To haul Defence Secretary, Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva before international war crimes tribunal:

The greatest betrayal

by our Defence correspondant

In the picture of Mahatma Gandhi what come to our memory is a poorly dressed slim figure with its trademark pair of spectacles, wearing a hand-made pair of sandals crisscrossing not only Maha Bharatha but entire Europe, including Buckingham Palace. A selfless man who dedicated himself to the emancipation of his motherland!

On the contrary the satanic figure of Adolf Hitler casts the horror of the most despotic ruler ever witnessed by the human civilization. Skulls and charred bodies of millions of those innocents who breathed their last in gas chambers piled up before his piercing eyes.!

The retired generals’ pictures are displayed these days on walls. It reminds us of the meanest ever betrayal unprecedented in Sri Lanka’s history from the time of King Vijaya or King Ravana.

It is known as the greatest betrayal!

Whenever we see the picture of that brute Prabhakaran who sought refuge in hell via Nandikadal lagoon, what comes to our memory down the lane are such heroes as Shavendra Silva, Kamal Gunarathne, Nandana Udawatte, Prasanna Silva, Jagath Dias, Jagath Jayasuriya and soldiers who fought their way under the shadow of death!

No sooner one sees the pictures of the retired general, one traces the shadows of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Shavendra Silva arriving at the International Tribunal for War Crimes!

Severity of the great betrayal is such that Gotabhaya and Shavendra are marching towards the electric chair for the sin of Sri Lanka’s independence Sri Lanka’s peace and democracy.

Looming shadows of the retired general as well as those of various other traitors surrounding him could be seen from afar. The knell of betrayal echoes!

‘Thoppigala is a jungle’

‘ Any fool can prosecute the war’

‘Not fit to be the Commander of the Salvation Army let alone Army Commander’

‘ Going to Medawachchi, instead of Kilinochchi!’

‘ Prabhakaran is the only representative of the Tamils’

Moves are afoot by certain international elements for the last number of years to drag our Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces and war heroes before the international criminal Court.

All their efforts to discredit the SL Army and invoke the writ of the international criminal court on account of the alleged offences such as violation of human rights, rape of Tamil women by the SL Army, inhuman conditions in IDP camps, failed. Allegations could not be substantiated as they were baseless. The stature of President Mahinda Rajapaksa held high!

Mahinda Samarasinghe and Rohitha Bogollagama together with their international network led the crusade on behalf of the motherland.

Conspiratory elements failed in their mission when Russia, China, Japan, India, Iran, Korea, Venezuela and other Asian countries together with their middle Eastern and Latin American counterparts expressed their solidarity with Sri Lanka in acknowledging the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration and its commitment to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and identity.

But the unscrupulous elements never gave up their persistent struggle because they found President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not a puppet to dance to their tune. Dressed in the flowing banian and cloth, he had the inbuilt strength to tell the truth to any big man! What they prefer is a person of the identity of Ranil who is putty at their hands! Sri Lankans however do not like leaders of such nature. Even prior to the last Presidential election, the struggle between the country’s formidable leadership and the international conspiratory elements remained active.

It is these international forces that came to the aid of Prabhakaran in supplying shiploads of weapons, raw materials and the necessary technical know-how to commission arms factories.

Whilst donating millions of dollars, they provided a protective shield to the Tiger operations in representing their interests.

They also did as much damage as possible to Sri Lanka. Wild allegations were levelled; threatened to impose sanctions. They left no stone unturned to deny the GSP+facility. With President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership remaining a monolith, all those conspirators retreated.

Yet they persisted in their sinister plans. Ranil Wickremesinghe went right round the world castigating Sri Lanka for denial of human rights and media freedom and causing injustices to Tamils. He played his part in the International conspiracy hatched against Sri Lanka.

Mano Ganeshan to whom blood was thicker than water, made speeches on behalf of Prabhakaran at Pongu Thamil celebration. These conspirators who tried to help Prabhakaran to secure Eelam began to sabotage war against terrorism through their ‘agents’ who were very vociferous in their utterances such as:

‘Toppigala is a jungle’

- Ranil Wickremesinghe

‘Any fool can prosecute the war’ - Lakshman Kiriella

‘Going to Medawachchi, instead of Kilinochchi

- Ravi Karunanayake

‘The Army Commander is not worth even to be the Head of Salvation Army

- Mangala Samaraweera.

