Was the Navy called in to tarnish its image?: Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa
Posted on December 16th, 2016
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, yesterday, asked whether the Sri Lanka Navy was asked to intervene in the recent protest at the Hambantota Harbour in order to tarnish the reputation of the Navy.
Referring to the Navy Commander’s alleged assault on a journalist who was there to cover the event, Mr. Rajapaksa said the Navy Commander was a skilful officer during the wartime and added that it was the first time that the armed forces had been ordered to intervene to control a protest in recent history according to his knowledge.
Addressing the media at a workshop held in Colombo, the former president also said, There is no democracy in the country even though the government speaks highly of democracy. The Sri Lanka Navy was used for the first time to sabotage this protest of workers at the Hambantota Harbour. Such incidents are usually handled by the Police.”
He said he wondered who had instructed the Sri Lanka Navy to intervene to halt the protest.
He said the duties connected to the armed forces could not be altered without the knowledge of the President. (Kalathma Jayawardhane)
– See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Was-the-Navy-called-in-to-tarnish-its-image-MR-120782.html#sthash.wwlZa73H.dpuf
December 16th, 2016 at 5:25 am
How come no one see the point, that is the JVP Union was interfering with the movement of international ships. Even Mahinda is caught in the trap.
December 16th, 2016 at 1:39 pm
Agree with former Pres MR that the Navy was likely called in to tarnish the image of the SL Navy. As well, it is likely that a ‘DIVIDE & RULE’ of the Sinhale too is attempted here ….
Very strange that trouble is created and ESCALATED in the so called “Rajapakse areas”.
First, it was the Rathupaswela well water contamination affair (Gampaha District – earlier held by Basil Rajapakse during the time of well water contamination).
Strange that the wells of Rathupaswela were ‘contaminated’ and not the wells of other similar areas.
At the Rathupaswela problem (which was during the tenure of the MR govt), the Police were called in. When dusk fell busloads of some 5,000 persons arrived from outside and joined the protestors and started throwing petrol bombs at the Police. At that point the Army was called in to stop the rioters.
Recall also how the 1983 trumped up island wide Riots started ….
And that was how the Tamil folk went abroad to the west as Refugees, and the Tamil Diaspora was formed.
Next, it was the H’thota Port matter, also trouble created (seizure of two ships, under whose leadership ??) with strikers and subsequent ESCALATION of problem. H’thota is MR’s family area.
On a related matter, we have to note that the Glyphosate related illnesses are most in the surrounds of Trinco Port areas.
We are thankful to Pres Sirisena for banning Glyphosate in all of Lanka. The earlier MR govt had banned Glyphosate in the affected parts of Lanka.
Question : Is it all done for Subtle Mischief to ‘divide & rule’ Lanka ?
December 16th, 2016 at 3:23 pm
President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Thank you for speaking out on these issues. I agree with you and I had already put a comment along the same lines. RW and others are working to a script from a foreign country. Most of these countries seem to be only interested in downing the smaller developing countries.
Here is my earlier comment under the article “Journalists across the country in protest against the Navy Commander while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe admits that he personally directed Navy commander to break the strike.”
“This is a coup by RW where he was able to achieve two things at the same time. He was able to tarnish the image of the Navy Commander and also create enmity between the forces and the people. In the Wikipedia, Ranil is described as a Theravada Buddhist, but his actions belie this. In a situation which called for the Police what RW did was to send in the Navy knowing it would escalate and then create a clash between the Navy and the people. I wonder who does his thinking for RW?.
Why were the protestors not called for talks by either RW or MY3. Why do they always let loose the Armed Forces instead of discussing with the protestors about their issues? This is the same thing that happened in 1970-71 when the JVP rioted for lack of jobs and also in 1988-90 when the JVP rioted against the 13A which was passed illegally by UNP. How many Sinhala youths were tortured and killed by RW and UNP. I also believe the Yahapalanaya is distracting the people from the real issues like the new Constitution and the ETCA, selling of the Hambantota harbor and the Cost of living which has escalated due to the corruption and incompetence of the Yahapalanaya.
I saw a news item that the new Central Bank Governor is going to dump all three COPE reports. This means the main culprits RW and his pal Arjun Mahendran will go scot free. High time someone started a new Commission to take into account all the wrongs that have been done by RW against Sri Lanka and the Sinhala Buddhist people starting with the Batalanda report. There is an endless list of wrongs this man has committed against the country and the people. This is going to be his final swansong where he will ensure the destruction of the land by breaking it up in to separate provinces. Our uneducated Provincial ministers and Parliamentarians will be very happy. They will have mini kingdoms where they can sell off the land and indulge in any fancy deals and get unbelievably rich. The Tamils in the North will be able to bring in 15 million Dalit Tamils from India to fill their Province and then expand into the Sinhala Provinces and take them over. As always RW will be highly amused and will be laughing his sides out in some foreign clime while Sri Lanka gets destroyed. “