Army Commander Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake said that soldiers had ‘cracked skulls’ and ‘split ears’ during operations to quell communal unrest in the Kandy District recently.
Army Commander
He said that all this happened within the framework of ‘operational duty’ and that he is not perturbed by it.
‘All communities are with (support) the Army. I know that skulls were cracked, that ears were split (blows on the ear), but this doesn’t bother me. I will not punish anyone. All this happened within the framework of operational discipline.’
He added that he had explained all this to President Maithripala Sirisena in a 45 minute discussion and that the President did not ask my ‘why was it done in this way?’
The Army Commander however acknowledged that four soldiers who were on leave had taken part in the violence and that they would be duly sacked.
The Commander made these comments at a ceremony to open a new accommodation complex for other rankers at the Regimental Headquarters of the Gemunu Watch in Kuruwita, Ratnapura.
Upali / March 23, 2018
Didn’t they carry the Human Rights Charter like during MR era.
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roy / March 23, 2018
It was carried out on Maras orders through Patholaya. The army Commander did a good job but 3days after which was too late.
The damage was done by Srilanka Thief Force (STF) when Police were in charge. These assholes are ruining the economy.
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Native Vedda / March 23, 2018
roy
“Army Commander Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake said that soldiers had ‘cracked skulls’ and ‘split ears’ during operations to quell communal unrest in the Kandy District recently.”
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He didn’t say whose skulls did the army crack open nor whose ears did they split during the operation “second jeyawewa”. Since they are being given permanent impunity from human rights violation, I suspect the army would have ‘cracked skulls’ and ‘split ears’ of the victims. Else they are not part of Sri Lankan armed forces.
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Al-faqurlah / March 24, 2018
Army cracked skulls and split ears of Sinhala rioters belatedly. In contrast STF cracked skulls and split ears of moulavis promptly. “These arseholes are ruining the economy” – This is exactly what the Sinhalese are saying about the Muslims.
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Ranja / March 24, 2018
Show us how to crack your own skull sir.
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Kumaraya / March 23, 2018
Sri Lanka’s Human Rights record is widely criticized in UN. Sri Lanka cannot continue with all these allegations and must take immediate steps to end the impunity and enforce strict rule of law and justice. The links shows Sri Lanka’s defiance in implementing UNHRC resolution;
MOUNTING JUSTIFICATION FOR TAMILS TO RESORT TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND RFERENDUM
https://www.academia.edu/35415017/MOUNTING_JUSTIFICATION_FOR_TAMILS_TO_RESORT_TO_SELF-DETERMINATION_AND_RFERENDUM
https://www.academia.edu/34151481/SRI_LANKAS_CREDIBILITY_AND_UNS_RESPONSIBILITIES
https://www.academia.edu/34202740/SRI_LANKAS_GENOCIDE_OF_TAMILS
https://www.academia.edu/28419263/chemical_weapons_used_to_wipe_out_the_Tamils_in_Sri_Lanka
https://www.academia.edu/34826116/Frequent_visits_by_UN_special_Rapporteurs_and_Sri_Lankas_defiance_in_implementing_their_recommendations
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Radical Ideas / March 25, 2018
The Army General must come to know about to the way the country is dragged into conflict after many conflicts involving the rabid Sinhala Nationalist Terrorists trying all their evil methods to destroy the lives of the MUSLIMS. The latest being……….The LATEST attack method the GOVI system devised against the Muslims is the deployment of POLICE units to arbitrarily arresting MUSLIM boys and girls by using NARCOTIC DRUGS dECOYS put forcibly in their posession under which they are then taken into custody. This happened about 4 days ago in Kaduwela trapping innocent Kollonnawa Muslim boys in a fake drama. The Narcotics Terror Unit that use this tactics to trap innocent victims and then use blackmails to syphon off ransome money to release them. They are now recently, after the Kandy riots, using this state terror tactics to intimidate the minorities as THE STATE HAS NOT ESTABLISHED a system to check on these criminal elements that uses the Law Enforcement power for these kinds of GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. Even the Three Wheel drivers of Muslim origin are trapped by the employing BBS/JHU guys to dump a pack of drug in the vehicle and then that vehicle is followed and tracked and then finally arrested after a fake inspection and the finding of the drug pack inside the vehicle. CAN THE SINHALA TERROR be much worse than this????? Over to the ARMY GENERAL. Its reported around 80 innocent Muslims have been arrested in such Fascist operation in the last 3 days.
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ThanthaiChelva / March 23, 2018
Yes we saw those photos in Tamilnet how his soldiers cracked the heads of Tamils.
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Jameis aiya / March 24, 2018
Heads of all Terrorists must be cracked worldwide.
