Maj. A.S.K.Weerakkody, Philippines
I was so apalled some time ago after reading your article. I made about fifty copies of these and posted to many concerned parties in Sri Lanka.Some of them I faxed. One I sent to General Anuruddha Ratwatta too with my comments. I sent copies to many concerned police stations too.Yesterday I e-mailed one to CHANDRIKA'S OFFICE (with my comments). I was a Major in the Army on active duties in mid seventies and early eighties. Most of the present day Generals are my compatriates those days.(General Neil Dias, Sarath Fonseka, Sarath Munasinghe(my class mate too at Maliyadeva) etc. My heart was crying. Just imagine the damage done by this greedy barsted to my country and my people. To tell you the truth I have very low opinion on my Sinhala race. Since leaving the Army in 1980,I have been hovering around in the Asia Pacific region untill now. 90% of the Sinhalese I met so far are cut-throats, opportunists with no quality at all in many of them. Now I have made it a habit not to talk to any Sinhalese I come across abroad. I met a very funny fellow last month at the Philippine Immigration office, one Jagath Hadigallage married to a Philipina (like me). He has been here only for five years and forgotten to speak in Sinhala now. Using pilipino words while talking to me, a pilipino sinhala mix language. I am very proud anywhere I go to say I am a Buddhist from Sri Lanka. My only son is the only non-cristian child in his school. He too is very proud to say that he is a Buddhist. But this Jagath fellow has become a cristian and forgotten to speak sinhala too. So this is the type of Sinhalese we meet and see everyday everywhere. I love to be in Sri Lanka than any other place in the world, but unfortunately after spending millions of Rupees for Agriculture in Sri Lanka (1996-1999) out of the precious money I earned abroad, without any gain, my wife forced me to leave the country and to come here to start a business. We are doing well again. I nearly lost all my savings in Sri Lanka. Thanks to the agricultural policies there. So this is life. There will be many Ehelepolas, Jagath Hadigallages and Chandananda Silvas to come untill there will be no more Sinhalese and Buddhists. Even the present day Mahanayakes in Malwatta and Asgiriya are not real Buddhists. They are worst than a layman. At least SINHALA URUMAYA has come now and I hope they will gain ground like what Janatha Party did in India. At last Sinhala Urumaya has surfaced. I hope it will come up as what Janatha Party did in India.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.S.K.Weerakkody, Philippines
I was appalled by seeing this report. I too was an Army officer who was in Jaffna
from 1973 to 1978. I raided Prabhakaran's room at Velvetiturai in 1978 when
he was only a minor leader. I have alresdy printed tens of this article and
posted to many concerned people and politicians in Sri Lanka. I sent a copy
by fax even to our Embassy here in the Philippines. At the time of this e-mail
my printer is working hard making further copies. All the millions worth weaponry
and our sinhala soldiers lives are down the drain just because of one greedy
animal in a high chair. Tigers are back at Omantai and Jaffna. It is a pity,
we do not have Sinhalese suicide squads to blast these s.o.bs. The animal holding
the presidents chair should also be getting a cut from these commissions without
doubt. Imagine what type of leadership we have? When the camps were lost the
bitch said that was due to lack of manpower to hold ground whereas the truth
was something else. Time has come to stop development in the country and to
buy all the powerful weaponry required to wipeout all Tiger installations and
anhilate them. This could have happened ten years ago. Unfortunately the war
has become a business for everybody from President down to the Military Logistics
Officers. Our boys from poor familys sacrifice their lives for nothing. Our
economy goes to dogs and the dogs get richer and richer in this great Buddhist
nation. To whom shall we say this???
