P.A.Samaraweera Australia
JVP spokesman, Anura Dissanayake at a media interview on 10th March had said that it is necessary to find out the mental state of the Navy Commander to live in a quarter given to Sarath Fonseka. He had also said that, “…None of us know the real condition of the place where Sarath Fonseka [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) had its inaugural meeting last week. The GTF is the defunct LTTE resuscitated in a different format,’old wine in new bottles’ !.  It is the current LTTE network and their goal is to set up a separate state.
 
The British PM’s attendance and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary’s speech had lent [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Despite protests by the Sri Lankan government, David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary, had addressed the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) creating sour relations between the two countries.
 
The Sri Lankan govt has expressed displeasure because the GTF is the current LTTE network in the west and their agenda is to set up a separate state called the [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
In article on ‘Missed opportunities for reconciliation and healing’, to an English Daily  of 23rd February, Jehan Perera (JP) says, that the President despite a handsome 18% majority at the election does not appear interested in being magnanimous to the defeated opponent. He adds, “…the governments apparent unwillingness to soften its approach to Fonseka who [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
The recent episode in the ‘Fonseka arrest’ is the Mahanayakes getting involved in politics. In the past, some monks had got interested in active politics, trade union work, business etc. But the Mahanayakes had kept away from these areas.
 
But in the ‘Fonseka arrest’ they seemed to have aligned with the opposition politicians, the international media [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera, chief Buddhist Monk of Malwatte has said, “… It was a grave crime to imprison a war hero who had done an immense service to eradicate terrorism…Even if such a person does something wrong he should be pardoned…”
 With due respect to the Malwatte Chief Monk, we wish to [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Karu Jayasuriya, an opposition spokesman has said that, “… the opposition will be speaking to all religious leaders and will have a series of religious events to seek the release of Sarath Fonseka from custody and ensure more democratic freedom…”
 It is alleged that Fonseka had colluded with the opposition politicians last year while still [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Eight months ago, with the defeat of the LTTE, Gen. Fonseka’s popularity was at it’s height. He became an idol overnight. This led to his greed for power.
 
The bankrupt politicians who smelt this used him as a cat’s paw sponsoring him for the Presidential elections. He thought he could use Obama’s strategy but Obama’s oratorical [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
The war and the Presidential election have ended but there seems to be no end to Sri Lanka bashing. The election was an interest not only to the people of Sri Lanka but also to foreign countries who were involved in the country’s politics in one way or another. For some, the significance of the war [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
A period of high drama and a crucial election ended on Tuesday dishing an overwhelming majority of 1.8 million votes giving the President a land-slide victory. The forecast by international media, some local media, Peace Councils, NGO’s, anti-govt., forces etc., was that the election is not a cake walk for the President but would [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
With the end of the war Gen.(Rtd.) Fonseka became a national hero and an idol of the masses overnight. He commanded great respect wherever he went irrespective of party affiliations.  Because of his popularity when the media asked him in one of their interviews if he would like to get involved in politics his reply [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
In 2005, the TNA, Mano Ganeshan and Rauf Hakeem had agreements with the LTTE and meekly followed their instructions. The UNP had a cease-fire agreement with the LTTE. The UNP leadership avoided stepping on to Prabhakaran’s toes and therefore was in his good books. Surprisingly, the JVP an ultra-nationalist party, has joined this team [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Media and Information Minister Anura P. Yapa, addressing a meeting of the UPFA Activists on the 22nd at Katugampola, has said that the major promise made by Gen. Fonseka, to abolish the Executive Presidency, is not in his election Manifesto ‘Vishvasaneeya Venasak’.
 Gen. Fonseka referring to this lapse says that his contract with the UNP,JVP,TNP [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Towards the end of the war, when the Tamil diaspora and the LTTE saw no light at the end of the tunnel, they requested the politicians with whom they were aligned  to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to stop the war. Thereafter, delegation after delegation visited Sri Lanka to coerce the President for ceasefires. [...]

