Throwing a war hero to the wolves to appease Tamil separatists; the real story behind the ‘Mirisuvil massacre’ needs to come out
Posted on September 3rd, 2015

Ramanie de Zoysa

War hero Ratnayaka Mudiyanselage Sunil Ratnayaka is on death row at the age of just 38 for the crime of protecting his country from bloodshed and ruin. Very little is known of Sunil by the public at large even though the so-called mirusuvil massacre” he is accused of participating in, is an event that has been blown out of all proportion by the human rights industry and the Tamil Diaspora for collective advancement.

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Sunil is a young man from a faraway village in the Mahiyangana area. He joined the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in 1995 at the age of about 18. This was a time when Sri Lanka was overwhelmed by the flames of a cruel war perpetrated on the country by Tamil Tiger terrorists. LTTE financiers and theologians were operating quite openly from Western capitals fuelling a war in Sri Lanka killing thousands of mainly Sinhala civilians with impunity from the Human Rights industrialists and the so-called International Community. The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora who received a free education from Sri Lanka and now domiciled in foreign countries were sending back ship loads of arms addressed to the LTTE to repay” their debt to the motherland! President Chandrika Kumaranatunga was at the helm of the country and Armed Forces very much on the back foot while the LTTE flourished militarily acquiring large amounts of arms. Desertion from the Armed Forces was the order of the day and many of the well-known operations against the Tigers ended in resounding losses to the Army.

In this dismal background the youngster Sunil joined the 6th Gajaba regiment of the SLA.  As a young fighter he showed the ability, skill and the bravery to be included in a special task force called Air Mobile Brigade of the SLA. The Air Mobile Brigade, also known a the Maha Sohon Balakaya”  is a formation of the Sri Lanka Army that is a rapid deployment (LRRP) force highly trained and equipped to respond by air, land or by sea as required at short notice in a volatile situation. Some refer to these as the suicide units” aptly acknowledging the certainty of death the Brigade faced every second of the day. Whether conducting prisoner snatches, engaging targets, search and destroy missions, or hunting for the enemy’s secret base camps, these LRRP soldiers depended on each other 110 percent. One small mistake by one man could mean sudden death for all. From saturation patrols along the rebel held territory to near-suicide missions these soldiers walked the razor’s edge every day and became one of the most respected and most feared battalions in the history of the separatist war.

How much fear this Brigade instilled in the minds of the terrorists is articulated in the fact that in 2002 when Ranil Wickremesinghe was signing a so-called peace accord” with the Tiger terrorists one of the conditions the Tigers laid down was the dismantling and destroying of the Maha Sohon Balakaya!

For a fuller account of the dismal state the country was in at the time it is worthwhile reading Shamindra Ferdinando’s article dated October 9, 2012 in the Island newspaper titled The army in serious trouble; War on terror revisited” at:

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=63380

Ferdinando highlights the debacle the Armed Forces were facing during this time with the Army experiencing debilitating attacks from the LTTE while certain members of the Army leadership pretended to be on a winning streak which prompted the PA Government in Colombo to insist that the Army march forward regardless- putting young soldiers’ lives at risk. I quote the above article which is actually quoting the Island newspaper as follows:

On Aug 19, 1997, the LTTE anti-tank squads destroyed three Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) during a confrontation close to Puliyankulam. The MBTs were spearheading the SLA’s largest ever ground offensive codenamed Jayasikuru launched on May 13, 1997 to link-up with the SLA deployed at Kilinochchi to restore the Kandy-Jaffna A9  overland Main Supply Route (MSR) to Jaffna. Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte remained confident of completing the operation swiftly.  But, by the third week of August, 1997, the SLA felt it could no longer sustain the offensive. A section of the officers believed that three devastating counter-attacks launched by the LTTE in June and July made their task impossible. Still the political leadership insisted that the SLA complete its mission (Tigers target tanks in fierce north battle––The Island Aug 21, 1997).”

Further,

By late October, 1997, the SLA was exhausted, though the PA painted a different picture. The media couldn’t report what was happening in the Vanni due to censorship. The government continued to propagate the lie that the Jayasikuru offensive was on track and the LTTE in dire straits. Having lost about 1,000 men, including some experienced young frontline officers, the Jayasikuru offensive was about to collapse. However, the SLA placed the number killed at 722 and wounded at 4,400 during phase I and II of the offensive.”

