As the military inches closer to Kilinochchi in what is seen as the final do-or-die battle with the LTTE, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is in the eye of the storm. Last week, he told LAKBIMAnEWS that the government was winning the war - and that he didn`t mind whether they got Prabhakaran dead or alive. Excerpts from the interview:

Ln: Do you see the LTTE using more chemical weapons as the war escalates?
GR: It`s not easy for them to get chemical weapons. They may be using some commonly available canisters, small nerve agents available on the market. They can`t bring these in large numbers.

Ln: Could they be developing chemical weapons?
GR: I don`t think so. They would have used them earlier if they had. It is not a big thing to get really worried about but we are taking precautionary measures to counter this. So far, we have not encountered any serious attacks. We saw similar reactions from some troops in Welioya some time ago and this time in two places (Akkarayankulam in the Kilinochchi district and Vannivilankulam in the Mullaitivu district).

Ln: How different is the current military campaign from previous wars waged by other governments?
GR: We have changed our tactics. We are targeting their assets, without just capturing land. We have killed a lot of cadres. Also, we anticipated this requirement of troops and increased our military by 50,000 two years ago. Previously, we have never confronted them on so many fronts. We have troops that we have still not touched or deployed in offensive. There is commitment in our leadership at all levels. Our troops are dedicated, well trained and equipped.

Ln: With aerial bombardment everyday, why haven`t you killed Prabhakaran yet?
GR: We don`t target Prabhakaran every day. We target their assets. But sometimes we get information about the location of their leaders. Thamilchelvan was one of them. One time, we got information on Prabhakaran`s hideout and we took that. But he is also hiding and changing. Unless we get a 100 percent accurate location, it`s not possible to kill him.

Ln: Do you want him dead or alive?
GR: Doesn`t matter. I have no love for him so I don`t mind either.

Ln: Some analysts believe that the LTTE is waiting for troops to move closer to Kilinochchi so that they can spring a trap. They say Prabhakaran is a brilliant military strategist and that he isn`t beaten yet.
GR: We have better military strategists. Where ground troops are concerned, the army commander is a more experienced, better trained person and his strategy has proven much better than Prabhakaran`s so far. He is not blindly walking into traps. He is also weighing all possibilities. When the military conducts operations, they assess what the enemy will do. We plan our military operations accordingly. People will say the LTTE are waiting for us to come. Okay, let them wait. We will come. We are superior in strength. We are superior in fire power. Our soldiers are more trained and professional than theirs. Our weapons are superior to theirs. We have complete air superiority. We are motivated, committed and have confidence.

Ln: As the military closes in on Kilinochchi and the Tigers get more desperate, how do you think they will react?
GR: Even now, most of our casualties are not a result of direct confrontation but of indirect fire... artillery, mortars and so on. If the LTTE have saved ammunition, they will try to use more and more indirect fire. They will use a lot of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and booby traps. You also see them trying to use canals and bunds to delay the progress of our military. They are trying to put up obstacles. But we are negotiating these obstacles. When the LTTE is confined to a smaller area, it`s easy for us to destroy them with our fire power.

Ln: Won`t it also be more difficult for you to avoid civilian casualties?
GR: The civilians will withdraw. Civilians are not fools. They will not stay to get caught in this fire. We have seen it before. They went from Sampur to Vakarai through Echalampattu. When we went into Vakarai, they came out into the controlled area. When we went into Toppigala, too, they came out in the end.

Ln: You said recently that a large number of Tamil civilians have come to Colombo in August and that they must go back if they have no valid reason to stay. Why do you want to send them away when they are obviously fleeing the fighting?
GR: These people have come to Colombo from different areas. Some are from the East and they can go back because there are no problems in those areas. Others are from Vavuniya. There`s no reason for them to come here from Vavuniya. Those from Jaffna don`t have to come here. They can go back to Jaffna. And we are setting up IDP camps in Vavuniya for people from Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi They must go there. Otherwise, you will create a huge problem in these areas.