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Sunil / March 23, 2018
Have the members of the mob and the instigators behind them been identified, arrested and prosecuted!?
Ask the public to help identify the members of the mob and hand over any video or photographic evidence that can help identify them.
Also can the government explain this!?
STF brutality against Muslims in Digana.
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Abdul Samad / March 23, 2018
It was sheer brutality by the soldiers. Innocent muslim boys were mercilessly assaulted with baton poles and Iron rods, cables, bicycle chains and even worse was when they attacked Muslim Priests.
While the attack was taking place with the blessings of the military forces people had to flee and find refuge in the jungles.
There is enough photographic evidence of the brutality against the muslims.
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Native Vedda / March 23, 2018
Sunil
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“Have the members of the mob and the instigators behind them been identified, arrested and prosecuted!?”
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Why?
Haven’t the super smart patriots stopped the Muslim menace by any “means necessary”?
You should be grateful to them.
Anyone who betray these patriots are considered traitors, who normally work for INGO, Hindia, West, …………
They are the front line volunteer soldiers of Mahasangha.
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“The Army Commander however acknowledged that four soldiers who were on leave had taken part in the violence and that they would be duly sacked.”
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The president will be too upset not for the actions of army men but for arresting the members of war heroes.
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Anver / March 23, 2018
Are you taking it literally?
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Abu Mukarram / March 23, 2018
What about those army fellow s who attacked the two mowlavies of a mosque in kandy, cctv video of this attack goes viral in fb
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Abdul Samad / March 23, 2018
Abu Mukarram.
They treat minorities as garbage that’s the whole issue here. Assaulting unarmed civilians should be fully investigated and perpetrators should face the consequences.
We saw this in Aluthgama, Gintota, and finally Kandy.
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Jim softy / March 23, 2018
Muslims have problesms all over the world becuse of Sinhalza people. Muslims had vandalized the buddha statue in a VIhara. How about that. What did the Statue did to you. You all must find the whole story.
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Thengai Srinivasan / March 24, 2018
Jimmy The smart A.s.
Remember for every action there will be an equivalent and deadly opposite reaction.Patience is running out! Its a matter of time. Just wait…..
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Francis / March 26, 2018
It was the STF who assaulted the mowlavis in the mosque…the army did a good job
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Buddhist / March 23, 2018
Army commander has not delivered those who have murdered innocent to the courts, what is he talking about like a saint? He has also not provided the required information for some of the cases before the courts.
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Jim softy / March 23, 2018
Buddhist: Tamils died for the Tamil cause. What was wrong with it ? They are Martyres. go and find the body there.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / March 23, 2018
How long can the “minorities” take a hit – recover/take a robbery-recover/loose life’s-recover/fear and trauma-recover/loose all belongings-recover/loose dignity-recover/loose all their due opportunities – recover/live without police,armed forces protection-survive…………..is a proof there is no religions nor morality / is a proof the majority responsibility gone a miss to take care of thier own misfits /is a proof no one understands the constitution in which we all agree to cohabit…………is a proof no government/parliamentarians who took oath of allegence is functional/is a proof no international deal makers give monkeys about the victimised and marginalised citizens…………is a proof we are a failed state already specially after the southern war put down and north/south war put down that we learned nothing and now have the audacity to repeat???……..believed in one nation/given the benefit of the doubt to the “innocent majority” not given into divisional politics waiting for “maturity”……..it may also be a proof that people like me were wrong all along??…..Give me hope………mother Lanka….. give me hope that we could eradicate these evils for a better Sri Lanka…give me hope……..please do not make me wait in vain for your love too long…that I may not be alive to enjoy my mother Lanka for long.. I am 55 you see but heard some of my other folks have been waiting for 70 years too……remembering our children perished not so long…not their fault “having born on the land like no other”….boy Bob Marly sums up our waiting so eloquently …the song “waiting in vain” for that “Love”…..feels like forever…
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Jim softy / March 23, 2018
They all beczme Maaveerar nals. SO be happy. They did something good for you.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / March 24, 2018
Dear JS, I do not comment on your “comments” are beyond my comprehension therefore impossible to make fair assessment/response. Just to correct your comment above if this was directed at me………….(forgive me if I am wrong)…..I qualify …..I am a Sri Lankan and the reference I make as “my children” includes all Sri Lankan children including the armed forces too….meant as “Children of Mother Lanka” by virtue…….we are all collectively working for change..not to do so is not an option hope you agree….now you mentioned Maaveerar……they too are our children too (I do not accept the methodology/solution) adopted however understand the intent……..justice for all..perhaps we allowed them to be used by others (geo politicians) through our own ignorance too…….due to our collective failure to take “ownership” of everyone in Mother Lanka since independence is a possibility you may agree……..same with JVP too…..we can no longer afford to be “complacent” as we have lost far too much of ground in this planet…. I am not sure of the origins of this “hate” and why we have allowed this to hold us back from celebrating life by taking care of each other….. hence the mention no “lessons learned”…….”audacity to allow” the same etc…if we put ourself in the shoes of the victims of hate crime we will understand….where knowledge/information technology should free us from the past negligence/situations/scenarios………say if the cause of the problems were lack of information/distribution of wealth/opportunities under colonial rule not so fairly managed is my “benefit of the doubt” part for “maturity” and time to “heal” etc….now 70 years on none of these applies….so the new journey since independence should be of a “learning curve”…”trust building amongst communities”….and we need to bring everyone on board…how?….so what is holding us back??