Between 1998-2001 soldiers’ individual heroic efforts continued in the face of a now strong and ferocious enemy. Some of the significant events during this period, which most of us now seem to have forgotten, can be summarised here courtesy of Shamindra Ferdinando War on terror revisited: Jayasikuru called off, new military adventure launched”- October 17, 2012 as follows:

  • Sept. 1998- the LTTE dislodged the SLA from Kilinochchi which had been liberated in Sept. 1996.
  • Troops engaged in Operation Sath Jaya and sustained heavy losses to bring Kilinochchi under government control.The then Director of Information revealed that bodies of over 400 SLA personnel killed in the Kilinochchi-Paranthan theatre were received by the ICRC on behalf of the GoSL (400 bodies of soldiers handed over to ICRC––The Island Oct 1, 1998).
  • SLA troops re-positioned themselves at Paranthan having vacated Mankulam and Kilinochchi in mid 1990 on President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s watch.
  • With the shocking battlefield defeat at Elephant Pass, the PA was forced to admit that restoring the Main Supply Route (MSR) to Jaffna was no longer feasible (Troops capture Mankulam with strap line Kilinochchi troops vacate positions––The Island Oct 1, 1998).
  • The censorship prevented the media from reporting what was going on in the Vanni. But, sometimes the Competent Authority approved news items, which highlighted the actual ground situation. Eg. the Island published the following front-page report captioned (Another 74 bodies of soldiers handed over––The Island Oct. 3, 1998), approved by the Competent Authority: The LTTE yesterday handed over another 74 bodies of SLA personnel killed in fighting at Kilinochchi through the ICRC to the SLA at Poovarasankulam, Vavuniya. Altogether 684 bodies have been transferred by the ICRC from Mallavi in the LTTE-held area to the SLA-held area, whereas the SLA returned the bodies of 12 LTTE cadres.”
  • On the morning of Oct 12, 1998, President Kumaratunga met the SLA top leaders in a desperate attempt to round up deserters for re-deployment on the front. The latest hunt for deserters was launched soon after at least 1,000 soldiers were killed in battles in the Kilinochchi-Paranthan sector and Mankulam.
  • On Dec 2, 1998, the PA called off Operation Jayasikuru to pave the way for a new offensive Rivi Bala.
  • In March 1999, the SLA brought more territory under its control west of the A9.
  • March 17, 1999- The LTTE fired several rounds of artillery at the Thallady army camp on inflicting heavy damage on it. The SLA lost 19 personnel and five civilian employees.
  • On March 19, 1999, the SLA launched an operation to liberate the Madhu Church area. Madhu was regained by Operation Ranagosa III.
  • Within a week after the liberation of the Madhu area, the LTTE triggered a claymore mine blast at Moondumurippu in the newly liberated area killing four SLAF personnel.
  • Operation Ranagosa further weakened the SLA’s presence in the Vanni; in a sense, it spread three Divisions of troops thin on the ground.
  • In June 1999, the LTTE stepped up activity targeting Weli Oya. At Mirusuvil, Jaffna, the LTTE blasted an eighty KVA diesel operated generator at the rural hospital.
  • In the second week of Sept 1999, Ranagosa troops ran into stiff resistance when they pushed ahead of their positions. The SLA withdrew in the face of heavy attacks. The SLA top brass downplayed the debacle, though senior officers privately admitted that the LTTE was poised for a massive onslaught on the SLA (LTTE hands over bodies of 15 soldiers to ICRC––The Island Sept 15, 1999).
  • On July 6, 1999, exactly at 2.05 p.m, an artillery round landed inside the Weli Oya Brigade headquarters. It was the beginning of a sustained artillery attack on that military facility. For about two hours, Minister Ratwatte, Vice Admiral Cecil Tissera, Air vice Marshal Weerakkody, Lt. Gen. Weerassoriya, IGP Lucky Kodituwakku, Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka and DIG Lionel Karunasena were trapped in the Weli Oya bunkers (Pause in artillery strike on Weli Oya Brigade HQ allows defence topbrass to escape––The Island July 10, 1996).

By 2000, the OSP team to which Sunil belonged was in Jaffna. Each and every one of the six soldiers that were accused of the so-called ‘Mirusuvil massacre’ were themselves injured many times over during the operations and had come back to serve the country even before their injuries healed properly. Sunil Ratnayaka was injured during the Jaya sikurui movement at Mankulam operation. He sustained horrific injuries from an enemy mortar on his face which broke some of his teeth and damaged the facial structure. He also sustained injuries to the back and legs. This team was tasked with the death defying task of entering kilometres into the enemy territory, find exact locations of terrorist bunkers and come back alive in order to deliver precision attacks on the enemy.

In the year 2000, the SLA sustained an unprecedented loss at Elephant Pass. The forward march of the LTTE was only stalled due to the extremely valiant sacrifices of the SLA who continued to hold Jaffna within the Muhamalai defence ring but the SLA was in an extremely difficult position. Tigers were using the ruse of civilians looking for firewood etc and infiltrating SLA territory to spy and later launch attacks on the military. The soldier going to the bush to answer a call of nature in the morning had no guarantee of ever returning. On most days the soldiers could only have food in the morning for the entire day due to the sheer number of attacks launched by the LTTE into the defence ring. Apart from four, the entire 24 member strong OSP team received injuries through such attacks while five members died. Those injured resumed duties even before their wounds had the time to heal properly. They fought under the direst circumstances most often without proper food or sleep for weeks on end. It was a team of four including Sunil who went into the enemy territory to spy in order to liberate Chavakatcheri. Appreciating the valiant efforts of Sunil in this regard he was awarded the Rana Shoora Padakkama in 2001.

