Features | Sundayobserver.lk

Frederica Jansz, the Editor of the Sunday Leader who reported the controversial page one lead story in which Sarath Fonseka alleged that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered the then Commander of the Army’s 58 Division Major General (then Brigadier) Shavendra Silva to shoot the LTTE leaders, surrendering waving white flags, wrote her side of the high drama in last Sunday’s edition.

It was after the December 13 story in the Sunday Leader, headlined “Gota ordered them to be shot - General Sarath Fonseka” that the international community, including the UN and the US intensified their campaign to frame Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes.

In other words, it was Fonseka who betrayed the country and provided ammunition to the UN with a concocted story to frame war crimes charges against Sri Lanka and its valiant Security Forces.

Though Fonseka is attempting to level baseless allegations against the Editor and the Sunday Leader , it’s none other than its Chief Editor who admits that the newspaper has taken a policy decision to support the NDF Presidential candidate Fonseka at the forthcoming elections.

“After the Presidential Election was formally declared the Sunday Leader’s management made a decision that the paper would at an editorial level broadly throw its weight behind Sarath Fonseka’s campaign,” the Sunday Leader reported last Sunday.

Here are the excerpts from the reply published by the Sunday Leader , which stood by its original story.

“I must comment and present what I believe to be an accurate version of the events leading to and following its publication”.

“He claimed he had heard that Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered any surrendering LTTE cadres to be shot, and related the story of Pulidevan and Nadesan’s surrender. When Sarath Fonseka made this allegation I reacted as any journalist would.”

“It seemed obvious that an allegation of this magnitude deserved special attention.

“As the accusation; the massacre of surrendering cadres and their families was extremely serious, I contacted all of those implicated in the General’s denunciation.

“Realising the impact such striking allegations would have, at 9.45 a.m. before the paper went to print on Saturday I once again contacted Fonseka. During a twenty minute phone conversation he reiterated that he stood by the allegation. At that point I asked him who the journalist was who had told him about the supposedly illegal order given by the Defence Secretary to Shavendra Silva. Fonseka gave me the journalist’s name but asked that I not name him”.

“Fonseka then said that he was willing to go on record with his claim and he assured me he would not back down. Only with that assurance did we go to print”.

“Despite this pressure it is notable that in the hours after its publication that Fonseka stood by the story.

In a press conference he gave on Sunday afternoon, documented by the BBC, he made no effort to deny the story. Fonseka’s advisors Mangala Samaraweera, Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Vijitha Herath in particular advised him to retract part of the story”.

“At a meeting with the Sunday Leader , senior UNP leaders together with Samaraweera and the JVP insisted that a retraction was necessary as the story had damaged Fonseka’s reputation as a patriot. However as a journalist and as someone who is committed to the truth I refused to publish a fraudulent retraction.

“Later that same day, December 14, I met Fonseka at approximately 2.45 p.m. whereupon he reiterated that he could not deny what he had said.

Mangala Samaraweera and Vijitha Herath however remained adamant, demanding that The Leader publish a partial retraction. However as a journalist I refused to back down knowing that what I had published was the truth.

“Under immense pressure at this briefing and unable to flatly deny what he knew to be the truth, the General waffled and issued what was neither a clarification nor a retraction. However over the following days his advisors and supporters would insist that Fonseka had denied the story”.

“Fonseka never showed any enthusiasm for the denial, always admitting that he had said what he had said. It was pressure from his advisors that pushed him to make his various half retractions.

“However, the UNP-side of the Opposition alliance assured us that no Letter Of Demand would be forthcoming. In fact Malik Samarawickrema of the UNP finally issued instructions to bury the story and bring an end to a clumsy and bungled chapter in Fonseka’s campaign”.

This is from the horse’s mouth. Do we need any other proof that Fonseka has actually made such a drastic, irresponsible and fabricated statement, through which he has betrayed the country and its Security Forces?

Fonseka claims that he is launching the “second operation”. But who are the “commanders’ taking part in his so-called second operation.

They are a group of bankrupt politicians who have been rejected by the masses in toto. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mangala Samaraweera, Somawansa Amarasinghe, Mano Ganeshan and Rauf Hakeem, along with Fonseka, have now joined hands with R. Sampanthan and his Tiger-proxy team from the TNA.

Fonseka has pledged numerous promises to obtain the support of the TNA. Finally, everybody who opposed the battle against terrorism, have teamed up to join Fonseka’s bandwagon.

The masses have no difficulty now in differentiating the traitor and patriot. Time is now opportune to teach an unforgettable lesson to the traitor and rally round the patriot who saved our nation and country from LTTE terror.

Joins hands with Tiger-proxy party – TNA:

Fonseka architects another betrayal

There have been an overwhelming response for the ‘GREATEST BETRAYAL’ series in the Sunday Observer. The response encouraged us to dig deep and report further on how Sarath Fonseka has acted, turning a Nelsonian eye on the larger interests of the country and that of the Security Forces.

