Sri Lanka undeterred by `surprise attacks`: Rajapaksa

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has criticised the US-sponsored UNHRC resolution against his country and said the such "attacks would not defeat or intimidate us". "This attack would not surprise us at all. These attacks would not subdue us either, nor would they defeat or intimidate us in any way", Rajapaksa said in the northwestern provincial district Kurunegala`s military headquarters yesterday. The President said he was expecting such attacks from the pro-LTTE diaspora and anti-Sri Lanka elements when he was leading his army to militarily crush the LTTE`s separatist campaign. He also termed all allegations against his government as "false accusations with ulterior motives". Recalling Sri Lanka`s historical annals, the President drew parallels of the Norwegian-backed ceasefire which ended in 2008 with various invasions of the nation. "A section of this country before 2009 was identified as an Eelam (Tamil separate state) region. The ceasefire agreement had even acknowledged some recognition to that effect. "How would it be the situation today unless we managed to annul the international community-engineered ceasefire?" he asked. India along with 24 other countries on March 21 backed the resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva against Sri Lanka asking it to conduct an "independent and credible" probe into allegations of human rights violations. PTI