No More Even A ‘Former Army Commander’ Says Military Spokesman
- Fonseka Not To Be Remembered
By Indika Sri Aravinda
Army spokesman Brigadier Nihal Hapuarachchi told The Sunday Leader that Fonseka is not referred to as the “former Army Commander” anymore.
Even as history is being re-written by the Rajapaksas, the former army chief will not be a part of history when Sri Lanka’s victorious battle against the LTTE is documented.
His details have already been removed from the list of former Sri Lankan Army Commanders on the army website as a result of a Court Martial ruling against him last year.
Fonseka is consistently referred to as the “former Army Commander” by most private media institutions and the international press.
Brigadier Hapuarachi asserted that the military cannot issue instructions to any media institution not to refer to Fonseka as the former army commander. However he said that Fonseka is not referred to as the former army chief by the State media after he was found guilty by the court martial in August last year.
Meanwhile, Sarath Fonseka has rejected an offer to appeal for pardon from President Rajapaksa, a family member said.
Sarath Fonseka’s daughter Aparna Fonseka told The Sunday Leader that if her father wanted to appeal for a Presidential pardon then he would have done so much earlier.
The government had said last week that Fonseka should appeal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a pardon instead of going internationally and signing petitions.
However Aparna Fonseka insisted that they will go ahead with a petition to the US government seeking intervention to release Fonseka. She said that so far the petition to the US government has secured 12,000 signatures and the target is 25,000 signatures by the 23rd of this month. Aparna Fonseka further said that her family was compelled to go international as the government had failed to secure her father’s release.
Aparana, what you should do before getting the required signatures is to forward your brother in law, who is in hiding still (who has an open warrant) to court. You should also remember that your father did misuse the Army Tender procedures in collaboration with your brother in law and he was court martial, which has nothing to do with procedures followed in civilian courts. So try this first. Additionally you and your supporters should understand that international institutes cannot dictate terms to the judiciary of an another country. If it can be done then you and your followers should tell USA to release all in Guntanamo Bay prison (they are branded only by USA as terrorist) but not by all countries.
This may save him from war crime cases out side sorry lanka.
Mervyn:
Judging by your intelligence and independence, not to mention your ability to hold pandang to MR, you must be THE REAL “Dr Mervyn.”