Over three years after the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka has launched the process of resettling people displaced in the conflict at a town in the northern province which was once the nerve centre of the LTTE.

Sri Lanka’s position with regard to the stationing of her armed forces had been forcefully articulated by the SL External Affairs Minister and the Defence Secretary at a recent confab in Colombo in reply to a query by a senior Indian army officer who was with the IPKF.

To refrain from mentioning the role India played in nurturing LTTE terrorism would be withholding an important element of the 30year conflict Sri Lanka weathered. This arrests the notion that LTTE was a liberation movement and nullifies its claim to be the representative of the Tamil people.

It gives me great pleasure to address the Opening Ceremony of the Defence Seminar 2012. This is the second successive year in which the Defence Seminar is being organised by the Sri Lanka Army. On behalf of the Government, I take great pleasure in warmly welcoming to Sri Lanka all of the distinguished delegates who have come from many countries around the world to attend this event.