White Flag Story Goes To Court
General Sarath Fonseka is to be produced before Colombo Magistrate Champa Janaka Jayaratne on Wednesday, May 12, in connection with having told The Sunday Leader in December last year, that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave an illegal order not to accommodate any LTTE cadres attempting to surrender.
After the story was published in The Sunday Leader of December 13, 2009, Fonseka issued a clarification asserting, “As Commander of the Army during the final stages of the war – I did not receive any communication that some LTTE leaders were planning or wanting to surrender. I was not told at any stage they wanted to do so and that some kind of an agreement had been reached where they must come out carrying pieces of white cloth. I can speak conclusively and authoritatively on this particular issue and say categorically that nobody carrying white flags attempted surrender in those final days of the war. Therefore all of the LTTE leaders were killed as forces completely took over a remaining 100m x 100m area of land north of Vellamullivaikkal.”
Two days after the war ended I learnt through some journalists who were entrenched at the time with then Brigadier Shavendra Silva that an illegal order had been conveyed to General Shavendra Silva by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This illegal order was however not carried out at ground level. I take full responsibility for what happened on the ground.”
Fonseka to date, has never denied the story nor ever sent a Letter of Demand to The Sunday Leader.
The Court on the 6th accepted the request of the CID to produce General Fonseka as a suspect in its investigations which are being conducted into the statements made by Fonseka to The Sunday Leader.
The CID made this request twice earlier, but were rejected by the Court.
In the complaint it is recorded that these investigations were begun following the complaint made by the IGP on March 10, to SP Anura Silva of the CID.
Statements have been recorded from The Sunday Leader Chairman Lal Wickrematunge, Editor-in-Chief
Frederica Jansz, Deputy Editor, Raknesh Wijewardena, Photographer Thusitha Kumara and General Shavendra Silva.
The CID have informed the Court that they find from investigations conducted thus far that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had on no occasion given such instructions to General Shavendra Silva, and that Fonseka has uttered a falsehood to Frederica Jansz.
Fonseka is to be brought to court on Wednesday. Charges are to be framed accusing Fonseka of making a false statement, disclosing information jeopardizing national security, and overtly or covertly rousing communal tension and hatred.
JUST FORGET THIS WHITE FLAG STORY.JUST LET IT TO BE REST.IT IS TRUE THAT SURENDERING TERRORISTS WERE SHOT TO DEATH.THE POINT IS IF THEY NOT DEAD,THE PROBLEM OF TERRORISM WILL CONTINUE FURTHER.EVEN IT’S ILEAGAL KILLINGS,IT IS GOOD ACTION.WHO NEED TERRORISTS?.FOR WHAT BENEFITS?.NO ONE BENEFITED FROM TERRORISM IN SRI LANKA,ALL ARE LOOSERS FOR DEFERENT WAYS.WHAT TO DONOW IS TO SAVE WHOARELIVING,NOT TO GIVE LIFE TO UN WANTED STORIES.THIS KIND OF THINGS WILL HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS TO PRESIDENT,DEFENCE SECRETARY AND MILITARY OFFICIALS.ALL SHOULD AGREE THAT KILLING OF THOSE DIRTY MINDED AND DIRTY HEARTED TERRORISTS ARE RIGHT THING TO DO .WITHOUT REMINDING THIS DYING STORY AGAIN AND AGAIN,JUST MAKE IT DEAD JUST LIKE THOSE DEAD TERROR CRIMINALS.
very well said mark!
When Ms Federica Janz, wrote a spat of words by SF a few months back, his JVP handlers barged in on his behalf and denied it vehemently. Two days after that SF himself denied Ms. Janz write-up as truthful. In the meantime it was rumoured that bulldog handlers of SF had made a tremendous effort to make Ms Janz withdraw her story. Great lady she is; not only she stood by her story, but reasserted that her write-up was totally based the interview she had with SF. And she said; she has her recording to prove it.
At about the same time SF had put up a show through BBC. It started to disseminate that SF is not going to protect war criminals. In fact, it went on to say that General Fonseka is ready to give evidence at an International court against those that killed white flag waving LTTE terrorists. Out of shear hate, SF started to say the same thing again and again at very many of his election platforms. All this confirmed the write-up by Miss Janz as true.
Now, who are these alleged war criminals? Here SF meant Mahinda Rajapakse, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Shavendra Silva, Prasanna Silva, and etc are alleged war criminals. Perhaps it is interesting to note another development: At a reception in SF’s honour by his Alma matter Dharmashoka Vidyalaya SF is said to have said that he got all the terrorists killed en masse at Nandikadal and he had not even left out their bowels. If that is the case, no doubt, SF is the killer. Not that I disapprove the gracious act; but I just wondered, how SF could make wild charges against others.
One may speculate why would SF want to make up stories against the very people he worked together for many years? In order to answer that question we have to dig little deep into few other reporting. After the end of the war, still in uniform, we remember SF arguing; though LTTE is eradicated, there will be a real threat from LTTE rump in time to come. To counter that threat, SF is said to have proposed the government to allow him to increase the strength of the army to 300,000 and establish a string of army camps in every district from north to south. Is that a part of the vicious plan by SF? Perhaps the President and Gotabhaya Rajapakse may have smelled a rat. For whatever reason, SF couldn’t sell his preposition. Indeed, the President is said to have informed SF that he wanted to trim the army instead.
It is known that SF wasn’t very happy about not getting his way albeit to expand the army and have camps the way he wanted. About the same time a consignment of 32 million dollars worth ammunitions reached Colombo harbour that was ordered by SF while holidaying in China during the last week of the war.
Why do we need ammunitions when almost all the firing has ended? It so happened, Danuna, SF’s son on law was the local agent for the order. The greed for a fat commission must have overridden common sense may well be the answer. The contention of the secretary for defence had been; now the war is over, we need not spend money unnecessarily. He is said to have cancelled many other orders for the same reason. A squadron of MIG 29 fighter planes were among the cancelled orders. So, said consignment too was returned to the vendor.
At that time, many a papers had reported that SF was furious for sending back the consignment of ammunitions that were delivered on his order. In his effort to justify his decision to spend 32 million dollars for ammunitions when almost all firings have been ceased, he said it was to save money that he ordered the ammunitions for the next five years. He went so far as to say; if we were to buy these arms in five years it would have cost a lot more money. Now, you need not be an Einstein to decide whether buying such an amount of ammunitions for five years upfront is a bona fide or a commission or a schematic plot.
I sincerely cannot understand why authorities cannot make a thorough case against this turncoat.
The Greeks were right when they said “The Gods, first make you mad before they destroy you”. I am convinced the retired General has gone completely loopy. He has threatened to go to the International media and courts with this already discredited accusation. He will achieve nothing except ridicule.
He is in Jail…. He will say whatever Raja says.