I always say that police powers can’t be given to provinces, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told Indian Media. He added that there are too many issues. Look what happened during the Mumbai attacks, when it took so much time to get the commandos, because all kinds of clearances were required, He said.

 

 

That is why I feel that police powers on the island should be centralized.

Ten days ago, Sri Lanka marked the first anniversary of its victory over the LTTE. It was a momentous occasion for the man credited with taming the Tigers, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa . But the threat posed by the LTTE has not entirely disappeared as demonstrated by the multi-level security checks at Temple Trees, the president’s residence in Colombo. Rajapaksa talks Tigers, ties with India and why he likes the movie “My Name Is Khan” to Atul Sethi . Excerpts:

 

It’s been a year since the defeat of the LTTE. Why do you think the movement failed?

Everyone knows what was going on in the movement and the reasons for its failure are evident. It was on a self-destruct path. Their demand for a separate Eelam was always out of the question. We couldn’t have allowed that. But more importantly, the violence and bloodshed that had become their hallmark had to be stopped. I took a firm stand that this could not go on. We tried to negotiate with them but they refused. I had no other option but to take decisive action.

 

Is it a closed chapter now?

I won’t say that. The LTTE sympathizers, their sleeping cadres are still there. They are being well looked after in various countries as well. No, the chapter isn’t closed yet.

 

There were reports that over 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final onslaught.
I don’t think this is correct. Sri Lankan forces are very disciplined and we were extremely careful not to have civilian casualties. Prabhakaran’s father, mother and his entire jing-bang were in our camps. If they were not harmed, where is the question of civilians being targeted? Why should we kill civilians? They are our people, after all.

 

You made a commitment to resettle all of the nearly 300,000 internally displaced Tamil civilians in the North under a 180-day resettlement program. Has this been achieved?
I am quite satisfied with the progress. From 300,000 people in the camps, the number has now come down to almost 30,000. By the end of the year, we should be able to demine most of the areas and get everybody back to their villages.

 

 

Did you get the support you expected from India in your fight against the LTTE?
Yes. India’s support was there and we appreciate it a lot.

 

 

What kind of support was it — moral or military?
Both (laughs). We needed both.

 

 

Weren’t the Chinese more forthcoming about selling you arms?
Purchasing weapons is a military decision. We were fighting a war. We got whatever was possible from India. The rest was bought from China,Pakistan, European Union, Israel, even the US. It’s simple logic — whoever could supply to us quickly, we bought from them.

 

 

There are concerns in Indiaabout Sri Lanka’s growing closeness to China and the Chinese utilizing this relationship to gain a foothold in the Indian Ocean. What would this mean for India-Sri Lanka relations?
There is no basis for such concerns. I have always maintained that India and Sri Lanka are not just friends. We are like relations and our relationship today is at the highest level. We look up to India and India too, I feel, has a duty to look after us — maybe not in a Big Brother sort of way, but perhaps like its little sister!

 

 

Recently, you had invited a few Indian cricketers to take treatment from your personal physician, Dr White. Isn’t this a case of India-Sri Lanka cooperation?
Yes, it is. In fact, Sachin Tendulkar has benefited a lot from Dr White’s treatment and he has recommended it to others. If we can help them, why not?

 

 

You arrive in Indiaon June 8. Will we finally see the revival of the India-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has been hanging fire for two years?
We hope to discuss a number of issues. Economic development will be high on the priority list.You recently said that you learnt a lot from India’s mistake in handing police control to state governments. Is that an excuse for not implementing the 13th Amendment, which provides for devolution of power to Sri Lanka’s provincial governments?

India is a huge country — you can’t compare it with Sri Lanka. I always say that police powers can’t be given to provinces. There are too many issues. Look what happened during the Mumbai attacks, when it took so much time to get the commandos, because all kinds of clearances were required. That is why I feel that police powers on the island should be centralized.

 

 

Your detractors claim too many members of your family are in your administration.
What can I do if the people elect them? Recently, the people gave a landslide victory to one of my family members. So it is the people’s decision. The day they don’t want them, they’ll kick them out.

 

 

After a hard day at the office, how do you unwind? Do you like watching movies?
Yes, I watch Hindi films in the evening, to relax.

 

Which movie did you watch most recently?
Shahrukh Khan’s film “My Name Is Khan.” It has captured the discrimination of Muslims in the West so well. I remember thinking after watching the film that people who are accusing us of human rights violations are themselves doing so in their own country.

^{Times of India}