Following his controversial statement to the Sunday Leader that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa ordered the Security Forces to shoot the LTTE leaders attempting to surrender waving white flags, the US and UN authorities have pointed their finger at Sri Lanka.

Fonseka would have done so to woo the minority Tamil vote, but what he had sadly forgotten was the effect his statement would have on undermining the great achievements of our valiant Security Forces.

Though Fonseka made desperate attempts to deny that and prove his innocence, the newspaper’s writer herself has given a stunning reply to the high drama.

On top of all this, Fonseka became the architect of yet another great betrayal when he joined hands with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). In his lust for power and aim of becoming President at any cost, Fonseka has agreed to all conditions of the TNA to woo the support of the Tiger-proxy political party.

Here are some of the key conditions put forward by the TNA, to which Fonseka has agreed. Only after this agreement between the two parties, along with the UNP (which has a history of making shameless agreements with the LTTE during election times), that the TNA officially extended their support to New Democratic Front Presidential candidate Fonseka.

1. Release all hardcore LTTE terrorist leaders

2. Reduction of Army intelligence

3. Relocation of Army camps in the North and the East

4. Removal of the High Security Zones in Jaffna peninsula

5. Resettlement of Tamil civilians in close proximity to Army camps

6. Merge the Northern Province and the Eastern Province

7. Establishment of an autonomous regime for the Tamil speaking people

8. Reduce Military strength in the North and East

Following Fonseka’s fabricated ‘white flag’ drama, the UN Secretary-General Ban ki-moon has informed the Government of Sri Lanka that he is considering the appointment of a Commission of Experts to advise him further and to assist the Government in taking measures to address possible violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, speaking to reporters at the UN on Friday, said that the establishment of such a commission is currently receiving detailed consideration by the UN Secretariat.

Disabled soldiers condemn Fonseka -TNA pact

Disabled soldiers vehemently condemned Sarath Fonseka’s pact with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to betray the hard-won independence and the liberation of the motherland, achieved with the sacrifice of thousands of precious lives and limbs of the Security personnel.

It is not advisable on the part of the former Army Commander to betray the independence and territorial integrity of the motherland, won after loosing 27,000 Ranaviru lives and rendering thousands permanently disabled, for mere greed and narrow political gains!

They reiterated that Fonseka’s hobnobbing with the despicable forces who defended the LTTE openly and acted against the Sri Lankan Government and its Security Forces nationally and internationally, is a great betrayal.

By agreeing to 14 conditions of the Tamil National Alliance such as the withdrawal of High Security Zones in the North, release of terrorist suspects, removal of Army Camps, weakening of the State’s intelligence arm and re-merger of the North and East Provinces, Fonseka has given new hopes to the Eelamists, the disabled soldiers charged. Therefore, they insisted that all patriotic people should get together and defeat this great betrayal completely.

Herath Mudiyanselage Kalu Banda, a disabled S. L. Army Corporal:

We are innocent village people. When terrorism cast its deadly shadow on us, I joined the Army and fought them. I had a narrow escape when the terrorists shot me. Today, to me who is confined to a wheelchair, such stories as withdrawal of Security Zones give enough pain. If Security Zones are withdrawn, the terrorists will be back at their old game and set the country ablaze. Today a free country devoid of terror has dawned upon us, thanks to the wise political leadership.

Soldier K. A. Karunaratne of Embilipitiya:

When I was stationed in Paranthan, the LTTE terrorist let loose a rain of bullets on us. I am today partially paralysed. We made these sacrifices not to witness the security camps being withdrawn. Neither to see the Police and Army presence in the North and East curtailed and the country back under the terrorist jackboot! We cannot allow any forces to darken our lives again!

Lance Corporal Gamage, Ratmalana:

I lost my limbs and suffered immense deprivation. Did we suffer all these tragedies to see the withdrawal of security camps? Is it to re-merge the North and the East? This is heart-rending news for all those who underwent untold sufferings during the war, and lost their near and dear ones.

Though I am confined to a wheel-chair, I am strong-willed. Do not allow the Tiger terrorists to raise their ugly heads again. I remained a bachelor throughout and did not entertain hopes of marriage because my sole objective was to have the motherland delivered from terrorist clutches. Do not betray our hard-won national victories!

W. A. Sunil Amarasinghe, Corporal, SL Army:

Tigers nearly killed us at Kataragama during our search operations.

We, as victims of Tiger terror, cannot allow anybody to reduce the State’s intelligence wing, to withdraw the security camps, to release the LTTE suspects or allow the “Tiger spirits” to haunt the country again! If these ill-conceived plans are executed, surely a more powerful war has to be waged in future to crush the enemy.

W. A. Nilupul, a three-wheeler driver, Kadawata:

We have to ascertain whether there is a written undertaking given for these ill-advised promises.

We are totally against this kind of betrayal of the victory won at the cost of thousands of precious lives of our brethren. The entire country will rise against these manipulations.

