A ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Collection of Lankaweb articles

Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya has once again emphasized that it was the political leadership which helped the army to achieve military victories in the recent past.So, Will Lieut Gen Sarath Fonseka attempt to override the protocols which govern his status as a former commander of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces towards personal gain rather than preserving the integrity of his motherland and the confidences afforded him by the nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s leaders in power ?rather than responding to the instigation of the power hungry opposition better described as a pack of hyenas waiting for someone elseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s kill to take control of. As on date, there is no certainty that Gen Fonseka will be a presidential candidate, let alone being a common Opposition candidate.Raising a legal issue, The Sunday Island said that the President might not accept Gen FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s resignation from the army. The Chief of Defence Staff Act makes it clear that the CDS cannot quit if the President does not allow him to.

Ranil puts forth conditions for endorsing FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s candidature Appoint govt. with Ranil as PM, revoke Emergency Give TNA, JVP Cabinet posts, end Exec. presidency TNA should accept FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stand on Tamil issues
Close on the heels of the newly formed UNP-led United National AllianceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s approval for Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Sarath FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s nomination as its candidate at the next presidential election, UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday put forth conditions for endorsing his (Gen. FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s) candidature. Wickremesinghe said Gen. Fonseka had to agree to appoint a caretaker government with him (Wickremesinghe) as the Prime Minister in the event of his election. The UNP leader expressed these views in an interview with the Editor of The Sudar Oli, Nadesapillai Vidyadaran, published yesterday. Wickremesinghe said the United National Front, the JVP and… -Full Story- (The Island – 10/11/09)

General Fonseka and the Election
Last week, in the first three paragraphs of this column, I made the point that despite rumours of General Sarath FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s impending entry into politics, there was a legal impediment to him doing so, because serving military officers are not allowed to resign as and when they want. What I said last week was that According to article 3(3) of the Chief of Defence Staff Act No 35 of 2009, the CDS may at any time resign from his position by letter addressed to the president. However, according to article 3(4) of the CDS act, the resignation will not take… -Full Story- (The Island – 10/11/09)

FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Conditions to Join ANU(S)
Dilrook Kannangara
ANU(S) stands for (S)UNA – United National Alliance – spelt backwards with a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-SƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to complete! Backward is the direction UNA is moving after it made a U-turn. It retracted the following statements referring to the great General, the greatest hero of our time. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Any ass can fight a warƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Army Commander Sarath Fonseka is not suitable at least to command the Salvation ArmyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-What’s all this fuss about the Thoppigala jungle? It’s nothing to crow aboutƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Rumor has it General Sarath Fonseka is going to join the UNA as its presidential election… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 10/11/09)

UNP strategy to sponsor Gen. Fonseka ” but wants to sell all the arms and armaments” !
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 the armaments including artillery pieces, guns, multibarrel rocket launches, fighting crafts like the MIG’s and other military hardware. But the governement had quite rightly rejected the request as they are equipment used by war heroes. Some of them were captured from the… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 10/11/09)

Divided We Stand – United We Fall!
Prof. Hudson McLean
Many opinions have expressed their concern on the current predicament of two Giants trying to fight for the spoils. Or it is just “spin” created by subtle planning? One one hand we have President Mahinda Rajapaksa who demonstrated his leadership and diplomatic skills of a Statesman and on the other the General Sarath Foseka who led his armies to annihilate the most ruthless terrorist LTTE Tigers during two years. Neither President Mahinda Rajapaksa nor General Sarath Fonseka could singly stand up and claim total credit. This was a team effort. A joint project. And both won… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 26/10/09)

KARUNA, MAHINDA, GOTABHAYA, ARMY COMMANDER SARATH FONSEKA, AIR CHIEF MARSHALL HARRY GOONETILLEKE, ADMIRAL WASANTHA KARRANNAGODA vs CHANDRIKA, RANIL, (AVA)MANGALA, SOMAWANSA
BY DR M D P DISSANAYAKE
It was less than 6 months ago Sri Lanka has achieved freedom from terrorists. Terrorists were determined to destroy the democracy. After achieving the victory, now there appears to be some Tsunami within the team.The writer has listened in full to CDS Sarath FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s speech in US. I have so far not heard any such speeches, vibrations or turbulent speeches from Air Chief Marshall Harry Goonatilleke, or Adminiral Wasantha Karrannagoda. -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 30/10/09)

Has General Fonseka fallen prey to the Blake-Ranil bait?
Ajit Randeniya
There are signs that the Sri Lankan history is repeating itself. In 1815, the Kandyan chieftains handed over King Rajasinghe and the Kandyan kingdom to the British, barely a decade after the crushing defeat of the colonists attempt to invade Kandy. Now there are signs that General Sarath Fonseka has swallowed or about to walk in to a trap laid by the former US ambassador Robert Blake in connivance with that jelly-back, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Blake is probably the second worst enemy of Sri Lanka after Eric Solheim. Blake lost face in Sri Lanka during the end phase… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 29/10/09)