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Civilians had left Muhammalai area due to the incessant mortar falling on their houses as well as being sandwiched between the fire exchanges of the two warring parties.  SLA soldiers stationed in the Mirusuwil farm watta area were in fact located only about 1.5 km from the terrorists’ defence ring. In that area there were only abandoned houses due to the incessant firing from both parties. Civilians were absolutely barred from entering the Mirusuwil farm area due to the fact that terrorists dressed in civilian clothes had a habit of infiltrating the SLA defence area under the pretext of collecting firewood or collecting fruit, vegetables etc; some of these so-called ‘civilians’ attacked the SLA soldiers while others spied on their locations which came under LTTE attack shortly after.  Sunil and his team mates received numerous injuries through mortar fire from these fake civilians.

There was no age limit to the LTTE recruitment of soldiers; some cadres were as young as five or six years old while  seventy to eighty year old cadres dressed in sarong carrying a Kalashnikov were also employed by the LTTE. There was no gender preference to the LTTE; men, women, girls and boys were deployed in the war in a ruthless manner. Then again, the International Community and the UN and Human Rights wallahs know this already.

 

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It was in this environment that the said ‘mirusuvil massacre’ occurred. 8 ‘civilians’ out of a group of 9 who ventured into the SLA camp area allegedly looking for firewood were killed, allegedly by Corporate Sunil. The ‘crime’ was reported by Maheswaran, allegedly one of the group of 9 ‘civilians’. In a Hollywood movie-worthy ‘escape’ from SLA detention, Maheswaran not only lived to tell the tale but also to give the final piece of evidence to send Corporal Sunil to the gallows! Why Maheswaran and his co-civilians disregarded the ban on entering the security zone is not clear.

Maheswaran alleged that some people ‘dressed in clothes similar to that worn by the SLA’ beat the group of 9 Tamils and tied their eyes with a strip of clothing. Apparently, then he was thrown over a fence by someone (supposedly a SLA soldier) whence the clothing that was tied across his eyes got entangled on one or more of the fence poles and got removed. How a band of clothing tied across someone’s eyes gets caught up in a fence pole and gets removed with no injury to the eye is also not clear. That is how he saw what was happening and who was involved thus leading to the identification of the ‘perpetrator’, Sunil. After that he was being escorted towards (now without the blindfold) a sewage pit where he allegedly heard someone struggling in the pit. Scared, Maheswaran, allegedly, ran away. How easy it was for him to get away from a group of men dressed in clothes that are similar to SLA clothing” while the other 8 succumbed is not clear. Maheswaran who allegedly succeeded in out-running the SLA soldiers, who were chasing him in the dark, reached his home. He was back at the site with the local EDPD members and Human Rights representatives in the area within four days and found evidence that suggested that a goat had been skinned near the pit while there were no dead bodies. Later, upon pressure put on the then Army Commissioner by local EDPD, the military Police was assigned the job of investigating Maheswaran’s claim. The investigating team of the military Police led by Major Sydney Soysa arrested five soldiers including Sunil. Major Soysa’s team later exhumed the 8 bodies of the victims which included a five year old child’s body. Major Soysa also presented to the court a few bicycles said to be belonging to the victims found in the sewage pit.

The soldiers accused in return that the Military Police recorded certain ‘facts’ given upon duress which saw the 5 top soldiers undergo a prison term of 2 years and 11 months. Soldiers claim that Maheswaran came to their camp with Major Soysa and that they never took Soysa and his men to show any graves or bicycles. The soldiers claim that the sheer pressure exerted by EDPD which was a power to recon with in the area at the time plus the rigorous campaigning of the Uthayan newspaper, meant that the Military Police had to arrest SOMEONE to ease the pressure put on them.

The case lingered on for the next 13 years; according to the MR Government due to lack of evidence- which in itself is a violation of the accused soldiers’ rights. What is not clear is why the case was not thrown out if there was a lack of evidence of a sufficient quality to condemn the accused. Should not the five soldiers’ seek redress for the breach of their rights? Justice must be done not only to the victim but also to the accused.

Then, in 2015 ‘evidence’ of the necessary quality obviously materialised as Sunil was sentenced to death while the other 4 were released due to a lack of evidence. At this point in time, Maheswaran’s evidence was that he ONLY saw Sunil at the time he was arrested by SLA at Mirusuvil. I believe that as a criminal matter the court required evidence ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. Was this standard met? The Government needs to release these details to the Sri Lankan public before they hang this soldier to allay the justifiable fears of the public!

The case against these soldiers, was dragged through the courts for 13 years and the lawyer’s fee of Rs25,000 per hearing was paid by the accused SLA soldiers by putting in Rs 5,000 each from their meagre wages. In some months when the case was heard several times in court these soldiers have had to pawn their family jewellery and property etc.