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J.Muthu / March 24, 2018
bro r u son of MP thiagarajah…. old boy of johnian jaffna….
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / March 24, 2018
Yes Mr Muthu and a Johnian indeed
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Goldstein / March 23, 2018
What is the big deal? This was necessary. White Americans shoot Black people when they are carrying identifiable white coloured mobile phones. We choke to death black people for selling cigarettes in the loose on the streets of New York. We shoot fleeing unarmed suspects in the backs and we all get away. God is great because our god is white. We choke to death hispanics who are unarmed. We shoot a lot of black people every year under very suspicious situations and we get exonerated. #BLM
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jsu / March 24, 2018
u dumb ass god is not white. white people came after the dark skin do some research. even Jesus was dark skin
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Iqbal / March 25, 2018
God created Adam & Eve as the first human beings and sent them both to the world, through them mankind evolved and spread throughout the world till to date and it will be so until end of time/day of recompense. Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was born in Bethlehem he was not dark skin, in some narrations described as having a brown-complexion.
As to how God appears and are His features? – only God Almighty knows – it is beyond human imagination or description.
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dominoman / March 26, 2018
Please stop believing in mythology and fairytales, read about history and the origin of the universe/humankind. I’m an ex Muslim .Not trying to make you an atheist but it’s a bit weird when you write about ancient beliefs as if it were fact.
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Ceylonee / March 23, 2018
The Army Commander seems to be a loyal citizen of sri lanka who is bound to obey laws. If there anything to take as immediate steps to end the impunity and to enforce strict rule of law and justice , then the Peace loving , civilised society of Sri Lanka must urge and insist the Goverment, the Sirisena & PM the following ;
BAN ALL BUDHIST BIKKU from talking and entering into Politics.
BAN ALL BUDHDA TERROR SENAS and ARREST ALL SENAS LEADERS.
Implement law according to Siddartha thus Order all Bikku go out begging foods door to door .
Make a law in order to make all Sinkele Budhist Not to go to vikara with food to offer lazy bikku sleeping inside.
Arrest and punish all Aamaduru who talk politics and racism.
Punish those Police , STF , any military for violent activity towards civilian.
Declare a war against Pathalayas and KUDU BOOTHAYAS.
Punish all politicians regardless their status for theft and corruption.
And make Sri Lanka a Secular Democratic Country
When SriLanka Govt find a lawsuit to control all Sin Keley Buddha Rowdies then mother lanka is almost secured and safe..
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Taraki / March 23, 2018
Aren’t blows on the skull and ears what Indian police give with their lathis? Anybody complaining? Hello World! Anyone complaining???? Tamil diaspora, no complaints to UN?
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Native Vedda / March 24, 2018
Taraki
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“Aren’t blows on the skull and ears what Indian police give with their lathis?”
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So you want your army to learn every little nasty operational tactical methods from Hindian sadists. Is that what the army learned from Hindian army trainers when 1000s of them were sent to various parts of Hindia to be trained in various strategic and tactical methods?
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You don’t disappoint us.
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Taraki / March 24, 2018
As you well know, I am not condoning these actions, I am pointing out the hypocrisy.
Do you choose to misunderstand in order to hoodwink the others, or were you born like that?
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Native Vedda / March 24, 2018
Taraki
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Are we competing with Hindians to hit the bottom?
Are in the process of preparing a comparative analysis of hypocrisies between the Hindians and the Sinhala/Buddhists?
You should focus on what this country deserves and what this country is capable/incapable of rather than pointing out whats wrong with Hindians or their hypocrisies.
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There are 21 millions of things wrong with this island, start putting it right.
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By the way Indians are increasingly becoming a satellite launching hub despite the existence and stranglehold of Hindians. Why cannot the Sinhalese and Buddhists follow/compete them in science and technology? I know the Sinhala/Buddhist fascists are too busy building their ghetto hence progress in science and technology is the last thing in their mind.