Fabricated charges will not stop President’s victory - Lakshman Yapa

by Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Mud slinging campaigns and fabricated corruption charges will not stop the victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He won the Presidential Election in 2005 without the support of the TNA and other Tamil political parties in the estate areas, but today he faces the same election with the support of Tamil political parties in the estate sector and the Tamil community in the North and East who immensely benefited from permanent peace and the massive development drive, Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said.

Addressing a special press briefing at the Information and Media Ministry last week, Minister Abeywardena said the opposition should have tabled documents to prove any acts of corruption and malpractice of the leader of this country during the time allocated to them in Parliament; the Government members spoke about proving acts of corruption and malpractices of the Presidential candidate of the Opposition and the Opposition always gets more time than the Government in Parliament.

The Government tabled the documents within 98 minutes. At least now they have to present similar documents to the media, if there are any, to prove these “acts of corruption”.

When a Parliamentary Select Committee was appointed to probe corruption and malpractice on the demand of the Opposition, no Opposition MP turned up.

Minister Abeywardena said the House adjourned till February 5 because all the MPs are busy campaigning the Presidential Election and not because of any fear of accusations. Legal action will be taken against all corruption and malpractices proved by the Government with documentary evidence. The Opposition Presidential candidate can deny them now. The Opposition did not use even a single minute allocated to them to prove any corruption by the Rajapaksa family.

“The Government is not criticising the Presidential candidate of the Opposition and only speaks about evidence and proof. Therefore, the Opposition should stop the mud-slinging campaign and come out with evidence and prove so called corruption and malpractices of the Rajapaksa family. There is no point or need for waiting until the Presidential Election is over. They should do it now. Presenting documents after the victory of President Rajapaksa will be pointless,” he said.

According to Minister Abeywardena, a person who promises good governance and a corruption and malpractice-free rule should come up clean proving his innocence.

Presenting the documents to journalists, Minister Abeywardena pointed out that the so called `children’s company’, Hicorp dealt with tenders on the day after it was registered and the person who signed the documents in the US was actually in Sri Lanka on the day he signed those documents. The same address is mentioned for Fonseka’s green card. Now the companies which did not receive tenders have provided information and documents to the Government.

Now the Opposition says the country’s money is flowing to foreign countries since the Central Bank relaxed forex controls and says that in fear of getting defeated the Government is sending money abroad. There is still no date for its implementation. It is an ordinary practice of any country in the world when the country has healthy foreign reserves and good economic growth, the Minister said.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says it supports the Presidential candidate of the Opposition under certain conditions. The people of Sri Lanka have the right to be informed about those `conditions’. Those `conditions’ should be revealed to the people, he said.

Minister Abeywardena said the first condition in this set of conditions is releasing all hardcore terrorist leaders. The Government has already released persons who have not been charged. Legal action will be taken against other terrorist leaders. The second demand is reducing Army intelligence. There is no way the present Government will take such a step to agree with this condition.

According to Minister Abeywardena the third condition is re-merging the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The fourth condition is reducing the number of members in the Armed Forces and the Police in the North. The Government had to rescue the Tamil community at a cost of 26,000 lives of brave soldiers with 30,000 soldiers becoming disabled during the war.

The fifth condition is removing high security zones. The Government has already removed some high security zones and is doing it gradually because first of all, the Government has to ensure the safety of the people and public property, the Minister said. Rudrakumar, the unofficial leader of the LTTE, stated that the `new chapter’ of the Eelam War has already commenced.

Wasantharaja, another LTTE activist has also made a similar statement from London. Therefore the so called `conditions’ of the TNA and this so called `New Chapter of the Eelam War’ match very well.

Wimal Weerawansa ready with documents :

Company address same as that of American home :

Fonseka’s arms deals bared

The American Green card citizenship address of Sarath Fonseka is the same as that of the company he had fraudulent arms dealings with, National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa said.

According to Weerawansa the address bearing the former Army Commander’s name is Gold Drive, Edmund ok -73012 and the Green Card number is A-055 -090-192.

He said he had details and evidence in connection with of all the arms deals of the former Army Commander in his possession and challenged Fonseka to come for an open debate with him within 24 hours to reveal the truth or otherwise of the matter.

Weerawansa made this disclosure at a press briefing in Colombo on Sunday. He said either Fonseka or an individual nominated by him should take part in the debate, failing which he would expose to the country not only the former Army Commander’s corruptions during the past 40 days of his political life but also the frauds and corruptions engaged by him during his time as Army Commander.

The MP said the public has a right to this information, more so as Fonseka was coming forward as a Presidential candidate adding that the voter has a right to know the type of candidate he or she is going to cast their vote for.

Fonseka who failed to accept the challenge of Weerawansa while on a political stage said “I challenged only the Presidential candidate. Instead the person who has come forward is one who lick bones.

I will leave him a whole heap of bones to lick. We will see that soon.”

The Greatest Betrayal - 4

Differentiating the TRAITOR from the PATRIOT