With so many unanswered questions regarding this conviction President Sirisena cannot give a command to execute this heroic soldier.

Sunil is the father of a toddler who will never really know the father who went forth valiantly to protect the country from a vile terrorist and was put to death as the ultimate reward! Sunil’s now destitute wife has written a letter to the President asking for mercy for her husband.

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Sunil’s young brother is collecting 100,000 signatures for a petition asking for a pardon for his ranawiru brother.

There is no better time than this if the President wants to seek endearment of the kind that he wants from his people; showing mercy to this heroic soldier who contributed much to stop the blood flowing in the country will earn President Sirisena a place of merit in the annals of country’s history! On the contrary, if he allows this soldier be made a scape goat in the Tamil separatist appeasement game which resumed in Sri Lanka on the 8 January thus year, History will not forgive him!

If the reward for fighting for your country at the time of its dire need is a death sentence and poverty and pain to your family NO sane man or woman would join the Armed Forces to fight; nor should they. These young sons of the soil went to fight a brutal war while the honourable judges and the not so honourable politicians slept soundly in their comfortable beds.

Even if the ‘victims’ were in fact ‘civilians’ and this soldier is guilty of killing all 8 of them single-handed,  he was only doing his job under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Under such circumstances and at a young age of about 23 this soldier is entitled to make a mistake; it is only human. The soldier went out of his bunker in the morning to protect his country. On the other hand NO LTTE criminal who went out with the sole purpose of killing as many civilians as possible has so far been convicted! What sort of justice is this? President Sirisena pardoned Sea Tigress Murugesu Bahirathi on 13 March 2015 even though she was instrumental in large scale killing of civilians. The LTTE cadre who carried out the Dehiwala train bombing and killed 64 civilians was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Kumaran Pathmanathan was the logistics chief of the LTTE killing spree for years but the Courts just confirmed that there is no evidence to convict him. Karuna Amman who killed scores of civilians and over 700 surrendered police personnel was never produced in a court of law. Why the difference in treatment? Is a Tamil human life more precious than that of a Sinhala human life?

Tamils as a community allowed their leaders to wage a war against a sovereign country either by direct participation/ encouragement or through tacit apathy! In my view they do not have the moral right to complain about their ‘civilians’ if any were killed. Those who take up arms die by arms- those who instigate war are doomed to die by war! You can’t wage a war and protect your civilians at the same time! Non-Tamils, especially the Sinhalese who did not instigate this war, suffered innumerable civilian deaths- they have no recourse to justice for those deaths. There are no Human Rights champions to shed tears for them and no court in Sri Lanka is prepared to hear their cases. No war should grant immunity from harm to civilians from one ethnic group which is not available to the civilians from other ethnic groups.

War hero Sunil Ratnayaka went forth and fought a battle for Sri Lanka at a time when for all intents and purposes Sri Lanka was losing the battle to LTTE. He came forward when thousands of soldiers were abandoning the Forces due to the futility they could see in their effort. If we sit back and allow Sunil to die at the hands of a Government hell-bent on appeasing the LTTE we would have the blood of a great war hero on our hands!

I urge all patriotic Sri Lankan organisations all over the world to speak for Sunil at this juncture of his need! We owe that much to HIM!

I thank ‘Rivira’ journalist Tissa Ravindra Perera, defence columnist Shamindra Ferdinando and various Sunil Ratnayaka support groups for the facts contained in this article!

Ramanie de Zoysa

26 Responses to “Throwing a war hero to the wolves to appease Tamil separatists; the real story behind the ‘Mirisuvil massacre’ needs to come out”

  1. Kumari Says:

    What is happening in our country is shameless. It is our duty and the government’s duty to protect the war heroes. US took action against a couple of soldiers only, that too was after video footage and still photos circulated on the Web on Iraq’s Abu Grahib torture. We give out our heroes simply because our leaders grabbed power thanks to enemy support.

    We entertain mass murderer and war criminal Tony Blair on Sri Lankan government invitation.

    Once upon a time we were a great country. The only country in the world to defeat terrorism militarily and unite all communities. This war hero Sunil Ratnayake and us belonged to that country and that era. We have now lost our paradise. We need to slowly reclaim what we lost.

  2. Ananda-USA Says:

    Dear Charles,

    I am one of those who wept in grief for Mother Lanka after this year’s election results for I knew what was in store in the near future and the price we will pay as a result of it.

    A friend inquired recently whether I had “recovered” from what he termed mildly as my “disappointment”; here is an excerpt from my reply to him:

    ……………………….
    Yes, I am CRUSHED by the results of both elections this year, and I am in AGONY crouched up like Prince Dutugamunu on my bed hemmed in by Sri Lanka’s enemies and the deep blue sea.

