Sri Lanka: Sarath Fonseka anniversary rally planned
Source: BBC – Pix by Getty Images
Opposition parties in Sri Lanka are promising a huge demonstration on Tuesday to mark one year since the detention of the losing presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka.
He was held after losing the election to the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In September he was moved to prison after a military court found him guilty of corruption.
With jail comes the loss of the parliamentary seat he won last April and he still faces more court cases.
Thirteen months ago it seemed that Mahinda Rajapaksa might have met his electoral match.
Sarath Fonseka had led the army to victory over the Tamil Tigers but fell out with his former friend over who should take the glory for that victory.
The fact that both men were ardent Sinhalese nationalists only made the election fight more bitter.
But as the results showed Mr Rajapaksa winning, it became clear just how much Gen Fonseka would suffer after his electoral challenge.
His campaign hotel was surrounded by troops and 12 days later, kicking and screaming, he was dragged into detention by military police and an officer junior to himself.
Why, then, was Sarath Fonseka arrested?
His detractors – and every government figure swiftly became one – say he was plotting a coup, and that two court martial verdicts against him show he was guilty of dabbling in politics while in uniform and corruptly securing arms deals.
The defence secretary has even threatened to hang him, implying that he was guilty of murdering a newspaper editor while army chief.
But Sarath Fonseka’s supporters say he was detained for daring to challenge Mr Rajapaksa at the polls.
The opposition says his fate points to the government’s intolerance of dissent.
On Friday more than 100 government supporters attacked pro-Fonseka demonstrators with cement blocks, petrol bombs and iron rods.
Some civil society campaigners are in two minds about the whole Fonseka affair.
They never liked Sarath Fonseka when he was army chief and accused him of perpetrating a number of human rights violations.
Now, however, they allege that a lack of rule of law in Sri Lanka has made him, too, a victim.
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This is a distorted view of the British Borubegal Corporation.
SF should be tried for treason. If found guilty he should be hanged.
No one is above the law. Not even MR.
Nicholas Dias, Tell MR to hang KP,Karuna and Pillarran, You are just a blind supporter of MR. i WONDER how you can forget the killings done by these LTTE people. May god blessed you for knwoledge and to see what is right
Kageth Ess piyawennathibuna SP keewa kathawa Sudukodikathawa Jaathayantharawa Pareekschanayata Awanam. LTTE vinascha Kale Sarath Ponseka Nowe. Ahinsaka Soldaduwan. SP kale Kolaba Sepaputuwaka Indagena Salligereemak.
Mewage gonnu set ekak
Ratata Adarayanethi Buruwan.
Anoma Balagenai Apassataevith muunewadeevidakiyala Polgediya.
RANI gihilla gahapan pol , Karunata,KPta saha Pilliaryanta. Rani you are a tamil, oya dukata thamai dagalanne.Ko umbalage Prabahakaran lokka dan wale neda, ko umbalage demalanija bumiya, dan kakkussi waleda
Wimalasiri, Rani is not Tamil. Neither am I. Do not infer that we are Tamil just because we said Karuna and Pillayan deserved amnesty for the service they rendered when they broke-off from VP with their cadres. VP’s downfall started since then. K & P gave valuable intelligence to the Defence Ministry on how to defeat LTTE. They informed the Defence Minstry the LTTE weak points. Our lads did the rest under the able leadership of MR and GR. I cannot believe that you failed to accept this.
SF is a traitor because, misled by JVP, he wanted to displace MR as President. SF was greedy for power. JVP invented the white flag story and SF propagated this dirty lie. Since it came from him, it had a big impact on international community who believed the lie. Since then we had problems from UNSG who was forced to act against GOSL by USA, Britain and diaspora LTTE. Hence SF is a traitor. He commited a gross act of treason He deserves to be tried in court and hung as in Britain and in USA for traitors in government ranks. Being put in prison is too good for him. Let him hang.
There goes Nicholas at a tangent as always.
A Senior Officer representing SL in the UN who happens to be a former leading commander of the marauding forces has stated that there is a real likelihood of HR abuses in the last stages of the war.
The officer also stated that war crimes cannot be swept under the carpet and eventually, theu will be investigated and dealt with under the law.
I admire this officer for his honesty and uprightness. In fact this officer’s approach was appreciated by tamil demonstrators in the audience (including a senior member of the TGTE)who, at the end of the meeting, shook hands with the officer. A video of the address by the officer and the discussions that followed is available in YouTube.
This debunks fanciful arguements put for by apologists of the ND ilk.
Wimalasiri metto mama tani singhala.
namin kohamada me modayakku minisun Wargakaranne.
Mewage Wairakkarayan nisathama me 30Awurudu Yuddeta hethuwa
sinhalayage purudda thamai kanna dipu atha kadagena kanna yana eka,Anne eka thamai S.F.une,Mr.N.D.kiyapu widiyata SF JVP,UNP eke amaya kawa.Nathnam koi buruwekda Mr.M.R.ekka janadipathiwarayta tharaga karanne.Anith eka ape rate ada kauda JVP karayo piliganne.Karuna karala mata kiyanawada JVP eke nayakayage nama,lankawe aya karuwath eyawa danne na.Ithin me wage aya kohomada ape rata palanaya karanne.Anika M.R.paula ada lankawe hitiye nathnam ada ape rata LTTE ratak wela.Ema nisa mahindala wage ayata anomala wage aya mal puja paththu karanna oni.
Wimalasirith Guru Wage mulawunu JvPkarayek.
Rani is not Tamil. Wimalasiri, think rationally instead of being led by your emotions. JVP leaders are also led by their emotions. They also talk like you. They are blind leading the blind. They try to cause anarchy in the country using innocent university students who the JVP mislead to create unrest and street demonstrations and murders of opponents, for their political gains. That is JVP democracy. We saw what happened in their previous upriisings. JVP should be totally destroyed before they destroy the country. LTTE harmed Tamils more than they harmed the Sinhalese.
In blog 9, DC totally distorted what Shravendra de Silva actually said at a meeting in a Church Hall in Boston, which the diaspora LTTE tried to prevent. It was attended by diaspora LTTE also eventually. They went to ridicule him but left congratulating him because he told the ruth and totally denied the allegations. He pointed out the killings were committed largely by the suicide bombers and the LTTE cadres as the Tamil civilians held hostage by Tamil VP and LTTE escaped to SL army side across Nandrikadal lagoon, during the war of liberation. In fact the brave SL soldiers who tried to save the hostages in their flaight across the lagoon also died with the Tamil civilians as the LTTE bombed them and shot them. Shavendra deSilva totally denied any Human Rights abuse or war crimes. He said IF such crimes were committed then the people responsible should indeed be brought to trial. But nos such crimes were committed he insisted. DC conveniently forgets that Shavendra de Silva used the cinditional clause IF SUCH ACTS WERE COMMITTED. DC has totally distorted the SdeS speech. The dispora LTTE infact congratulated SdeS after they were convinced he is telling the truth and our heroes asved the tamil SL citizens.
Pillayan Den nam inne JVP Lokka Sattuwatten Penala apu Somawansa Lokka.
Nicholas
Jvp ekke inne Sathtuwatten Penapu hilenowunu Satuntikkak pamanai.