By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Top spokesman for Gotabaya Rajapaksa Campaign Charitha Herath yesterday said that the ruling UNP couldn’t cover up the Treasury bond scams, the betrayal of the armed forces in Geneva and negligence resulting in the Easter Sunday carnage, by questioning the credibility of SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Former Media Secretary Dr. Herath said the desperate attempts to depict Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a threat to national security on the basis of false claim that he was still a US citizen should be examined against the backdrop of the UNP hastily and secretively seeking to ink agreement with the US on Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant amounting to USD 480mn.

Dr. Herath said so addressing the media at the Pearl Grand Hotel, Bambalapitiya.

Have you ever heard of a government accused of robbing its own Central Bank being investigated by a Presidential Commission other than the infamous Sri Lankan example? he asked.

The national economy suffered debilitating setback due to treasury bond scams involving the disgraced primary dealer, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), Herath said. The pohottuwa campaign official alleged that the UNP ‘raided’ the Central Bank twice-on Feb 27, 2015 during their much touted 100-day programme and again on March 29, 2016 in the wake of last parliamentary polls.

In between the two treasury bonds scams, the yahapalana government co-sponsored a controversial resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Oct 01, 2015 in Geneva inimical to Sri Lanka’s interests, Herath said. The government endorsed the agreement in spite of the then Permanent Representative in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha objecting to it, Herath pointed out.

Herath emphasized that Sajith Premdasa being a member of the cabinet as well as the Deputy Leader of the UNP couldn’t absolve himself of the responsibility for Geneva betrayal.

Those who questioned Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s role during the war conveniently forgot the abortive bid made by the LTTE to assassinate war veteran at the onset of the eelam war IV, Herath said, pointing out that the outcome of the conflict could have been quite different if the LTTE had succeeded.

An LTTE suicide cadre targeted him at the Piththala junction on the morning of Dec 01, 2006.

The LTTE made an attempt on then Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka’s life on the afternoon of April 25, 2006 inside the army headquarters.

Herath alleged that the government betrayed the armed forces again by declining to use evidence provided by House of Lords member Naseby in Sri Lanka’s defence in Geneva. He alleged that the government disregarded Lord Naseby’s Oct 2017 disclosure in the House of Lords based on wartime dispatches from the British High Commission in Colombo for obvious reasons.

British dispatches contradicted the much touted March 2011 UN claim that the 40,000 civilians perished on the Vanni east front.

Herath said that the UNP owed explanations as regards the treasury bond scams, particularly against the backdrop of its failure to secure the custody of Arjuna Mahendran, reverse the Geneva trap as well as its failure to thwart the Easter Sunday suicide attacks.

Herath pointed out that near simultaneous Easter Sunday carnage took place after the UPFA quit the government in late Oct 2018.

He also alleged that the UNP reached consensus with the Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) led four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for their benefit though that outfit still pursued the separatist agenda.

Herath said that the ITAK never gave up its 13-point demand, including abolition of the executive presidency, re-merger of the Eastern Province with the North and exclusive foreign investigations into alleged war crimes.

The GR Campaign official said that the UNP led New Democratic Front (NDF) had no qualms in receiving the TNA support though that outfit justified the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) massacre of the innocents. A section of the print media reported what Jaffna District TNA MP and party spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran, PC, spoke in support to the terror attacks at the BMICH on April 29, 2019.

If Gotabaya Rajapaksa functioned as the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Easter attacks could have been thwarted, Herath said. The former Media Secretary recalled as to how the navy seized an LTTE owned ship ‘Princess Cristina’ in a foreign harbour and also the extradition of Kumaran Pathmanathan from Malaysia after the war to prove the strength of the then security apparatus.

The public realized the need for enhanced security in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks, Herath said querying whether the TNA knew that at least 70 Tamil civilians perished in the multiple attacks and about 100 other Tamils were wounded.

The GR Campaign official said that the public couldn’t be deceived by propaganda as the vast majority remembered the treacherous Norway arranged Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed in Feb 2002. The UNP recognized the then temporarily-merged Northern and Eastern Province as a unit under the LTTE, Herath said. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga now with the UNP had no option at that time to take over three ministries, including defence to prevent the disintegration of the country.

Herath said that those propagating lies about ‘white van’ abductions couldn’t stomach Sri Lanka’s triumph over terrorism. He also pointed out how the government did away with annual victory day parade soon after robbing the Central Bank.