    Like in Dutugamunu’s time, when the invader Elara reigned in Rajarata, today SL’s enemies have taken hold of its national government with the backstabbing Somarama Sirisena …. who will go down in INFAMY as Sri Lanka’s 2nd Don Juan Dharmapala … presiding over the impending disintegration of Sri Lanka, and Ruinous Ranil acting out the role of the Portuguese conquistador Constantino de Saa.

    But I have NO DOUBT that their attempt to Divide and Rule our dear Motherland in collusion with foreign enemies WILL FAIL SOON and the PATRIOTIC FORCES of Mother Lanka will RISE AGAIN to rescue her.

    In the end these traitors will share the fate of ALL who have assaulted this nation from within and without … Don Juan to die abroad in exile, and de Saa to have his head delivered in a basket to lie at the feet of King Senarath after the battle of Randenivela.

    In the meantime, let us hope that divine Providence will spare our families, relatives and friends in Sri Lanka the violent fate we suffered in the previous 30 years; but in my view there is violence on the horizon!
    ……………………..

    WE …. the Patriotic Sons and Daughters of Mother Lanka …. WILL NEVER GIVE UP our Motherland to its ENEMIES! Those who have Sown the Wind with TREACHERY will Reap the Whirlwind of JUST RETRIBUTION in due course! WE will ALWAYS be here to DEFEND & PROTECT our Ratna Deepa Janma Bhumi …. as our ancestors did before us. WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP! Jayawewa!

  3. Lorenzo Says:

    Thank you Ramanie for telling the truth.

    UNLESS STOPPED the current Tamil Nadu dictatorship ruining SL will kill all war heroes soon.

    This DEMOCRACY COATED TAMIL NADU DICTATORSHIP cannot be allowed to ruin SL.

  4. Ananda-USA Says:

    ADO Reeri Yakko … Facebook LORENZO!

    It was not only POLITICIANS who helped OUST MR from power, but YOU who made LISTS of CORRUPTION that Wimal Weerawansa is referring to in this VIDEO!

    REMEMBER? Or would rather FORGET that bit of VOCIFEROUS DECEIT? You may want to, but WE NEVER WILL!

    Bloody TREACHEROUS EELAMIST Facebook LORENZO ….. BUGGER OFF from LankaWEb without SHAMELESSLY EXPOSING your ASTOUNDING HYPOCRISY!

  5. Fran Diaz Says:

    Ramanie,

    Thank you very much for highlighting the plight of war hero Sunil Ratnayaka.

    ——————-

    This whole case sounds like a ridiculous charge, believing LTTE memebers against an elite Army member. We are surprised that this case dragged on for so long. Where is justice for our Army ? Where is justice for the people who protected Lankans from the worst terrorist group in the world ?

    Today, our politicos of all hue and the wealthies of the country walk around with their families fearlessly, thanks to the dedicated defence actions taken by the SL Army. War hero Sunil Ratnayaka must be released !!

    The Petition for the relase of war hero Sunil Ratnayaka should be forwarded to the editor, Lankaweb, for circulatoin. I am sure he will oblige and pass it on to collect hundreds of signatures to add to the existing Petition to release war hero Sunil Ratnayaka. We all want to do something to help out. We also hope people are also collecting funds to help Sunil and others out.

    The Question we have is : Why was not this case heard in the Military Courts ?

    When the UNP comes into power, it is strange that those who protect the country suffer, including past President Mahinda Rajapakse. Are not the Tamil leaders and the present UNP leadership part of Lanka’s ongoing problem ?

  6. Cerberus Says:

    This case started when CBK/Ranil W were in power and has gone on for 13 years.

    Please check out this web site to see the original and the doctored CH4 videos plus many of the atrocities which were committed by LTTE which our people have forgotten. The doctored video was shown on CH4 of ITN in U.K. which none of our GoSL officers throughout the years ever questioned at all. Sergent Sunil Ratnayake should be decorated as one of the many heroes who saved our nation. While these heroes are languishing in jails to satisfy a strange foreign agenda with Tamil leaders lust for a separate state, our politicians who are bowing to the Tamil LTTE representative such as TNA are enjoying ceremonies appointing one of the most vociferous TNA separatists as the opposition leader! He used to regularly appear with Prabahakaran at many of the meetings of LTTE.

    http://www.terrorinlanka.com

    https://reconciliationinitiatives.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/sambanthan-ltte_07.jpg

    The case of Sunil Ratnayake should have been heard in a Military court not in a civil court. It is absurd that after risking his life for the country he and four others had to even pay for the court case Rs. 5000 per person for each hearing out of their own pockets and for four others for 13 years. The case has gone on for 13 years after being arrested when CBK was President and Ranil W was Prime Minister.

    It is amazing that the money laundering case of Ravi Karunanayke which had dragged on for 10 years was settled in one month after UNP came into power and the judge then retired for life. The case which was brought against Arjun Mahendran was dismissed by Ranil W and even when My3 asked him to remove Arjun he ignored it and kept him on. My guess is that it will never be properly investigated and Arjun Mahendran will remain as long as Ranil W remains in power. Who is there to speak for the poor heroes such as Sergent Sunil Ratnayake?

