Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not yield to international pressure to end the military campaign in 2009, said Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, according to PTI.
"Some countries sent advance teams and even were ready to send ships. But the President (Rajapaksa) refused to give in," he said at a gathering in the central district of Kandy yesterday.
The minister said that international pressure in 2009 was much more serious than during the time of Indian intervention in the late 80s.