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I am talking about you and your fellow bigots.
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Taraki / March 24, 2018
Koheda Yanne? Malle pol.
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Native Vedda / March 24, 2018
Taraki
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“Koheda Yanne?”
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kelinma keḷavaraṭa paninna (Jump straight to the bottom).
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Taraki / March 25, 2018
That is to the ‘end’, not to the ‘bottom’. Enjoy, whichever you use.
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K.Pillai / March 23, 2018
The near mono-ethnic armed services are a separate state. The funding is ensured by keeping SL in the UNHRC radar and this is exactly what Army Commander Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake is doing.
Framework of ‘operational duties’ my my my foot!
The man says “The President listened in silence”. The description of the ‘skull cracking’ stunned the President.
There were no reports of cracked skulls. The victims who went to report losses returned home with ‘split ears’.
Here is a potential Lankan Rodrigo Duterte.
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K.Anaga / March 23, 2018
This is a clear indication of how the Army would have conducted during the war.?
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Kumar / March 23, 2018
Mr. Army commander I suppose you never ever plan to travel to a another country other than Russia. In the US. it is called putting your foot in your mouth. How can anybody defend the dignity of the of the soldiers with people like you at the helm. Only few days ago one your beloved politician was denied entry to the US. You could be next.
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jehan / March 23, 2018
champaka and lohan not arrested. what leaders did they arrest.
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Vijayaratnam Rajaratnam / March 23, 2018
Is sacking the soldiers involved in communal violence an appropriate punishment? Maybe the soldiers are their people. The language used and the arrogance of the commander sets a bad example.
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K A Sumanasekera / March 23, 2018
Has Mahesh replaced Dr Ranil’s Private Secretary Sujith who has spilled the beans.
Is this Dr Ranil’s new Kurundu Polu Brigade?…..
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Citizen / March 24, 2018
Will the STF Chief who has a Moslim name, called Latiff, take responsibility for his officers brutalising two Moulavis in the Mosque and give an explanation.
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Muslim / March 24, 2018
Justice is dead in Srilanka. Freedom is gone
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Native Vedda / March 24, 2018
Muslim
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“Justice is dead in Srilanka. Freedom is gone”
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Justice was killed in 1948 and buried in 1956.
Why did take so long to come to the conclusion?
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Rohan / March 24, 2018
Because they (Muslims) were benefitting all this time at the expense of the Tamils. They even joined the Sinhalese Buddhist fascists to kill justice and Tamils, thinking that, this will never affect them or that the Buddhist fascists were only using them and their Arabian origin fairly tale , to their own benefit until they finish with the powerful Tamil minority that was around 28%. Now that they have made the Tamils powerless and the Tamil population reduced to 16% , they have now turned on their former allies the Muslims, who are now blinking and crying justice is dead. However justice was not dead , when Tamils were attacked even more brutally. They in fact joined with the Sinhalese gleefully ,stating justice is being dished out to Tamils. What an irony the same STF that heavily armed Muslim Home guards in the east , to brutally attack thousands of innocent Tamils, kill murder rape and chase them from their lands, are now attacking Muslim civilians and they are crying unfair and no justice. Where was the justice then? You reap what you sow and god moves in a mysterious way.
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Sunil / March 24, 2018
Yes.
Sinhala Buddhists shut up and be second class citizens!
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Native Vedda / March 24, 2018
Sunil
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“Sinhala Buddhists shut up and be second class citizens!”
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Not really, in order to dominate the rest of the people the Sinhala/Buddhist fascists are not only degrading themselves but Sinhalese and Buddhists.
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Go get a life outside your Sinhala/Buddhist ghetto.
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Sinhala_Man / March 24, 2018
Dear Citizens of all Communities,
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We have been fighting each other foolishly. Now when we look around, we find that we live in what has become a Police State.
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We are paid peanuts and the Police rule us all. There are those who say that all this is necessary. For what?
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It is not just the salaries paid to these “guardians”?. There are other benefits. How do you explain that there is no petrol shed in Diyatalawa? Obviously stocks can be purchased from shops – stolen from the forces. In every other town there are three of four; Bandarawela, five miles away boasts four.