Mediamen who were NGO lackeys both directly and indirectly appeared on behalf of Prabhakaran. Certain media channels also became instrumental at the hands of the conspirators.

They disseminated news injurious to the country all over the world through their traitorous agents. At a time when the north remained impenetrable, they dared to seek audience with Thamil Selvam and Pottu Amman.

When time and again the reactionaries attempted to sabotage the humanitarian operation, the international conspirators rushed in for their safety. Bundles of dollars were channelled to facilitate their operations.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the friendly countries and strengthened their solidarity so as to countermand threats to the country.

The new solidarity front which Sri Lanka created was not digestible to the conspirators and as such they planned to overthrow the Rajapaksa government.

They found Ranil Wickremesinghe no match for their sinister plans and were flexing their muscles to field a new horse for the race! Meanwhile, the conspiracy to drag the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Sri Lanka and the war heroes before the International Criminal Court was being effectively hatched.

This is the time they cast their glance at the retired General. They sensed the retired General was power-hungry and ready to make any betrayal. They also found that the retired General had his hatred towards Defence Secretary, Commander-in-chief of armed forces, certain top rankers in the army and specially, the former Navy Commander.

The set of political schemers notorious for political “undercutting” took over the job of baiting the retired General. The retired General later found himself hobnobbing in the company of Hakkim - Mano Ganeshan combine and those who insulted him and his battlefield victories. This was the time the retired General made a trip to America. He returned to the country not only after being brain-washed but with a heavy head of traitorous plans.

The retired General’s controversial statement turned out to be an invaluable evidence for efforts of certain elements in the USA who were planning for sometime to discredit the S. L. Army.

The retired General’s controversial statement to the Sunday Leader Editor Frederica Jansz was,” Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa instructed Brig. Shavendra Silva to bump off the surrendering Tiger Leaders.

This was ammunition to those organisations and individuals in America and Western Countries who were conspiring against Sri Lanka. The retired General’s controversial statement to the Sunday Leader’ by now spread to every nook or corner. The ignominy suffered by the Sri Lanka Security forces, particularly the S.L. Army is immense.

The humanitarian operation and the fame acquired by the Sri Lanka Forces were anathema to certain Western countries and international organisations.

This conspiracy to round up the commander-in-chief of armed forces and Defence Secretary and haul them before the international criminal court came a cropper. Finally the war came to an end with all terrorist leaders being vanquished. That moves were afoot to rescue Prabhakaran at the eleventh hour proved to be mere rumours. With security being beefed up, surveillance was intensified not to permit anybody to encroach upon our territorial waters.

There is a vast difference between a total massacre and a humanitarian operation. Sri Lanka’s humanitarian operation will be recorded in history as a landmark victory. Certain countries and international organisations which failed to acknowledge the victory over the terrorists, later despatched their representatives not out of sympathy, but to find fault with us for our shortcomings.

When they failed in their mission it was the retired General who at last spoiled the soup!” His controversial statement gave a new lease of life to the conspirators who were crouched together in despair. It was real ammunition to them! The whole drama is a part of a conspiracy, and not something happened fortuitously.

It was his karmic forces that helped Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to escape assassination bid at the hands of LTTE terrorists.

Such was the destiny of Brig. Shavendra Silva too when a suicide bomber failed to take his life amidst the mass exodus of Tamil civilians.

While the threat of dragging the war heroes before the International Criminal Court is booming large, President Rajapaksa’s very words.

“On behalf of the war heroes I am ready to go not only to one but thousand gallows” reverberated the landscape!

At last, the retired General will turn back and say “What I said has been misrepresented whilst Frederica Jansz will assert “I wrote what the General uttered. I have the cassette with me”.

Frederica Jansz is not a novice but an award-winning media personality. She won the highest award at the Editor’s Guild award ceremony. The matter is now before the People’s Court for adjudication.