Sri Lanka’s president has appointed Ruwan Wanigasooriya, a man who commanded two military brigades during the armed conflict and continued to deny the existence of war crimes, as the new Chief of National Intelligence.
Wanigasooriya has a long history with the Sri Lankan military, after being commissioned into the Artillery Regiment in 1986.
He went on to hold various roles within the armed forces, including commanding two brigades in the Tamil homeland during the 2009 Mullivaikkal genocide. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed by Sri Lankan troops at the time, with more than 160,000 Tamils unaccounted for. UN reports documented widespread sexual violence and the repeated bombing of hospitals by the Sri Lankan military at the time.
Following on Wanigasooriya served as the General Officer Commanding 59 Division, prior to his appointment as Jaffna Army Commander. He also spent several years as Sri Lanka’s military spokesperson.
In that role, Wanigasooriya actively and repeatedly denied the existence of any war crimes. In 2012, despite the United Nations having released more evidence of cluster bomb use in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Army has continued to deny their use. Noting that it was “not the first time such allegations have been hurled at us”, Wanigasooriya said. “We have on previous occasions as well said the Sri Lankan Army did not use cluster bombs during the civil war and we stand by it.”
When evidence that Sri Lankan troops executed 12-year-old Balachandran Prabhakaran emerged, Wanigasooriya confidently rejected any allegations stating,
“This is not the first time such unsubstantiated allegations are leveled against the Sri Lankan forces. Interestingly, these come up as we near UNHRC meeting and die down thereafter.”
“Unfortunately, it appears that the parties who float such baseless allegations never want these to be investigated or solved. They want to keep them as mysteries to tarnish the country's good image as and when it suits their agendas”.
He would later go on to claim that foreign elements were continuously working for a ‘terrorist’ agenda by promoting ideas of separatism that exist in Sri Lanka.
After a mass grave was discovered in Mullaitivu in 2014, Wanigasooriya said there was an "an attempt to use these premature conclusions to support their claims for an international investigation which is not really necessary".
When the US embassy in Sri Lanka tweeted on how Sri Lankan shelling killed hundreds of families at St Anthony's Ground, Wanigasooriya asserted that the tweet "could also be an attempt to give credence to otherwise baseless allegations that have been propagated by some governments and separatist elements with the support of some international media organizations.”
In 2014, Wanigasooriya rejected concerns expressed by the US embassy, accusing embassy officials of fashioning their perceptions on Sri Lanka "primarily on the interests of pro-LTTE diaspora and likeminded elements within the country."
That same year, he told journalists at a press conference,
"The LTTE through its network of 'Sencholai' schools promote their doctrine of separatism and inculcate a negative image of the country, especially in the minds of the children of the Tamil expatriate community,"
"Although there are no more armed terrorists in the country authorities are always vigilant on the acts of rump groups."
In addition to the above war crimes denial, in 2013 Wanigasooriya declared that the army had banned any Tamil remembrance activities, stating that "promoting and propagating separatist ideology within Sri Lanka directly or indirectly, even by using media freedom, and attempting to commemorate or glorify terrorists that belonged to a proscribed organisation would be illegal".
He said the same in 2014, stating that events organised to commemorate dead LTTE fighters will not be allowed in any part of the island.
That same year he warned that the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal – or Heroes’ Day – is a “terrorist” act.
In addition to the above remarks, Wanigasooriya has repeatedly made comments vowing that the military would not release land that it is occupying in the Tamil homeland.
In 2014, he pledged that a military camp on Achuveli would not be closed under any circumstances, due to its importance in preventing the return of the LTTE. He went on to say that the 'appropriation' of civilian lands was often necessary for development such the as building highways.
That same year he dismissed Tamil protests for the return of land in Kilinochchi claiming that the land was "captured by the army from the LTTE" and the protesters had no legal right to it.
He further claimed that Tamils had used “false documents” to complain against the Sri Lankan occupation. "The claimants also seem to be politically motivated. There are instances where five people claimed ownership of the same land," he said.
And when Sri Lankan soldiers donated blood in the North-East, The Island reported that Wanigasooriya was “proud” and went on to state, “Some people living in Jaffna had blood of the forces, a smiling Brigadier said.”
Another senior military figure, Major General Hathurusinghe had stated earlier that year,
“Our blood is in the majority of the Tamils that live here, therefore Tamils cannot call themselves pure Tamils anymore. Our army’s Sinhalese blood is in Tamils. We have done so much for them that we have given our blood to them”.
At the same time, the military had blocked off access to the Jaffna blood donation centre, in an attempt to stop people donating blood in remembrance of those massacred at Mullaivaikkal.