Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada

Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada
Christmas Eve, 2009

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Prof. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ PhillipƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Alston
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial ExecutionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
United Nations Human Rights CouncilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
Geneva, Switzerland

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dear Prof. Alston:

I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t envy your job trying to make the world a better place to live and in the process trying to unravel and understand the vindictive story-tellers trying to implicate their opponents with unsubstantiated war crimes, and get your good-self involved to get their dirty work accomplished.

The allegation made by Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s former Army Commander and Chief of Defence Staff and now Presidential Candidate, General Sarath Fonseka against the Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who he alleges had ordered the 58^th ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Division Brigade Commander Brigadier Shavendra Silva (now Major General) to shoot the Tamil Tiger leaders who offered to surrender on May 17, 2009, is one such story.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And according to Sarath Fonseka, so they did shoot to death Tamil Tiger political leaders B. Nadesan and S. Puleedevan, and Police Chief Ramesh who had walked out carrying pieces of white cloth.

I can imagine what is going on in your mind. I am sure you wished that this nasty episode could have been handled swiftly and diligently by taking the role of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a London Bobby with a black helmet walking towards two fighting kids on the street holding the cudgel behind your back and saying:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-AlooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦AlooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦AloooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦whatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s going on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ear then?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And one kid saying to you pointing a finger at the other, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want to play with me, SirƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.and I am going to get him!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-What is that you were playing?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ you may have asked.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I want to be the King of the Castle and he says, no, his brother is already the king of the castleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.and I am going to get both of them!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You no doubt would have said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-NowƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦now laddies, break up this silly game, pack up your toys and go ohm, and no more bullying and fighting on the street!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

However, what surprised me with all this silliness was your logic in initiating the War Crime probe by asking the Sri Lankan Government, the accused to show proof why this allegation by its former Army Commander ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sarath Fonseka is false.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Hmmmm..not smart!

That would be easy, as the Government of Sri Lanka would most definitely come backƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ saying that this is a vindictive story, as what FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s allegation against the Defence Secretary, his boss, was as admitted by him is a story he had heard from an unnamed journalist. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That amounts to hearsay, by the way.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But what you may glean from this entire nasty fracas is that FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s acrimony against Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is public knowledge. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ All Sri Lankans are aware of it and now you know the genesis of all of this.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

It would have been intelligent and fair on your part to have asked General Sarath Fonseka to substantiate his allegation with facts, and name the journalist.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And if he fails dismiss this probe like what the London Bobby did with the two kids playing ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I am the King of the Castle and you are my bossy gun-totting rascal.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

You must be scratching your head asking the very questions that most of us are asking. Why is this retired General Sarath Fonseka, a hero once upon a time to most of us, who supported ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s President Mahinda Rajapaksa not to cow down to international pressures calling for a ceasefire during the final days of the Eelam War but went ahead and wiped out this terrorist outfit, now want to damage the reputation of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s disciplined army who did their job with no favours asked, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and sully the good name of that democracy.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  WhyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦WhyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.Why?

The more I probed, the more I realized that this man, Sarath Fonseka, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has an immense ego who is now seeking to govern the island as the next elected President.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Such an ego which has a psychological need for power and a sense of importance and grandiosity is described as a malignant narcissism syndrome.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Such a syndrome lacks conscience and behavioural regulation with characteristic demonstrations of joyful cruelty.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In his case, it is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”my ego comes first before my country and my soldiers who fought so valiantly to save my country from decimationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”my revenge against the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ comes first before my country and its good name.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

Professor ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Alston, since you are in the business to find reasons to establish and probe into war crimes, and bring the guilty to book, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s retired General Sarath Fonseka should be used as a case study of an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Alter ego of a malignant narcissistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, which might help your mandate to probe the accuser first to establish whether his/her allegation warrants a full fledged costly acrimonious investigation under the Geneva Convention for War Crimes.

This unsubstantiated hissy-fit Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s war story is certainly one of them and in my eyes should be dismissed knowing the circumstance how and why this nasty vengeful and venomous shemozzle came about.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is all about one manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Ego and nothing more.

The question that you have to ask yourself is, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Am I going to let this man use me and my office to go after the man he dislikes immenselyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I hope the answer is in the negative.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Asoka Weerasinghe