Retired General Shavendra Silva has rejected allegations of wrongdoing during Sri Lanka's final military campaign against the LTTE, stating he is prepared to answer specific accusations and questioning the basis of international sanctions imposed against him.
Former Army Commander and Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva has rejected allegations of misconduct during the concluding stages of Sri Lanka's conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), declaring his willingness to address specific charges and challenging the rationale behind international sanctions levied against him. In an interview with India-based Impact Stories, Silva asserted that the Sri Lankan military conducted operations professionally while attempting to limit civilian harm during the final offensive phase.
Silva, who led the Army's 58 Division during the 2009 end-stage of the conflict, stated he has repeatedly requested clarification regarding sanctions imposed by the United States in 2020 and the United Kingdom in 2025. The U.S. sanctions cited credible information suggesting his involvement through command responsibility in alleged gross human rights violations, while the UK action referenced alleged violations during the conflict. Silva contended that if he had breached military law, he should have been investigated and disciplined through established legal mechanisms.
Addressing civilian casualty claims, Silva acknowledged that civilian deaths likely occurred but insisted they were unintentional. He stated that military planning prioritised minimising civilian losses and that targets were avoided when civilians were identified. Silva referenced his division's rescue of over 123,000 civilians and noted that more than 75 percent of approximately 12,000 surrendered LTTE members were processed by his division, subsequently undergoing rehabilitation and reintegration. He described an encirclement operation in which LTTE bodies were recovered, including a senior northern commander found wearing civilian clothes while armed, arguing such instances demonstrate misclassification of combatants as civilian casualties.
Silva also attributed civilian harm partly to LTTE tactics, claiming the organisation used civilians as human shields, restricted movement from controlled areas, and positioned military assets near civilian locations. He criticised successive Sri Lankan governments for failing to adequately communicate the military's account internationally, and called on governments and international organisations to engage directly with accused personnel, presenting specific incidents for clarification. The 2009 conflict remains subject to sustained international examination, with United Nations investigations and international human rights organisations having alleged serious violations of humanitarian law by both government forces and the LTTE.