Namal Rajapaksa rallies monks and unions to defend Sri Lankan soldiers

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa has called on ‘war heroes’, trade unions, public servants and ‘national forces’” to unite against what he described as the government’s “hunting” of soldiers accused of atrocities, as the party escalates its campaign to shield the military from accountability.
Speaking at a meeting with trade unions at the SLPP headquarters on Nelum Mawatha, Rajapaksa denounced what he claimed was an “unsuccessful attempt” by the administration to target both the armed forces and organized labour. “The current administration’s focus is on suppression, not development,” he said, vowing he was prepared to confront such measures.
Rajapaksa also led an SLPP delegation to meet with senior Buddhist monks of the Siyam Sect in Kandy, where he presented letters stressing that “standing up for those who laid down their lives for the country is a historic responsibility”.
The delegation met with the Mahanayake and Anunayake Theras of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters, including the Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera and the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera.
During the discussions, Rajapaksa raised concerns over legal proceedings against military personnel, including the former Navy Commander, for crimes committed more than a decade ago. He alleged such cases were being driven by “external diaspora pressure” and warned that pursuing them would damage the morale of Sri Lanka’s armed forces.
Venerable Wedaruwe Upali Thera of the Asgiri Chapter reportedly responded by stressing the need for “caution and fairness” in handling the issue.
Rajapaksa’s remarks echo those of his father’s SLPP colleagues, who have repeatedly denounced accountability measures as “persecution of war heroes”. Tamil survivors and rights groups, however, continue to demand international prosecutions, particularly for crimes committed during the final phase of the armed conflict in 2009, when tens of thousands of Tamils were massacred in the Mullivaikkal genocide.
-TG
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