    The LTTE cadre who killed 65 people and damaged property in 1996 during CBK/Ranil W received only 10 years in prison. How come?

  7. Ratanapala Says:

    There is no point in pleading to the Arch Traitor Sirisena. He has done everything there is as per the wished of his handlers. Motherland only has a few patriots left to carry on with the struggle.

    From what is transpiring It is not readily apparent if Mahinda Rajapakse is among those patriots. He was too quick to exonerate the 11,000 LTTE murderers. He was too quick to de-mine the millions of anti-personnel mines scattered by the LTTE terrorists putting our de-miners life and limb at risk. He was too quick to carry Uturu Wasanthaya and Nagenahira Navodaya at the expense of those lived in the so called “border villagers”. He was too quick to allow free elections in the Northern Province.

    In summary it looks as if he is only looking after his and his family’s personal interests by appeasing the enemies of Sri Lanka.

    Ordinary patriotic Sinhalese have to suffer the consequences friendless and rudderless.

    Itin Aayubowan Lak Mawni Garu!

  8. Susantha Wijesinghe Says:

    WHAT ABOUT THOSE BUGGERS WHO CUT AND CHOPPED MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, THE OLD AND THE INFIRM, PREGNANT MOTHERS ETC, AT PADAVIYA, KENT FARM, KEBBITIGOLLAWA, KATTANKUDY ETC. THE GOVERNMENT MUST PUT ITS INTELIGENTSIA TO LOOK FOR THE PERPE(TRAITORS) OF THESE CRIMES. OH !! I FORGOT THAT THE BEST INTELIGENTSIA WAS EXPOSED BY RANIL, AND THE LTTE KILLED THEM ALL.

    SO WHY IS ONLY A SOLDIER BEING HOUNDED FOR SAVING HIS MOTHERLAND ? WHY ? ANYTHING TO PLEASE THE TAMIL BUGGERS EH ?

    THE PRESIDENT SHOULD PARDON THIS SOLDIER. THE PRIME MINISTER MUST RECOMMEND TO DO SO.

    THIS IS JUST ONE TAMIL, GIVING EVIDENCE AGAINST ONE SOLDIER. UNBELIEVABLE. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH SINHALESE WHO HAVE SEEN TAMILS MUTILATING SINHALESE PEOPLE. WHY NOT CALL FOR THEIR EVIDENCE TOO. LET US SEE JUSTICE IN SRI LANKA.

  9. Ramanie Says:

    Thank you for everyone’s comments; I value your input greatly in this matter!

    There was a on-line petition circulating earlier which I signed; however, I don’t know how that petition ended. Fran, I will start another petition on line and post it to Lankaweb. I hear rumors that a date for the execution has already been set; but, I can not confirm it. I have a feeling some people are in a bit of a hurry to get some hanging shows going all ready for the December Diaspora Tamil Tamasha! Therefore, it is critical we work out something to make our voices heard soon. Sirisena will probably not care, but still we need to try.

    Susantha, I feel the same way- the real innocent civilians are the Sinhala and other non-Tamil people who were going about their business who got slaughtered. SL courts will never file charges on any LTTEer. Certainly not now when Jayalalitha is practically ruling SL from Chennai!
    Where are those innocent civilians of the North today! They all voted for TNA (the LTTE proxy) after taking all the wealth and development MR showered on them at the expense of Sinhalese. Doesn’t that re-iterate the fact that they were LTTE subjects at all times?

    Agree with Ratnapala, I have my doubts about our ability to depend on MR. He had a grand opportunity- in fact our ranawiruwos handed him a grand opportunity on a platter to create a great country with Sinhala Buddhist values- I don’t think he was that interested instead committing political suicide trying to appease the minorities.

  10. Hiranthe Says:

    Thank you for revealing this story Ramanie,

    My question is.. How can they know those who infiltrated to the high security camp are civilians? LieTTE had operatives without tiger uniform. The moment they throw away the gun they carry, they will be termed as civilians.

    There is no justice here.. Why did the army kept the case running for 13 years? the poor soldiers had to pay the lawyers fee of Rs25,000?? This is sad to hear. Didn’t we have anybody to support these rana wiruwos??

    We are such an ungrateful nation.. It seems it is in the blood of this nation… Welcome Tamil Ealam!! Welcome Jayalalitha… take over the whole Sri Lanka not only Katchchative… we will jump to the Indian Ocean and perish as we are so guilty and heavy.

  11. Dilrook Says:

    I too share the sentiments of Ratanapala and Ramanie. In fact I aired same sentiments in response to an email discussing about Sinhala nationalism. Some prominent writers here were in that email discussion. Based on facts listed out, we must accept that Sinhala nationalism cannot depend on Mahinda. If we continue to depend on him, our plight will only worsen. Minorities have moved forward from 2009 but some of us are still stuck in May 2009. Mahinda was the best to handle pre-2010 challenges but he failed Sinhala people after post-2010.

