‘Will you defend them now?’ – Namal questions govt. over UK sanctions on war heroes

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has strongly condemned the UK’s decision to impose sanctions on senior Sri Lankan military figures who played a pivotal role in defeating terrorism.

Calling the move a result of relentless LTTE-backed lobbying, Rajapaksa accused Western politicians of undermining Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process for political gain.

In a pointed challenge to the government, he questioned President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the ruling administration’s response to the sanctions. 

Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), he demanded to know whether the government would stand by Sri Lanka’s war heroes when foreign powers attack those who secured peace for Sri Lanka or remain silent in the face of foreign pressure.

“Sri Lanka was the first nation to fully defeat terrorism, yet the West continues to selectively target our war veterans while ignoring those who funded and justified LTTE brutality. The latest UK sanctions aren’t about human rights—they’re the result of relentless LTTE-backed lobbying, manipulating foreign governments to act against those who brought lasting peace”, he noted.

Furthermore, Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated on his “X” post that “This is not justice; some Western politicians are enjoying the perks of lobbying money, putting our nation’s reconciliation at risk. People from both the North and South must understand that the freedom we enjoy today comes from tough decisions. These sanctions will lower the morale of our forces, and if another crisis arises, they may lack the courage to fight if we don’t support them now.”

Rajapaksa mentioned that those behind these sanctions don’t care about the safety of the Tamil community—they are only creating more problems and further jeopardizing reconciliation, adding that their real goal is to disrupt the progress made, especially as Tamil communities in the North and East now have a clear path to vote for national parties. 

“We will never allow anyone to hamper reconciliation between communities”, he said.

“I want to reiterate once again—the war was against terrorism, not against any ethnic group. I urge the Tamil community not to fall for the agenda of certain Tamil politicians who receive perks to fuel divisions between communities through certain INGOs.”

MP Rajapaksa questioned the government of their response, stating, “@AnuraKumara @VijithaHerath—Your government came to power with support from those who have always undermined our military’s sacrifices. Will you defend them now when foreign powers attack those who secured peace for Sri Lanka, or will you stay silent?”

“We will always protect our war veterans—now and forever. Their sacrifices secured our peace, and we will never allow anyone to undermine their legacy”, he signed off.