Rajapaksa warns of ‘foreign forces’ in defiant Independence Day speech

Sri Lanka’s president struck a defiant tone in his Independence Day speech this morning, as he hailed past Sinhala Buddhist kings and warned “both local and foreign forces” were “conspiring” against the government, as bombs and drones were showcased in a military parade.

Addressing the event after Sri Lankan soldiers and tanks march before him, Rajapaksa started by praising previous Sinhala rulers who “fought against foreign invaders” and once more spoke of beating an “attempt to divide this country through terrorism”.

He went on to slam criticism of his regime, claiming “on certain matters, both local and foreign forces organise against us”.

“Sometimes it may seem that everything that happens around you is conspiring against you,” he continued. “Forces against a national leadership that values our indigenousness and protects the country’s sovereignty are subtly misleading the people through various false propaganda. I urge the people of this country to always act prudently.”

Flanked by heads of Sri Lanka’s armed forces, who alongside Rajapaksa have been accused of committing mass atrocities, he went on to state, “Our objective is to do what is right by the country, and not to please everyone”.

Whilst invoking his defeat of “terrorism” throughout, Rajapaksa went on to claim that “although some parties have attempted to make various allegations against Sri Lanka for narrow motives, the government has not condoned any type of human rights violations, and will not leave room for such incidents in future either”.

However, he also ominously declared “under no circumstances shall we allow extremism to raise its head in this country”.

The military parade saw a range of heavy weaponry, boats, drones, missiles and special forces troops march before senior government officials, as well as a concluding performance from Sinhala Kandyan dancers. Military jets performed a flyby, whilst helicopters hovered overhead with the Sri Lankan flag. Sri Lanka’s “Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and Explosive Wing” of the military were also paraded through the streets, dressed in full hazmat suits.

Sri Lanka’s defence secretary, and another accused war criminal, Kamal Gunaratne told reporters earlier in the week that 6,500 personnel, 11 mechanised vehicles, and 26 aircraft would be taking part in the parade.

Missing from the event were representative from the Catholic Church, who are protesting against the lack of “real freedom in the country”. Tamil representatives have boycotted the event for several years, apart from a notable 2015 appearance by R Sampanthan which sparked widespread backlash.

However, several international diplomats and dozens of Buddhist monks were in attendance.