, people were killed but on all sides. Remember just as much as Tamils got killed. There were Muslims & Sinhalese were killed.
THANTHI TV: But the Magnitude was high on the Tamil side
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Yes... Muslims were killed in the east...they were Tamil speakers, not Sinhala speakers.
THANTHI TV: But the Magnitude sir. ! The numbers?
Ranil Wickremasinghe: Magnitude high...Yes... But remember some of the Tamils were killed by the LTTE... LTTE wiped out the Political leadership of Jaffna. All the TULF & other members were killed by the LTTE. No Tamil politicians were killed by the Security forces of Sri Lanka. Many of the Jaffna's leadership were killed by the LTTE. You ask the people of Jaffna.
THANTHI TV: Going by the UN Report, the large number of the killing were done by the Sri Lankan forces.
Ranil Wickremasinghe: UN report talks of the last phase of the war, where large numbers of people were killed. The numbers are in dispute. UN report says 40,000...Some of the official reports say 5000...
THANTHI TV: The diaspora says, it could be closer to a lakh or so.
Ranil Wickremasinghe: No... I would not say... I don’t think it would come even up to 40,000... We are willing to verify it. Sri Lanka had to fight a war...LTTE used the civilians as a shield... Then what happened there, is what we have to inquire into... Was it that they were used as a shield & you couldn’t avoid the casualties or was it that you could avoid some casualties & you dint do so. We are not trying to cover any thing up. We have got the UN; we are dealing with the UN.
THANTHI TV: Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran largely blames you for decision to retain the army in the North. He says you are playing obsolete political tactics for electoral reasons … Do you deny the charge?
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Army is in all parts of Sri Lanka. I don't find any reason why the army should go out of any district in Sri Lanka, there are district head quarters in every part of Sri Lanka, and actually their structure is based on the India one.
THANTHI TV: But the army civilian ratio in the North is appalling Ranil Wickramasinghe: I know that...what we have said is - as far as we are concerned we are not pulling the security forces out of any place unless we see improvements ..But at the same time there is lots of land that can be released to the people in different parts of the country. We have started with the thousand acres now the TNA said there has been an agreement in court over another two thousand acres, I just handed over to the attorney general .They have raised the issue of people in Mannar, we will go into it and Kilinochchi. We said lot of land has been utilized for other purposes. In Sampur we have handed the re-settlement to the people in Sampur...then in Panama we have resettled that issue that’s for Sinhala farmers whose lands were taken away so that they could build VIP chalets e. We are starting the process but remember this cannot be done overnight...it will take some time
THANTHI TV: But he blames the slow pace
Ranil Wickramasinghe: I told you that I disagree with him. He is irresponsible and he will have to explain himself for the Tamil speaking people. Lots of Tamils are today criticizing him. I am dealing here with the TNA members of parliament, if it is at slow pace they need not come weekly
THANTHI TV: This is not the TNA's demand alone the UN high commissioner has also been demanding this... international community has been demanding this
Ranil Wickramasinghe: UN high commissioner wants the lands restored .They say immediately and I have asked him to come, it has to be gradual. First we have to be satisfied with the security situation secondly we have to decide what happens in the rest of the country, but it was not a question, we never said in the 100 days manifesto which everyone voted for about pulling troops out .It was a security decision, we said about restoring lands to the people in all parts of Si Lanka
THANTHI TV: But what stops you from doing that
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Nothing to prevent us. All the land that is not required will be done
THANTHI TV: But the ratio? Army civilian ratio in the North is not proportionate to the other parts of the country.
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Army civilian ratio will be adjusted as time goes on. No one has said it is going to be that high all the time. Isn't Vigneshwaran playing politics? It is utter irresponsible statement of a Chief Minister.
THANTHI TV: He has a line of two in praise of the president why do you think he blames you. Ranil Wickramasinghe: He never even spoke to me on anything. Today you ask him again to repeat it. I’ll be going to Jaffna
THANTHI TV: He said you had told him that you had told the (Mahanayakas) Buddhist monks that you are not going to demilitarize the North Ranil Wickramasinghe: I never told him anything. Wigneshwaran never dealt with me. He has never dealt with me.
THANTHI TV: He gives minute details, you smiled and said...
Ranil Wickramasinghe: He came only once when I was in the opposition. I have not dealt with him. I have no dealings with Wigneshwaran. He is a liar!
Referring a report published by a UN Panel of Experts, which stated that at least 40,000 Tamils were killed predominantly by government shelling, Mr Wickremasinghe told Thanthi TV that he did not think the casualty number would come to that.
Criticising the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) as "very, very irresponsible", Mr Wickremasinghe said it was difficult to liaise with the NPC's chief minister when such statements were passed, adding that people were killed on all sides.
See transcript of interview here.
