A TRAITOR LIKE JUDAS

The greatest betrayal: Part six:

TNA asked to announce it only two days before polls:

Traitor pleads to keep Tigers’ support a secret

by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

The LTTE rump, Tamil Diaspora and TNA have pledged their support for the New Democratic Front (NDF) candidate Maithripala Sirisena at next month’s Presidential election. Two separate agreements have already been signed but the Maithripala’s camp has pleaded with the TNA to delay the announcement until the last two days.

Maithripala is greedily looking forward to around 700,000 votes in the North and the East which the TNA commands under the direction of the LTTE rump and the Tamil Diaspora. Although Maithripala has already got a guarantee of that block vote of the LTTE sympathisers, he has requested the TNA and the LTTE rump not to divulge anything about the pact until the last moment.

Fearing that early announcement of the TNA stance, which was based on the green light its leader R. Sambanthan gets from the LTTE rump and the Tamil Diaspora, Maithripala has pleaded not to disclose the Tiger-proxy party’s decision to support the NDF candidate early.

Instead, the TNA has been asked to tell the voters in the North and the East only in the last 48 hours before January 8 elections. Hence, the TNA has announced that they would announce their decision only two days before the polls.

This seems to be a clever arrangement by Maithripala and his cohorts as an early announcement of the TNA support would deviate Southern voters from the NDF candidate.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Democratic People’s Front leader Mano Ganeshan have played a key role in securing the TNA support for Maithripala.

Two prominent Western diplomats based in Colombo had facilitated the negotiations between the leaders of the so-called common Opposition and the LTTE rump. Nine ‘ministers’ of the LTTE’s transnational government had taken part in last month’s discussions with Opposition political leaders to secure the deal to woo support for Maithripala.

Strict instructions have come to the TNA from the LTTE rump in Europe, Canada and Australia not to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa in any form. But the TNA had laid three main conditions to extend its support for Maithripala, including the merging of the Northern and the Eastern Provinces which are currently administered by two separate Provincial Councils.

Among the other TNA conditions to which Maithripala camp has blindly give their consent are the removal of strategic military camps and the reduction of the military strength in the North by 60 percent.

This is a clear as well as clever attempt by the TNA and the Tamil Diaspora to democratically achieve the goals which the LTTE had unsuccessfully tried to achieve militarily.

With the past bitter experience and the success of the Security Forces, Sambanthan has fast become a clever politician. He does not want to burn his hand by holding from the wrong end. He seems to be far more intelligent than LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Sambanthan knows only too well that he need not toil so much to gain a separate state as long as there are traitors within the Sinhalese who could be easily used for that greatest betrayal.

Hence, Sambanthan, with the support of Mano Ganeshan, has found the ideal man who would not only play the role of traitor to betray his nation but who would also descent to any level to achieve his political goals. Hence, the TNA is too glad to support Maithripala who has promised much more than even Prabhakaran has dreamt of.

Encouraging Maithripala in his new role of traitor is former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, another shameless aging lady who has still not given up her lust for power after being the Head of State for 11 long years. Reports said that Chandrika has been spending lavishly on Maithripala’s campaign, not her ‘hard-earned’ money but that has come from the West.

Foreign funding has been flowing heavily as the West is lavishly spending millions of dollars, euros and franks for a regime change in Sri Lanka. One could as why the West is so keen in changing Sri Lanka’s leadership at a staggering cost.

That question is also reasonable for those who have little or no knowledge on global politics.

But those who have been following the world political trends would know that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is one of the few surviving and serving world leader who has not become a puppet of the West. He is the only world leader who had successfully proved that terrorism could be vanquished militarily by giving a strong political leadership to crush the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit.

What the West want is to get rid of such a challenging leader and install a puppet as the President of Sri Lanka so that they have control over the local affairs. President Rajapaksa has not danced to the Western melody and always protected the country’s severity and territorial integrity, without blindly agreeing to what the powerful nations command. Even their attempt through the UNHRC has been cleverly demolished by President Rajapaksa through his strong relations with countries such as China, Russia and India.

