Fonseka-Backer Tiran To Be Appointed Minister Of Civil Aviation And Airport Services?
Tiran Alles addresses media representatives from his residence, damaged during a bomb attack, that has been blamed on the ruling party
Speculation is rife that Democratic National Alliance (DNA) National List MP Tiran Alles has resigned from his position as General Secretary of the Democratic National Party headed by former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka.
Amid conflicting reports, Colombo Telegraph reliably learns that Alles, who was the chief negotiator of Fonseka’s release from prison with the Rajapaksa government, has readied his letter of resignation but may not have handed it in so far. DNA General Secretary Vijitha Herath has denied knowledge of Alles’ resignation and Fonseka himself has reportedly told confidants that he has not received a letter of resignation so far.
Alles’ fallout with the former General has been some months in the making insiders say, but matters may have reached a climax after Sarath Fonseka, in an interview with the Sinhala language Randiwa newspaper, declared “ Tiran cannot manipulate me” and went on to say that he would not take a bullet to serve Alles’ agendas. The newspaper reported Fonseka going as far as to say that “there was no friendship between Alles and himself”. Colombo Telegraph has made repeated attempts to contact Alles for clarification on the issue, even via text message, but the Parliamentarian has remained unreachable so far. He is yet to contradict reports of his resignation officially to any media organizations, almost all of whom have now published the news story.
Sources close to the government indicate that Alles is poised to join the Rajapaksa administration and say he may even be granted the ministerial portfolio of Civil Aviation and Airport Services in time to come.
Tiran Alles first attained fame in the presidential election of 2005 for his role in the infamous enforced LTTE boycott of the poll, allegedly at the behest of the Rajapaksa campaign. According to leaked US diplomatic cables, in February 2007, US Ambassador Robert O. Blake wrote to his Secretary of State saying that “all signs point to Tiran Alles, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Aviation Authority, often rumoured to be the GSL’s behind-the-scenes link to the LTTE.”
The cable went on to say: “Local papers say the security forces will soon arrest this individual on charges of conspiracy and links to the LTTE. The President announced at a ruling party meeting over the weekend that there is an LTTE conspiracy to assassinate him. An Embassy journalist contact told a PAO FSN that Tiran Alles is at the centre of a web involving Sinhalese support to the LTTE.”
Ambassador Blake notes in his cable that it was unlikely that the government of Sri Lanka can successfully prosecute Alles since the collateral damage to other members of the ruling administration would be ‘enormous’. “Already, the heavy-handed efforts to neutralize Alles, former Foreign Minister Samaraweera and his understudy, Sooriyarachchi, have come at a high political cost and undermined the stability of the government. Alles’ release on bail may be a sign that the parties are again trying to settle their differences. If the new attempt is successful, the story will likely disappear,” the US Ambassador noted at the time.
Following the defection of SLFP strongman Mangala Samaraweera, Alles joined opposition ranks and strongly backed the candidature of Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition candidate in the January 2010 election. Following the parliamentary election of April 2010, Alles was appointed a national list MP of the alliance that fielded Fonseka at the presidential and parliamentary election. Since mid-2011, Alles has been engaged in a one-man mission to obtain a presidential pardon for Fonseka negotiating his release directly with President Rajapaksa.
Courtesy: Colombo Telegraph
In poltics there is no permanent friendship. Power can buy people. I rthoughjt Tiran Alles is a gentleman but he proved otherwise. Let Tiran Alles rot in hell.
Lanka E News predicted this.
Rotters rot in “Hell” alright, but not always for us to see it & appreciate it! There are no gentleman or ladies in his family tree & that is the very reason he is offered this post ,if true! All dirt get collected in one place.
TA – Opportunist in the extreme. SF, for what he was and is, wouldn’t have been amused when he sensed that the tail is about to wag the dog. In a country which has intellectuals a plenty in SL and abroad, what academic or professional credentials has Alles got to be an authority of anything worthwhile? The Govt. thinks its smart by luring or sucking in every vermin and snake to ‘strengthen the hand of Rajapakshe’. Only time will tell how long these creatures can stay sober.
According to you guys, the voters living in SL are idiots; They don’t understand the difficulties people are going through, etc; and they still vote for UPFA. I too live in abroad. But, like once in 4 months, I visit SL and everytime I could feel the difference of people’s living standards. (Now don’t say that I am a blind UPFA supporter).