--------------------------------------------------
Srilal Ananda Liyanapathiranage - writes
I start reading this article very seriously until I came to read about Rear Admiral Dissanayake's story. As a ex navy officer and as a ex government servant and also a person who knows Rear Admiral Dissanayake and the Current commander of the navy very closely I totally disagree with you. Present Commander of the Navy join the navy as a sailor and move up on the ladder on his own merits. When he was a student at St. Anthoney's College, he was the first in his class almost every year. He was a very bright student. He carried more prizes for academic achievements than anyone in the school during his era. He is one of the most loyal and dedicated officers to the country and to the nation. He came from a ordinary family which cares for fellow citizens and had the most respect for human beings. He is an asset to my county. If you have any questions about his integrity you should talk to the sailors or current officers, or people who work with him. There were lots of people who tried to jeopardize his future. As a person who knows him for last 45 years I totally disagree with your article. I am not going to talk about Rear Admiral Dissanayake. They are totally different characters.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lalith Jayawickrama - writes
This is a great job and it is a very hard one to do in Sri Lanka where there is no freedom of speech or to express. This is one of the most important aspect to "tame the tiger and destroy the Hitler of Sri Lanka" and also to unify the nation under one flag and undivided. It is very hard for us to do what you are doing there, but we can assist you by further exposing the work you have done.
As an idea, may be you can publish a news letter/paper in over seas such as in the US where there is freedom of press and speech and outside of Sri Lankan laws. Or your work can be exposed by publishing in over seas Sri Lankan newspapers. I only know one and I can send that info in my next letter or ASAP!
This whole "WAR/conflict" is based on economics not on the basis of religion, race or human rights. These are only the glace to hide from and to attract outsiders.
I hope your efforts will bring democracy, unity and much needed peace to our beloved mother land, Sri Lanka Maatha.
"see you at the front line-ONE LANKA FOR ONE PEACE/PIECE"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nihal Kuruppu - writes
I think we need to circulate this in Sri Lanka by way of posters and any other way we could. The poor village children who serve our country get killed and De Silva is making money for generations. He must get stoned at Galle Face Green if these allegations are true and proved in a impartial court.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lalith Tissera - writes
Great work, keep up with it. This is a great service to the nation. Probe into the Air Lanka sale to Arabs, who made commissions. Shell deal, a govt of a country selling the petroleum coop and creating a monopoly without any state regulations, somebody in high places definitely must have pocketed a lot of money. Look into those areas as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lalith Tissera - writes again
I am with you.
I am a Psychiatrist practising in Boston area, I am a Sinhalese Catholic, married to a Tamil originally from Jaffna, I am not a nationalist I am a Sri Lankan , I believe in territorial integrity of the island as a country.
I see thousands of Indian computer professionals in this area who make a good living. they keep coming. Also , I know the hardships our youth are going through and I personally went through when living in Sri Lanka. I am making a good living here yet I know a lot of bright youth who are my friends without any "pandam", push, pull etc who lead miserable lives in Sri Lanka. I hear about students competing going to tuition classes day and night, yet even the Ph.D. holder is making just enough to live. Realities in the island are grim.
Reasons are:
Banda was a jealous pig , he sent his children abroad and insulated the others. JRJ was a fox only for his gains. (True elitist) Mrs.B started misleading people , nationalized news media, was preaching a Bull S*** socialism , making us eat pumpkin curry. then she killed youth who were trying to take her preaching to the next step. Premadasa was a murderer. I don't know much about D.S. and his son , We can forget them.
I understand your passion. I have no aspirations of going back and living in Sri Lanka, but I hate to see my people suffer the way they are suffering. In airports world over Sri Lankans are treated like dirt, all western immigration services treat any person carrying a Sri Lanka Passport that way. Reasons are the terrorists and then the govt that doesn't care for its people. Sri Lankan govt. sell our youth to Arabs as slaves and boast about it. These are facts.
I will work with you. We have common goals, I don't hate Chandrika, but I am totally against dynasty politics, SLFP being their family property and that woman appointing her old ( most probably demented) mother as the prime minister. She has been shrewd in rising to that level in the back of an actor. Then I have no regard to the opposition leader, The foreign minister has made some commendable remarks on numerous occasions, when he responded to Robin Cook for instance. There is nobody else I have faith in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Janak B Abayakoon - writes
Open letter to NATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST OFFICIAL CORRUPTION IN
Sri Lanka [NMOC] - Why blame only the Defence
Secretary
Please keep up the good work.