Why The Media Hype About “A Sarath Fonseka Military Dictatorship” Is More Speculative Than Links To Reality
Insight By Sunil Kumar Nov.2nd 2009
Will Lieut Gen Sarath Fonseka attempt to override the protocols which govern his status as a former commander of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces towards personal gain rather than preserving the integrity of his motherland and the confidences afforded him by the nation’s leaders in power ?rather than responding to the instigation of the power hungry opposition better described as a pack of hyenas waiting for someone else’s kill to take control of Sri Lanka in the speculated Military Dictatorship as per the media hype on the topic which is now a raging tempest of… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 03/11/09)

JVP-UNP- USA ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Norway- LTTE Conspiracy hatched and born !
By Mahinda
General Sarth Fonseka is in USA despite the resistance to the war he conducted, and his daughters are studying in the USA , has been secured with a house and cash in a certain state there. His visit to USA and all other agendas behind is well understood, and the Washington DC Temple High priest who hosted and blessed him is a ex-JVP accused of the 1971 insurrection. This explains the whole episode as to how things are working behind the screen and at the theatre. (i.e. JVP-UNP- USA ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Norway-LTTE Conspiracy alliance)US conspiracies come in different forms and methods using on going situations and conflicts in target countries with examples from history as well as contemporary incidents.( Argentina, Panama, Columbia, Cuba, Iraq, Philippines, Honduras and so on to name a few.) -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 30/10/09)

Strategies and failures – Will they ever learn?
S. Akurugoda
According to media reports, JVP has joined the UNP now to go all out against the executive presidency, thereby supporting the candidate forwarded by the UNP-led opposition alliance which would promise to do away with the executive presidency within 180 days after coming to power. The strategy is to use the common opposition candidate as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”baitƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to catch the voters who were rejoiced after the defeat of terrorism and to deny the incumbent President a 50 per cent majority. Let us rush through the well known strategies of the JVP since its inceptions. The strategy (perhaps… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 03/11/09)

Common Candidate a Storm in a Tea Cup? It is only another political gimmick by the dormant opposition and reactionary forces to destabilize the government
Dr Sudath Gunasekara. President Senior Citizens Movement, Mahanuwara 2.11.2009.
Politically popular but utterly stale terms like political solution, devolution of power, minority aspirations and Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism and even independence of the press etc appears to have been eclipsed and temporally replaced by a newly invented political catch word; ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Common CandidateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ over the past few days. Apart from querying why a common candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa the question is also asked as to who this uncommon common candidate is. Two names have been mentioned in this regard. That is Sarath Fonseka, the CDS and Sarath Nanda De Silva the… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 05/11/09)

Exterminators of War Heroes
By Gomin Dayasri
Are we heading to the loony bin? Are two war heroes getting ready to battle it out, while those who made every effort to destabilize them during the war and damage the nation become the cheer leaders, edging them to brink of the cliff to see one fall to the gorge below? They would again cheer to see a shattered icon bruised and battered, shot down by friendly fire. Prabhakaran will achieve in death what he failed to achieve in life. Get Both or possibly One, was the message of the dreaded deceased. It is… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 25/10/09)

General FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s entry into politics: Is it the end of democracy in Sri Lanka?
nimal dunuhinga
As a simpleton I do not see any difference in between War and Politics. In the battlefield you kill the enemies by Arms & Ammunition. But it’s rather change in politics as most of the hypocrites use wet towels for the said purpose instead of shooting they do it by strangling, I suggest that the General could get a retirement and wear a saffron robe for the end of journey?… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 29/10/09)

The General in USA, The President in Sri Lanka & The Double Sided Coin
Prof. Hudson McLean
The General goes to USA on a part official and part personal visit during a tongue wagging saga whether the General is planning to take a shot at the next Presidencial elections for the Top Seat. The Secretary of Defence makes a statement to the effect that that the entire saga is created by the Opposition by driving a wedge between the President and the General. In the meantime the Secretary of State of USA and the Foreign Secretary of UK and with the tacit support of the likes of Norway are trying to rehabilitate the… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 02/11/09)

Robert BlakeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s flu and other mysteries
Ajit Randeniya
Americans have colourful and usually crude ways of expressing themselves. A former colleague of this writer who is still employed at the US Department of State, and was involved in compiling the infamous Sri Lankan ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ report recently provided a classic example. His description of the lack of clarity of objectives of the report, translated to more civil language, meant that his experience was similar to having been instructed to engage in a rather long sexual escapade without being given the opportunity to see its natural climax! A cursory read of the subject report reveals that… -Full Story- (LankaWeb – 02/11/09)

Sarath Fonseka’s politically sensitive speach in Sinhala
-Full Story- (LankaWeb – 01/11/09)