Hence, the two main camps in the upcoming Presidential election are clearly visible – those who love the country and those don’t. In other words, those who want to protect Sri Lanka’s hard-earned peace and those who want to capture power at the expense of peace.

TNA says negotiations with Sirisena a success

A special meeting was held between common opposition and the Tamil National Alliance at the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike’s residence a few days ago, a report said.

TNA spokesman Suresh Premachandran said the Tamil National Alliance was represented by Senathirajah, Suresh Premachandran, Selvam Cole Siddharth and MA Sumandiran while common opposition was represented by Chandrika Kumaratunga, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sirisena, Mangala Samaraweera and the lawyers Jayamapathi Wickramarathne at the meeting held on December 22.The negotiations were successfully concluded, Suresh Premachandran said.

Native of Polonnaruwa bares MS’s true colours

People in Polonnaruwa are looking forward to defeating Mithripala Sirisena, said Democratic National Alliance Polonnaruwa District Organizer Keerthi Wijesinghe who pledged his support for President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the UPFA media conference held yesterday at the SLFP Headquarters.

Addressing the media, he said that people in this country are not aware of the character of Maithirpala Sirisena.”I think it is my responsibility to make people aware of his character, as a person who knows A-Z of the political life of Mithripala Sirisena.That is why I decided to reveal this for the edification of the of people who are ready to support him”.

“Even if the whole country supports the Common Opposition Candidate, the people of Polonnaruwa will never support him.This is because the Polonnaruwa people are well aware about him and his family”.

Polonnaruwa is like an ‘uncleared area’ which is completely run by Maithripala Sirisena’s family. He or his family has not done anything for the betterment of the people in Polonnaruwa. Only thing what they did was earn money.” he said.

“My father who was an active member of the SLFP and a young Parliamentarian of the Polonnaruwa district was the one who brought Maithripala Sirisena into the SLFP. Earlier he represented the Communist Party. But finally he cheated my father. “ he said. He urged the people not to vote for Maithripala.

The whole country will then have to bear the responsibility for the damage that they will do to the people of Polonnaruwa by voting for Maithripala Sirisena.

Son’s moll’s connection: MS slush fund

Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officials are on the hunt for a woman, said to be opposition common candidate Maithripala Sirisena's intended daughter-in-law, and her parents who had allegedly removed two bundles of foreign currency from a bag left for safe-keeping at the house of their relatives in Ratmalana, sources said.

The sources added that preliminary investigations revealed that the money was issued from a foreign bank in Sri Lanka. Investigators are following several trails to find out the bank from where the foreign currency was released.

Meanwhile, Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told a media briefing last week that the CID received a complaint about a bag containing undeclared foreign currency from a person living at Sirimal Uyana, Ratmalana.

This bag had been given to the son of a person named Chandradasa Weeraratne by a person called Athula Rohana Weeraratne. Later, a person called Lakshitha Weeraratne who is said to be a friend of Sirisena's intended daughter-in-law had come to Weeraratne's place to collect the bag. CID officers arrested him while he was taking the bag to another place, he said.

“The CID recorded the complaint. Investigations into this complaint are being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” the minister said.

The CID sealed the bag after fingerprints were taken and took the matter up with the Magistrate and the exchange controller. Later the officials who opened the bag before the magistrate, found Swiss Francs valued at Rs. 1 million, Rambukwella said.

Chandradasa's son had also made a statement before the Magistrate.

The Magistrate had taken down the statement in his chambers, the minister said.Minister Rambukwella said the money transaction had taken place in contravention of foreign exchange rules and regulations in the country to meet the objective of some external forces.

The CID said it was currently investigating the detection of some Swiss Francs one million and US$ 200,000 in a house in Mount Lavinia to ascertain whether it involved a breach of Exchange Control laws. “The CID found a brief case containing foreign currency after a complaint was made by Tharindu Lakshitha that money given by his uncle was in his house.