Ln: Don`t you think they will feel the government is forsaking them simply because they are Tamil?
GR: You must see both sides. Everybody understands that all the Tamils are not terrorists. The forces understand that. That`s why we are working with them in the Eastern province since getting rid of the LTTE. But it`s a fact that 98 percent of the terrorists are Tamil. There are also a few Muslims and Sinhalese who are working for different reasons. When you do certain operations to catch terrorists, they obviously feel that you are targeting Tamils. It`s not that you are targeting a particular community. This profiling happens all over the world. Otherwise, how can the security forces work? It is useless to go to Hambantota and do operations to catch terrorists! There`s no logic in that.

Ln: Your critics say you are a Sinhala chauvinist who cares only for the Sinhala people.
GR: Critics say various things. They say I`m a good friend of Karuna. Karuna is not Sinhala. They say I`m a good friend of Pillayan. Pillayan is not Sinhala. I`m working with them. I`m one of the main persons responsible for bringing them to this level, giving them the chief ministership.

Ln: So, are you saying Tamil civilians should go back?
GR: We have not said they should all go back. What I`m saying is that it looks like there`s an organised thing happening here. What I gave was a warning. This is not a problem only for me. This is a problem for everybody.

Ln: When did it start?
GR: It has been going on for some time and the LTTE is obviously behind it. They are using this to infiltrate... to send their intelligence and operational cadres in. Another thing is, do you expect these people to go back in future? I don`t see people going back once they come. So, the demography changes in all these areas.
Then, let`s see the security issues. People come and explode bombs in trains and buses, killing innocent civilians. They target VIPs or the economy. It is the duty of security forces and police to protect innocent civilians from these bombs irrespective of their community. To do that, you have to take certain steps. You have to stop explosives and weapons coming into this area. You have stop people who are executing these things, or collecting information and planning. You have to adopt certain control methods and may have to conduct intelligence operations. Otherwise, how can you do this?
But if you put restrictions, what do they say? They say you can`t search people, you can`t put roadblocks, you can`t detain them, you can`t question them, you can`t ask anybody to leave who are suspicious people... then how the hell can the security forces do anything? Just because there`s a policeman standing in a junction, that will not stop these people coming or bombs from exploding!
You have to do certain things. These may inconvenience some people but what is important is protecting the lives of innocent people. We are mainly responsible for these people. We are not worried about the human rights of terrorists! Why are you talking about the human rights of terrorists?

Ln: What will you do if the civilians don`t go back? As you know, there`s already a Supreme Court ruling against eviction.
GR: We are not going to push them but what we say is that this is a problem. It`s a serious problem. The problem is that most of these politicians, some civilians or maybe the judges don`t understand the security aspect of it. They think only from their point of view - the legal aspect. But they don`t think of the problems faced by law enforcement officers. How are they going to stop the bombs coming in? We were able to break a lot of LTTE cells in Colombo and the incidents fell. But in August, we saw a huge number of people coming from these areas because when you destroy certain cells, catch and detain people, they try to introduce new people. That is what`s happening.

Ln: Separately, don`t you think that by ordering the INGOs and UN out of Wanni you are leaving civilians entirely at the mercy of the LTTE?
GR: Obviously, the troops have to move in. There`s no other way to clear the LTTE. In this scenario, you are also putting these people at risk. See what happened in Mutur. Some 17 aid workers got killed and the complete blame came on the military. Internationally, there has been a huge hue and cry. There`s a commission appointed into it. Why do we have to face all these problems? I saw a statement from the relations of these victims yesterday blaming this NGO for not taking them out at the correct time. They went before the commission and blamed the ACF. By keeping them there and putting them at risk, we are liable to answer for their safety. Especially where UN organisations are concerned, it is the responsibility of the host government to ensure the security of these people.

Ln: Whose responsibility are civilians?
GR: The civilians are also the government`s responsibility. That`s why we are asking them to come. That`s why we have created a (humanitarian) passage.

Ln: Why aren`t they coming?
GR: The...