JATHIKA SANGHA SAMMELENAYA CHARGES SARATH FONSEKEA WAS TRANSFERRED OUT OF JAFFNA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF LTTE

Jaffna Commander Major General Sarath Fonseka (photo by SL Army)

By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles

The Jathika Sangha Sammenelanaya (JSS), the strongest organization of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka has charged that Sri Lanka Army’s Jaffna Commander Major General Sarath Fonseka had been transferred out of his post in the troubled Northern Province under the influence of the separatist Tamil Tigers.

The most feared commander of the Sri Lanka Army by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Major General Sarath Fonseka had been attacked by the LTTE not for any acts against the Tamils in the past or lacking any military skills but for some alleged grammatical errors in an English report that was submitted under his signature strongly recommending against removing the High Security Zone of the Jaffna Peninsula.

Long attempted under the pro-LTTE Ranil Wickremesinghe government the LTTE is believed to have achieved the transfer of the popular Major General while the Ministry of Defense had been taken over by President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The JSS said in a press statement issued that the Major General was recognized as the main obstacle to re-capture Jaffna by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The Buddhist organization in its statement under the signature of its scholar monk President, and archaeologist the Venerable Ellawela Medhananda said Major General Sarath Fonseka was one of the most upright and honest, just and courageous army officers the nation of Sri Lanka was just proud of. The statement said he led successful battles to protect the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka against the separatist LTTE. The statement said it was most unfortunate that from time to time the Sri Lanka government would not let efficient army officers to serve the country, very often under the influence of the LTTE and transfer them out of their posts.

The statement said the LTTE considered Major General Sarath Fonseka the main obstacle to their plans to re-capture Jaffna. Though he did not shine due to the army the army certainly shined because of him, the statement said. Removing Sarath Fonseka from Jaffna was a great injustice done to the whole nation. It was also a threat to Jaffna.

The statement said that removing an army officer serving so well to the nation had disheartened and saddened the common people of Sri Lanka and certainly had brought down the morale of the army.

The JSS said in its statement that this transfer was most vehemently protested against and condemned by their organization.