Sri Lanka Hits Back at UK Sanctions on Military Leaders

Sri Lanka spoke out on Wednesday against the British government for punishing three of its former military leaders who played major roles in defeating the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in 2009. The British government announced that these leaders—General Shavendra Silva, Jagath Jayasuriya, and Wasantha Karannagoda—will face travel bans and asset freezes. The UK also sanctioned Vinyagamurthy Muralidaran, the former deputy leader of the LTTE, who later worked in the national parliament.

The Sri Lankan government responded, saying that such actions from other countries make it harder to bring peace and reconciliation to the nation. They emphasized that they are working on improving local systems to address past human rights issues and believe that any violations should be resolved internally, rather than through outside intervention.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath shared this perspective with British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick. In the past years, the UK has joined other countries like the US and Canada in sanctioning Sri Lankan leaders for their roles in the war against the LTTE. The British sanctions against General Silva follow similar actions taken by the US in 2020, and in 2023, Canada sanctioned previous presidents, Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who also played key roles in the military victory over the Tamil Tigers. The LTTE had fought for many years to create a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka, claiming they faced discrimination from the majority Sinhalese population.

On May 18, 2009, the Sri Lankan Army announced their victory by finding the body of the LTTE leader. The Sri Lankan government states that over 20,000 people are still missing due to various conflicts, including the fight against the Tamil Tigers, which resulted in around 100,000 deaths.