    To quote Ramanie, [quote] our ranawiruwos handed him a grand opportunity on a platter to create a great country with Sinhala Buddhist values- I don’t think he was that interested instead committing political suicide trying to appease the minorities [unquote]. Indeed.

    To quote Ratanapala, [quote] He was too quick to exonerate the 11,000 LTTE murderers. He was too quick to de-mine the millions of anti-personnel mines scattered by the LTTE terrorists putting our de-miners life and limb at risk. He was too quick to carry Uturu Wasanthaya and Nagenahira Navodaya at the expense of those lived in the so called “border villagers”. He was too quick to allow free elections in the Northern Province [unquote].

    There are plenty more examples. I was also disappointed at his silence on appointing the TNA leader as opposition leader and many other injustices recently.

    While being grateful for his achievements 2005 to 2009 and very limited ones after 2009, and, admitting minority appeasement after 2010, Sinhala nationalists must plan forward without Mahinda as our very existance is under threat. We cannot hold on to former glories. As Ananda has put it elsewhere an “uncorruptible patriot” is needed.

    However, I expect some of us to further dwell in the past, arguing who is right and wrong than plan ahead.

  12. Lorenzo Says:

    You cannot save SL by saying 13 AMENDMENT CANNOT BE SCRAPPED.

    We heard the war cannot be won. The CFA cannot be undone. But what happened?

    13 amendment can be easily SCRAPPED if a TRUE PATRIOT becomes the leader of this country.

    The definition of a TRUE PATRIOT – one who SCRAPS 13 amendment or at least demand SCRAPPING it.

  13. Lorenzo Says:

    “Why did the army kept the case running for 13 years? the poor soldiers had to pay the lawyers fee of Rs25,000?? This is sad to hear. Didn’t we have anybody to support these rana wiruwos??”

    Good point. This didn’t happen just this year. The case was going ON AND ON since 2002.

    3 presidents. 4 prime ministers. 4 army commanders.

    Yes we are a BLOODY UNGRATEFUL nation to WAR HEROES. Some people’s loyalty is to POLITICIANS. Not to war heroes.

    War heroes have blood on their hands, worms up their arse, leeches up their legs and a sack on their shoulders.

    Same with some SL grown up children’s conduct. They don’t look after their OLD PARENTS but willing to pay MILLIONS to private hospitals and funeral parlours for parents.

  14. Hiranthe Says:

    Scrapping 13A.. I agree with Lorenzo, is a key point.. MR kept ignoring despite Gota and WW want to scrap it.

    I think it should be Gota who must do it at the top level. MR is only a politician.. we cannot trust politicians for the fate of Mother Lanka. We need a straight forward visionary with true love to the country.

  15. Ramanie Says:

    Indeed Lorenzo, I have always said that 13th Amendment must be formally scrapped- that would have also sent a firm message to India that we are not a colony of their coolies! After a while I got tired of typing the word and stopped saying anything about it because the pain of not being able to get through is unbearable. 13th Amendment anticipated the a lot of things to be done by SLG like pulling back SLA to the bunkers etc in return for which IPKF was to DISARM the LTTE- WHICH NEVER GOT DONE! When one party to the deal does not keep to the bargain there is no more deal! It is already dead- just needs someone with a back bone to officially bury it!

  16. NAK Says:

    This is only the trailer of things to come……be prepared.
    Sunil will not be executed just yet as no death sentences have been carried out so far in the recent past but things could change as police john indicated.
    This enected drama aslo rembles the drama that was enacted as the Bindunuwewa massacre for the consumption of the blood thirsty human rights population.

    Worst things will happen in the future and we deserve every bit of it as most of us are a ungreatful lot who do not know what is good for us.

    What an ugly display of behaviour by our priminister it was! He was calling others monkeys and himself behaving like one.
    How ethical is it for him to tell an MP shut up? MPs are sent there by the poeple speak on their behalf in the parliament.

    The arrogant opposition displayed by Ranil Wickremasinghe and his band of men to opposit views is a very good indicator of how he is going to go about with his new found power.

    The bottom line is we are in for a loads of trouble,worst than we ever had to face.

  17. Susantha Wijesinghe Says:

    RANIL IS A RHESUS MONKEY, A RILAWA. HE IS IN THE SAME BOAT AS KALAWEDDA, CALLING NAMES ON PARLIAMENTARIANS. NO WONDER GREAT VASU CALLED HIM A “”PAKAYA”” HE IS THE FIRST PAKAYA PRIME MINISTER OF SRI LANKA. IT WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY.
    HIS ARROGANCE SEES NO BOUNDS, ASKING PARLIAMENTARIANS TO SHUT UP. REPREHENSIBLE AND DISGUSTING. HE IS NOT AN EPITOME OF A DECENT HUMAM BEING, A GENTLEMAN, FROM A COLLEGE SO ROYAL.

