Sri Lanka aims for gradual demilitarization in once rebel-dominated areas

Sri Lanka aims towards gradual demilitarization in the former battle zones in the island's north and east once dominated by the former Tamil Tiger rebels, a top defense official said Tuesday.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defense ministry secretary who spearheaded the victorious military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was testifying before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Rajapaksa said that current heavy presence of the military in the regions would be de-escalated to be gradually replaced by the police.

"Still some presence of the military will be needed, especially the Navy", Rajapaksa said, in order to prevent rebel groups overseas from sending supplies through the sea route to revive the group's acts of violence.

The LLRC was appointed by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May to probe the reasons which led to the separatist conflict and to recommend measures to prevent a repetition.

The defense secretary said that the government's campaign from the inception was a humanitarian offensive to liberate Tamil civilians from rebel grasp and was not a military campaign.

Source:Xinhua