By DR M D P DISSANAYAKE
By far ordinary Sri Lankans are innocent, peace loving, dedicated and hardworking people. This is a well known fact throughout the world. Sri Lankans who work overseas are considered and treated with great respect due to above rare qualities. Many Sri Lankans find it easier to find high level employment [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
The Army, Navy and the Airforce fought the war as a team with the leadership given by the President as Commander-in-Chief. But after the war, Fonseka claimed sole victory and belittled the role of the Navy and the Air Force.
 This week on a TV programme the former battle commanders of the Vanni front while [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera
In an interview to a Sri Lankan Daily on 17th Jan. Ranil had said that the TNA leader Sampanthan, met Gen. Fonseka and he gave him the 10 point Programme which had been approved by all parties supporting him.
 With regard to Ranil’s meeting with Sampanthan he had added, “…Other issues which resolve to power sharing [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Jehan Perera, National Peace Council, who argued for peace talks, pauses and supported the West to stop the war against the terrorists in an article titled, “The importance of Ranil Wickremasinghe” to an English Daily of 12th Jan. 2010 says, “…Tamil National Alliance decision to support the candidacy of Sarath Fonseka reflects the trust [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Tiger Woods, the golf legend, was earning up to $100 million a year and until recently sponsored by almost all reputed companies. But because of the wide publicity given to his sex scandals all sponsors have ditched him. It is alleged that Tiger had as many as 14 mistresses and he had paid enormous [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Immediately after retirement, Gen. Fonseka (Rtd) donned the national dress as he had decided to contest the Presidential elections. There is nothing wrong in anyone having a go at the ‘top job’. In fact there are 22 in the race.
 In the same way the choice of dress is essentially a private matter and it [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
 Gen.Fonseka’s (Rtd) statement levelling charges against the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse had led to his condemnation from various quarters.
 It had sparked the UN thereby asking Colombo to explain the circumstances of the death of 3 LTTE cadres, who in the eyes of the Sri Lankan government are terrorists. But to the west they are [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
In an interview to the Sunday leader (13 Dec.) Gen. (Retd.) Fonseka had alleged that 3 LTTE leaders who came to surrender with white flags during the final stages were shot dead by ground troops and this had now led to a UN probe.
 Based on Gen. Fonseka’s allegation against the heroic forces the UN [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
The Sunday Leader of 20th Dec. reported that Ranil had said, “…Sri Lanka’s opposition party is supporting the cadidature of Gen.Fonseka in order to abolish executive presidency in the country…” He had also added that, “… In a caretaker government he hopes to function as Executive PM…”
 The opposition leader having failed to field a [...]

Dr. P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
There had been ‘fireworks’ at the UNP working committee meeting on Thursday regarding fielding of a candidate for the Presidential elections. Even though Gen. Fonseka had been endorsed as nominee there had been pandemonium at the meeting because this is the first time in 60 years that the UNP had not contested an election [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
On Monday 23rd, the President had sent a proclamation to the Commissioner of Elections to seek a fresh mandate. And this was a much awaited declaration for the Opposition Front.
 Then on Tuesday, there were reports that the dispute between the UNP and JVP over the condition that Ranil take over as Prime Minister in [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
 This week an English Daily reported that the High Court Judges in Madras had declared their assets. The Chief Justice Hemant Gokhala had disclosed that he does not even own a house or land.
 
A couple of days ago, a Journalist writing about the plight of pensioners referred to his father, the last of the [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
Sri Lanka’s former top Army Officer in a farewell letter to the troops has said, “…I want to assure you that I will commit myself to protect democratic freedoms which we are rapidly losing… I pledge to work to restore human rights, media freedom, social justice, ethnic unity and peaceful co-existience. I will be [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
 It was reported in the 22nd Nov. issue of the Catholic Leader – Brisbane, that Dr. Brian Seneviratne (Catholic married to a Tamil) and Fr. Pan Jordan (Tamil), presently in Brisbane, beleive that the Pope must visit welfare camps in Sri Lanka to see for himself the mistreatment of the 280,000 IDP’S. In fact, [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
It had been reported that Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Chief Defence of Staff, had tendered his resignation today, 12 November.
 General Fonseka is a great Sinhala patriot, a disciplined army officer, a great military leader who gave leadership to the army, a man of honour and loved by all Sri Lankans for crushing the terrorists which [...]

Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
The current talk in town is that the UNP and its aligned ‘lame duck’ political parties strategy is to sponsor General Sarath Fonseka as the Presidential candidate. But ironically wants to sell all the arms and armaments which the General treasures!
During last weeks Emergency debate, the UNP had demanded that the government sell off [...]