  18. Fran Diaz Says:

    MR and other Sinhala leaders of Lanka (past Presidents CBK, Premadasa especially) have ALL been MADE TO bend backwards appeasing the Tamil community. Why ?

    Tamils of Lanka are an easy 95% from the Tamil Dalit community. They demand appeasement not from Tamil Nadu, the originator of the CASTE System for Tamils, but from Sinhala leaders in Sri Lanka. MR got caught in the same trap, more so after the final war with the LTTE, since a War Crimes charge was imposed on his govt and the army.

    Sinhala folk fall for this trap, every time. World sympathy is won easily for the Dalits of India. Sob stories are added on for advantage ….
    Sinhala folk end up condemning their own leaders, every time. Don’t fall for it, again.

  19. Fran Diaz Says:

    On thinking further on the war hero Sunil Ratanayaka, we have some Questions. Ramanie, please do you know anyone who can answer our Questions ?

    (1) This case against war hero Sunil R. and others was opened during the CBK/Ranil rule in 2002 (13 yrs ago) in Civil Courts. Why did the authorities, at that time, open the case in Civil Courts and not under a Military Tribunal ? To try such a case under a Military Tribunal sounds to us the proper procedure.

    (2) Can a Military case opened first in Civil Courts be transferred mid-stream to Military Courts ?

    (3) Was/is war hero Sunil Ratnayaka and any of the others accused of the war’crime’ suffering from PTSD in any form ?

  20. Fran Diaz Says:

    I agree with every word NAK has to say ! Pathetic situation of the Sinhale who fight among themselves and victims of their own thoughtless acts.

    The ‘Divide & Rule’ from Britain is well and alive in Lanka ! Rule Britannia.

  21. Ramanie Says:

    Fran, I’ll put your questions to knowledgeable people and get some answers for your questions. It is a pity indeed our Field Marshall has absolutely no opinion on this soldier’s predicament.

    On the third question I comment:

    a). PTSD is not something that the ordinary soldier seems to be aware of; our soldiers come mostly from extremely poor families and after the war the majority of them remain dirt poor. Not every soldier got rewarded for their part in the service. When they come back they just resume ‘life’ as they find it. I know of ordinary soldiers who fought the war who carry slight injuries and out of the SLA, work as security guards for companies for a pittance. What PTSD treatment for them? They consider themselves lucky when they can earn a living to keep the home and hearth together.

    b). Having been to hell and back, they must suffer from PTSD. Having lived in fear of own lives every second of the day, having seen comrades get butchered, having suffered continuous sleep depravation, having starved nights and days, having stood in marshland half sunk in muddy water for days being eaten alive by leeches etc etc what chance have they got not to be affected psychologically?

  22. Fran Diaz Says:

    Dear Ramanie,

    Thank you so much for your response.

    Yes, we do agree with you that the SL Army soldiers life must have been mostly tough and rough, with psychological damage at the end of it all. What can ordinary folk do to mitigate their suffering ?

    ————–

    One can imagine the somewhat bitter feelings (understatement) of the 5 army people incarcerated after serving the Nation. Lanka treats some of our heroes from the army as well as those from the political side (MR & group) rather shoddily, to suit minorities & foreign sources. What lessons can we learn from this ? Lanka has to be far more pro-active if the country has to remain a Sovereign state without caving into Tamil Separatism and foreign take over, after a deliberate crashing of the Economy via the Central Bank scam and now free floating the SL rupee.

  23. Fran Diaz Says:

    One more request, Ramanie !

    A friend of mine has asked me how a Fund may be started to financially help out Sunil Ratnayaka and the four others ?
    If a bank a/c is opened in Sri Lanka, say, at a Bank of Ceylon branch, perhaps people in Lanka and abroad can send in funds direct to that account … ? I have no idea of the formalities required in such a project. Please help/advice if you can. A trusted ex-Army VIP must help out and head such a project ?

  24. Independent Says:

    Yes. A lot of people would join.
    This man need medical help first and Dhamma help 2nd. I am sure he will not be killed. I don’t think killing is a way of MY3 Palanaya.

  25. SA Kumar Says:

    Tamils of Lanka are an easy 95% from the Tamil Dalit community. -Wrong
    Sorry Fran Diaz I do not know where you get this figure. As a Lankan Tamil I can tell you we We do not have serious Dalit or low caste problem compare to India or TN ,. All thanks go to our Free education sysytem by Sinhala leader Kannakara / SWRDB etc ….
    FYI, Our low caste problem 5 to 10 % even though If a person educated from Prey/Nalavar/karayar etc castle he or she can marie to Vellar castle so I can say We-Hela Demila do not have castle problem.

  26. Henry Says:

    Someone in Sri Lanka,

    Please start the fund for Sunil and other heroes, and expose the treachery by some kind of action! Start doing things to stop the rot. Just discussing on Lankaweb is not going to stop it. Look for ways to involve the people!

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