COLOMBO, May 19: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa made it clear on Saturday that the army would not be withdrawn from the Tamil-speaking Northern Province so long as the country faced a threat from LTTE elements ensconced abroad.

“We are not prepared to remove any military camps as long as such threats remain,” Rajapaksa said in his speech at the Humanitarian Victory Day celebrations at the Galle Face sea front here.

The day commemorates the triumph of Lankan armed forces over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 19, 2009.

“The Tamil Diaspora has not stopped its activities against Sri Lanka. It is no secret that LTTE leaders are freely operating overseas,” Rajapaksa alleged.

He denied that the troops in the North were interfering in civil administration and routine civilian life, as alleged by the Tamil parties and civil rights groups. They were engaged in reconstruction of the war zone, the President maintained.

LLRC Should Not Divide

On the implementation of the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), Rajapaksa said what was possible was being implemented. But he warned that the LLRC report should not be used to create divisions.

There was no mention in Rajapaksa’s speech of the much talked about possibility of an early release of former army chief Sarath Fonseka from jail. The President had sought and obtained cabinet approval for his release earlier this week.

Fonseka, who had commanded the Lankan army to victory against Tamil Tigers, is serving a three-year prison sentence.