When S F was released after he withdrew his appeal I commented,
Another conspiracy or betrayal?
Time is ripe to collect his dues. What a shame?
To say simply, there are arse holes who will not stop at selling their mother and father for positions
MR very smart. Poor show by gutless opportunists
Defineatly MR is smart. A smart leader is good for any counry. The problem is that MR’s smarteness only serving his family henchmen and some criminals in the country. Destroying the opposition for your own survival is a crime too consifering the future of the country. MR isnt going to live for 100 years, who knows at the going rate if Julampitiye Amere woulnd come to power when people electing Mervin Silva, Berty Dissanayake, Mahieepala etc.
MR is not smart, but cunning like a RAT, but a stupid leader, who thinks he’s smart, time will swallow him as one of the worst ever leader in SL history,his henchmen will try to praise him for the war victory, but it was not only due to him, it was mainly due to Gen: SF & many other brave officers of our security forces, and past leaders who paved the way this victory. The current lawless society MR created will destroy him & his clan. Evil never triumps, good will always win, those who believe in GOD,our savior Jesus will be victorious in the end, vermins like Tiran Alles would be reduced to DUST!
@EDDY
General SF (or at a lower rank before MR) was there before MR came into power.
If the victory was ” mainly due to Gen: SF & many other brave officers of our security forces” as you say, then why no victory in the past 30 years BEFORE ?
After all, SF and other brave officers were there before as well, no ?
Fact is, no army in the world can gain a victory unless it has the political backing and will behind it – No previous government gave backing to the forces…
If this government did not give backing to forces.. even Gen: SF & many other brave officers could not have secured the victory..
Previous governments also had the political backing and will behind it but, the propaganda machine of the LTTE was more powerful and therefore they were able to get the support of the International Community. The efforts of the previous Governments to crush down their propaganda machine and their efforts to convince the International Community that LTTE was a dangerous Terror Organization were successful and there was a paradigm shift in that aspect. Later, India understands of the danger of establishing a separate Tamil state near Tamil Nadu and changed its position too. Western countries started freeze LTTE assets and India directly involve in blocking the weapon transportation to LTTE through its sea routes. These are the real factors that Sri Lanka was able to win the war through its brave solders under the intelligent leadership of General Sarath Fonseka.
So we all agree that this is politics, and there is no decorum in it, ok, so that’s politics
If Tiran is credited by Robert Blake to have brokered a deal with LTTE that was a deal that came back to bite Prabah and distroy the LTTE, so we all should be happy.
Then again with SF in jail the US and others were up in arms about it, now Tiran has brokered another deal to get him out and those who said SF will die in prison etc must be eating humble pie, another deal brokered for lasting peace, I think Thilan joined the right team and will be a great asset to MR, another nail in the UNP coffin?
Now you talk Fony. You should have got in to work without the Big talk, Now MR has started buying you men, You keep talking.
What a country we live in . GREED , POWER , MONEY has made mankind in SRI LANKA animals . Honesty , justice will be removed very soon in the SRI LANKA dictionary .
What emerges from this episode is the arrogance of Sarath Fonseka. He is rapidly losing his supporters and will be surrounded by the yes men he seem to cherish. He is the proverbial emperor with the new clothes and anyone who says he is actually naked is quickly banished.
So many Sri lankan politicians have provided “ladders to the monkeys in the forest.” This episode is no different.
So it is minister number 62! Unbeatable world record like that of Murali’s 800 wickets!
Lovely. First this fool plays for the Rajapakses, then switches sides and joins the SF club and gets his house burnt down by the MR gang, now he re-joins them to take on some portfolio. All of this is normal in the miracle of Asia.
I wish MR would just make a Ministry-of-Traitors” and assign a ministerial post for all the traitors coinciding with all the elements in the periodic table and keep adding to it even when we have run out of them. Any takers? I bet Ranil W will be off the charts because his would be an element not even found in our universe.
“”If the victory was ” mainly due to Gen: SF & many other brave officers of our security forces” as you say, then why no victory in the past 30 years BEFORE ?”"
Why no victory was there before, and victory only now ???
Because India which under Indira’ s rule trained the rebels, under Sonia’s rule wanted to take revenge on VP, and with its influence in the international community helped SL government. More than 20 odd powerful nations, some with nuclear power, supported the Govt. If the LTTE was allowed the required arms, there would have been no victory.