A new book authored by two former Sri Lankan military officials accused of overseeing some of the most brutal offensives that culminated in the Mullivaikkal genocide was launched at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) this week.
Titled “Separatist Terrorism in Sri Lanka 1975–2009,” the book is co-authored by former Army Commander General Daya Ratnayake and Major Sarath Jayawardana. The launch of the book - described by its authors as a comprehensive analysis of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict—was attended by military officials and politicians.
General Daya Ratnayake, is a figure widely criticized for his role during the armed conflict. In 2019, Ratnayake held a media briefing where he denied the military committed war crimes and slammed the government for reportedly arresting soldiers every time the issue is taken up at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Whenever there is a UNHRC event coming up, incidents of arresting and punishing military personnel come up out of nowhere,” claimed former army commander Daya Ratnayake. “When such incidents occur, the image of entire tri-forces is damaged. That’s why we request the President to look at this sensitive issue.”
“As soldiers engaged in the war, we believe no war crime was committed in this country,” he added. He went on to claim that “a war crime is not a crime committed by one single soldier... It is an organised crime”. Ratnayake then dismissed the notion of such crimes having taken place, despite several reports from the United Nations, NGOs, and other governments confirming that violations of international law occurred.
The following year, Ratnayake lashed out at the United Nations and staunchly brushed off reports of mass atrocities committed by Sri Lankan troops, calling them “completely baseless and fabricated”.
In 2008, Ratnayake, was described as "a gung-ho army brigadier in charge of much of the eastern front," as he led Sri Lankan troops. “We will not take more than two months to get the east clear of these terrorists," he told AFP. "Now the only major concentration of Tigers in the east is just outside Batticaloa, and we know how to get rid of them now.”
This publication joins a growing list of books authored by military officials and state-aligned historians attempting to rewrite the history of the armed conflict, which killed countless Tamils