But why only Defence Secretary? Rathwatte too is playing hell. [Now he is correctly side lined because of his infamous arithmetic and war strategies] He is also responsible for demoralising our gallant soldiers wearing Commando camouflage uniform in the battle field and directing operations when US qualified battle harden officers [as you indicated] were around. His pet officers became multi-millionaires within few years. E.g. An ex SLAF commander is an example. He has many houses, car sale etc. Her daughter drives a BMW in Sri Lanka and also studies in UK. He also got a private Army mainly to protect Rathwatte's sons from Fijian type.
Easiest way to find these crooks is to prepare a list of students studding in the UK and the USA. Make it present and past to catch both UNP and PA politicians. Find out how many of them are belongs to the SL government officers who earns maximum $ 400 per month. You will find permanent secretaries [not only defence secretaries mind you] police officers, Army-Navy-Air Force officers, past and present Sinhala-Tamil-Muslim politicians and their henchmen, Government boards heads etc. in that non-ending list. But country should start from somewhere to stop this before the entire wealth is robbed.
Daily News , news heading - Expatriates earned RS 83b for the country during first six months of the year.
This is how our politicians going to spend that.
Duty free vehicles for MPs and MPCs
It was earlier reported that President Kumaratunga had decided to stall the importation of duty free vehicles by Members of Parliament.
In fact, several letters lavishing encomiums on the President appeared in the daily newspapers for the austerity measure taken. But then, today’s ‘Lankadeepa’ (25.07.2000) in screaming headlines announces that the state was willing to grant not only permits to MPs and Provincial Councillors but also State Bank loans of Rs. 10 lakhs and 5 lakhs respectively.
But one wonders if the government has indeed taken a prudent step when the poor and the not so poor are being crushed from all sides by the ravaging cost of living, especially with the general elections not so far away. What is being commonly bandied about its how, Citizen Perera, hard pressed to seek a bank loan is driven from pillar to post.
But then, as a wag quipped; "These MPs and councillors are poor devils who surely deserve everybody’s sympathy. If they are not worthy or being granted loans, who is?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saman Abayarathna - writes
We should be very careful about this storey. It may be true. The best thing is to do is to send this to the president? . We can send this to the ambassador for sure or rev Kusaladhamma? Is this LTTE propaganda to discourage the our fund raising.? This will help, for those people who are looking for excuses not to do anything. Do you know exact source where this is coming from? If this true what the hell those so called MPs and others do. This man suppose to work as president's national security advisor. If the president had a single working brain cell, this man should have been fired from his post after the Vanni debacle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Uditha Subasinghe - writes
Has anyone got an answer to this question? We consider that Major Jen. Janaka Perera is as the most able person in the Army who can defeat the LTTE. Why has he been removed from Jaffna while he was inflicting heavy damages to the LTTE? Is this another part of the Defence Secretary Antiques? Both times he was removed when the 'Madam' was out of country. You saw the devastation.
I lived and educated in the UK and came back to serve my motherland.
Now, I am shocked! I weep all the time thinking of the corruption that take this country downhill.
I do not know how true this is, but I am hearing the dreadful stories about Mr. Balapatabendi and his son's antiques which destroy many business opportunities in SL. If we talk, do we also follow Rohana Kumara. That's what the ordinary citizens of Sri Lanka fear in exposing or working against corruption.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahinda - writes
"Pilima Nela nathi viruvan pirisak
Samarum dina nathi viruvan pirisak
Sathapethi .. pas kandu yata rahasey
Mihikatha.. kampa..wey. .. ......"
"Some thing" wrong some where. Definitely!
I was shocked again!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sudharman K Jayaweera - writes
Deleted