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Good Sense / March 24, 2018
I am a bit confused as to whose skulls were cracked and whose ears were split. The key sentences (assuming that the English translation is perfect and gives the correct context) are (1) “I will not punish anyone.” (2) “All this happened within the framework of operational discipline”. Clearly the first indicates that the aggressor is in the Army itself. Second indicates that it is within the process of disciplining. Now the victim can be somebody within the army or a civilian. If it is a civilian then the act of aggression is not within the bounds of operational discipline. It could then be an activity within the Army itself. I know that there are very harsh punishments within the Army and good amount of them are unauthorized. But that does not concern me for the time being. If civilians are victims then the Army commander cannot escape making a statement of this nature and allowed to escape. However it is gratifying to note that in the case of soldiers being part of the unrest, disciplinary action is being taken. [Note in Sinhala “Oluwa Peluna” refers to an injury in the scalp. Any fracture in the skull is pretty serious and fellows can die out of it in no time.]
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Dr Suresh / March 24, 2018
another clueless army commander, containment means extremely selective use of force levelled at those who breach the rules of civil society by resorting to violence , random cracking of skulls and whatever is uncivilised behaviour on the part of the army
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Good Sense / March 26, 2018
Dear Dr. Suresh,
It is interesting to note that Col. F. C De Saram shot two civilians to death in Mount Lavinia as curfew violators. Those were the days of ethnic disturbances in late 1950’s. All that can be covered under emergency regulations and bodies can disposed without postmortem. That was possible in Queen’s Ceylon. We have graduated in time and after the famous Weerasuriya incident at Peradeniya Campus methods of containing mobs was outlined by the Commission of Inquiry. Even under that shooting is possible under extremely uncontrollable situations. However, let us get to modern standards. Unless physically attacked no uniformed guy or gal should attack a civilian.
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Harishchandra / March 24, 2018
When I read through the articles on CT, I most sadly come to the dismal conclusion that this country is heading very fast to being a confirmed failed state.
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K.Pillai / March 24, 2018
Recently our Defence Attaché in UK, Brigadier Priyankara Fernando was filmed gesticulating slitting throat/s, we were embarrassed. The Army Commander Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake straight away said that he will not even initiate an inquiry.
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Now the Army Commander says that he cracks human skulls within the framework of ‘operational duty’ and that he is not perturbed by it. This may give him pleasure looking at the grey matter oozing out but in the international arena our reputation is tarnished.
The man does not realise this!
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asgarmihlar@yahoo.co.uk / March 24, 2018
Why was the army called in? Bcos the police did nothing and it worsened the situ. The army commander should point his finger at the police. If the police did nothing they are wasting tax payers money and the army is not trained to handle such situs. That is why the STF was established
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Marwan / March 25, 2018
These army guys went berserk attacking those learned Moulavis and Mosque staff who were sleeping at the time. We have first hand accounts (audio cuts from victims themselves) of what actually happened. Many of them were injured and had to get medical treatment. They were also handed crude weaponry such as, sticks .and rods to make it appear as though they were the attackers. The Mosque staff refused to accept what was being handed to them since they had no motivation to respond effectively. They are peaceful people eking out a decent living and are un-trained to be enemy combatants. Furthermore they were in deep shock to witness the wanton damage and arson going on all around them. This is the kind of brutality which this army boss in kind of referring to as a hackneyed joke, carried out by his own stooges. They are basically cowards attacking innocent unarmed civilians with intent to crush harm, for absolutely no reason but for them being Muslim (the ‘other’ Faith). They know next-to-nothing about them and their daily struggles to survive. If this the norm, then there is no need of government if the law of the jungle reigns supreme. Those misfits who lack army discipline, don’t deserve to continue to serve the country, and thus be identified and sanctioned with dishonorable discharge with immediate effect, at least as an effective deterrent for future activists. This may also be the best chance to recover some of its lost integrity and heal its own image as a disciplined army. But can we truly expect that will ever happen in this La-La-Land, when even worse crimes of HR abuses have been totally ignored and the perpetrators gifted high profile jobs in foreign lands? Will always remain a 3rd grade country with 3rd grade profile. Another ignominious achievement – 4th in the index of most corrupt country in the world. How worse can it get?
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Dharshana W / March 24, 2018
Mahesh,
That is not even a good-enough statement of a get-away strategy for a National Army.
Either you are the commander-in-Chief, thus in total control OR you are not, and it sounds like you are in the latter club.
You need to define the term “framework of operational discipline”in very specific terms since this definition will determine if your Army is legitimate or a else.
Mahesh:
This is an open ended question to you, which I expect you’d respond to or else become a mere background shade of the current political landscape.
Please note that the current political landscape is a mystery to many of the general public at large, you should not contribute to make these formulae, more complicated than what they are at present.
Cheers Mate,
Dharshana W, PhD.
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Buddhist / March 24, 2018
How can we trust or accept what this Army Commander is saying? He is one of those who opposed the appointment of Sarath Fonseka as Minister of Law and Order.
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