Extract reproduced below:
THANTHI TV: I must definitely ask you about the resolution that the Northern Provincial council of Sri Lanka has now passed. The allegation is that the successive Governments of Sri Lanka have been committing genocide against the Tamils. What is your response?
Ranil Wickremasinghe: Very very irresponsible statement by the Chief Minister. I don’t agree with it. Makes it difficult for us to communicate with the Chief Minister when he passes resolutions like this. This will be the same position in India, if a Chief Minister passed resolution accusing Delhi of committing Genocide. I have been dealing with Mr. Sammanthan &the members of the TNA resolving the issue. Yes, there was a war, people were killed but on all sides. Remember just as much as Tamils got killed. There were Muslims & Sinhalese were killed.
THANTHI TV: But the Magnitude was high on the Tamil side
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Yes... Muslims were killed in the east...they were Tamil speakers, not Sinhala speakers.
THANTHI TV: But the Magnitude sir. ! The numbers?
Ranil Wickremasinghe: Magnitude high...Yes... But remember some of the Tamils were killed by the LTTE... LTTE wiped out the Political leadership of Jaffna. All the TULF & other members were killed by the LTTE. No Tamil politicians were killed by the Security forces of Sri Lanka. Many of the Jaffna's leadership were killed by the LTTE. You ask the people of Jaffna.
THANTHI TV: Going by the UN Report, the large number of the killing were done by the Sri Lankan forces.
Ranil Wickremasinghe: UN report talks of the last phase of the war, where large numbers of people were killed. The numbers are in dispute. UN report says 40,000...Some of the official reports say 5000...
THANTHI TV: The diaspora says, it could be closer to a lakh or so.
Ranil Wickremasinghe: No... I would not say... I don’t think it would come even up to 40,000... We are willing to verify it. Sri Lanka had to fight a war...LTTE used the civilians as a shield... Then what happened there, is what we have to inquire into... Was it that they were used as a shield & you couldn’t avoid the casualties or was it that you could avoid some casualties & you dint do so. We are not trying to cover any thing up. We have got the UN; we are dealing with the UN.
THANTHI TV: Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran largely blames you for decision to retain the army in the North. He says you are playing obsolete political tactics for electoral reasons … Do you deny the charge?
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Army is in all parts of Sri Lanka. I don't find any reason why the army should go out of any district in Sri Lanka, there are district head quarters in every part of Sri Lanka, and actually their structure is based on the India one.
THANTHI TV: But the army civilian ratio in the North is appalling Ranil Wickramasinghe: I know that...what we have said is - as far as we are concerned we are not pulling the security forces out of any place unless we see improvements ..But at the same time there is lots of land that can be released to the people in different parts of the country. We have started with the thousand acres now the TNA said there has been an agreement in court over another two thousand acres, I just handed over to the attorney general .They have raised the issue of people in Mannar, we will go into it and Kilinochchi. We said lot of land has been utilized for other purposes. In Sampur we have handed the re-settlement to the people in Sampur...then in Panama we have resettled that issue that’s for Sinhala farmers whose lands were taken away so that they could build VIP chalets e. We are starting the process but remember this cannot be done overnight...it will take some time
THANTHI TV: But he blames the slow pace
Ranil Wickramasinghe: I told you that I disagree with him. He is irresponsible and he will have to explain himself for the Tamil speaking people. Lots of Tamils are today criticizing him. I am dealing here with the TNA members of parliament, if it is at slow pace they need not come weekly
THANTHI TV: This is not the TNA's demand alone the UN high commissioner has also been demanding this... international community has been demanding this
Ranil Wickramasinghe: UN high commissioner wants the lands restored .They say immediately and I have asked him to come, it has to be gradual. First we have to be satisfied with the security situation secondly we have to decide what happens in the rest of the country, but it was not a question, we never said in the 100 days manifesto which everyone voted for about pulling troops out .It was a security decision, we said about restoring lands to the people in all parts of Si Lanka
THANTHI TV: But what stops you from doing that
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Nothing to prevent us. All the land that is not required will be done
THANTHI TV: But the ratio? Army civilian ratio in the North is not proportionate to the other parts of the country.
Ranil Wickramasinghe: Army civilian ratio will be adjusted as time goes on. No one has said it is going to be that high all the time. Isn't Vigneshwaran playing politics? It is utter irresponsible statement of a Chief Minister.
THANTHI TV: He has a line of two in praise of the president why do you think he blames you. Ranil Wickramasinghe: He never even spoke to me on anything. Today you ask him again to repeat it. I’ll be going to Jaffna
THANTHI TV: He said you had told him that you had told the (Mahanayakas) Buddhist monks that you are not going to demilitarize the North Ranil Wickramasinghe: I never told him anything. Wigneshwaran never dealt with me. He has never dealt with me.
THANTHI TV: He gives minute details, you smiled and said...
Ranil Wickramasinghe: He came only once when I was in the opposition. I have not dealt with him. I have no dealings with Wigneshwaran. He is a liar!