The brief case was opened in the presence of the Mount Lavinia Magistrate,” Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said. “We investigating whether these funds had any connection to common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena” he said.SSP Rohana said 32 bank accounts belonging to three suspects including a person named Athula Weeraratne and his wife had been frozen.Media reports had earlier alleged that Weeraratne was closely associated with Mr. Sirisena.

Traitor yearns to take President, soldiers before international court

Certain countries in the West are now using Maithripala Sirisena to play a different melody to achieve their goals through a different agenda. Knowing that President Rajapaksa would never allow the West to take the country’s valiant soldiers before international courts on alleged war crime, they have now told joint Opposition to conduct the very same investigation in Sri Lanka so that the soldiers could be taken to Hague after the local verdict.

Hence, Maithripala has said that that he will launch a domestic inquiry if he wins a January election. Why should Maithripala promise another investigation when a credible local investigation, with the advice of many foreign experts, is already taking place? That is precisely because the West wants a fresh international type investigation so that they could easily take the accused before the International War Crimes Tribunal for the final verdict.

Maithripala, in his policy statement, he would institute fresh investigation by a local independent court.

MS offers war crimes judicial tribunal

Maithripala Sirisena has told one thing to foreign media and another to local press on his stance on the Western attempts to take the country’s Security Forces before the International War Crimes Tribunal. He has been quoted in media overseas as announcing his intention to appoint a judicial tribunal to investigate war crimes charges against personnel belonging to the Armed Forces.

External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, in a press release, said last week that this is a matter having far-reaching consequences. “A clear statement is, therefore, certainly required from the Opposition candidate with regard to the nature of the investigation which he proposes to undertake, the powers and scope of the tribunal he plans to appoint, and the use he plans to make of the findings of the tribunal,” he said.

“Maithripala also needs to clarify issues relating to the authority of the proposed tribunal to summon and interrogate members of the Armed Forces,” Prof. Peiris added. The release added: “More broadly, statements have been made by the Opposition to the effect that they will adopt a totally different approach to the international investigation against Sri Lanka.

Here, again, they owe an explanation to the country as to the extent to which the Opposition candidate will capitulate to the demands made in the Resolutions against Sri Lanka.

“These are demands which proved unacceptable to a significant swath of the globe.

China, India, Russia, Japan, the Arab world and the overwhelming majority of countries in Asia and Africa declined to support crucial elements in these Resolutions. The country has a right to know whether, for narrow political gain, Maithripala is prepared to make compromises on this vital issue. “He seems to be under the mistaken impression that, simply because Sri Lanka has not signed the Rome Statute, we are in no danger. This is obviously not the case. Recent experience shows that countries which are not signatories can be vulnerable.

“The NDF candidate, with a view to pleasing forces which are continually exerting pressure on Sri Lanka, appears willing to sacrifice the country’s vital interests and the safety of the Armed Forces, to help himself at the election. While this has been a regular feature of the Opposition campaign, the pledge to institute a judicial tribunal hits a new high. This is clearly a matter which calls for clarification,” he said.

Tissa bares Sirisena-UNP pact

Health Minister and former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake last week revealed details of the agreement signed between Common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena and UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that includes provision for the reduction of military personel in the North by 50 percent, dismantling of High Sercurity Zones in the North and handing over the lands to the owners and a pledge to implement 13 A plus.

He said: “Apart from the Policy Document, the so called common Opposition candidate has signed internal agreements.”

Revealing the internal agreement made by Sirisena and the UNP, the minister said it is his duty to expose this document since some of the facts mentioned in this agreement will affect national security. Quoting facts, Attanayake said they have agreed to reduce the number of military personnel deployed in the Northern Province by 50 percent (2.6.5).

“They also agreed to remove High Security Zones and will handover these lands to the owners (2.7.1). In this agreement, the two parties have also agreed to implement the 13th Amendment plus(2.7.2). They have agreed to implement all recommendations on human right violations and war crimes by the United Nations Human Rights Council (2.7.3),” he said.