Former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka today claimed that the Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge‘s murder was carried out by a gang operating with the blessings of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
He denied the allegation that he was involved in the murder. Speaking to the BBC the former General claimed that this same group was involved in attacks on other journalists and killing Tamil MP Nadarajah Raviraj.
Fonseka made these fresh allegations against the ruling siblings when responding to the comment made by Lasantha’s brother Lal Wickremetunga that the President had told him on at least three occasions that it was Fonseka who had carried out the murder.
Related posts;
“Fonseka Killed Lasantha” President Told Lal Three Times: Uvindu Tells Navi Pillay
BBC Sinhala report;
Palmsquirrell / January 9, 2014
” insert meme S@#t just got real “
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BBS Rep / January 9, 2014
It is very difficult to believe that Fonseka had organised the killing of LW. It defies imagination.
However the killing has all the hallmarks of the Rajapaksa’s legacy of white vanning.
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Tamil from the north / January 9, 2014
@BBS rep, are you really a BBS rep or just using this as a pen name? I have read many of your comments and no real BBS rep will be this reasonable. yes, you are correct about the Pakses having a hand in the killing of Lasantha.
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RajasH / January 9, 2014
I think he is indeed a BBS rep trying to portray BBS as an acceptable face
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M.Sivananthan / January 10, 2014
Hello Indian!
You tell us how Tamil fools voted Fonseka even after he ridiculed Tamils as second class.
Now BBS is financed by the Norwegians. Soon you guys will change the tune and support BBS because Norway is an ally of LTTE morons.
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RajasH / January 10, 2014
Hello Sinhala racist
you are also commenting as BBS Rep?
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M.Sivananthan / January 13, 2014
Indian fools better shutup on subjects which are unknown to them!
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RajasH / January 14, 2014
you sinhala racist you dont any thing other vulgar racism
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Palmsquirrell / January 9, 2014
In many of his past postings, he has expressed Sinhala Nationalist sympathies and the need for Sinhala domination but lately he has expressed opinions one would state are fair minded.
Even though I disagree with him on some issues, he is a good poster because I do think he tries to answer questions honestly.
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Bedrock Barney / January 9, 2014
Some even suggest it was Al-Qaida.
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Wickramasiri / January 9, 2014
Agree with you. The killing gels with the character, nature and the behaviour of the Rajapaksas who are overbearingly pompous, conceited and revengeful when opposed. Another indicator of guilt is found in the defensive red herrings thrown by the hired scribes on CT.
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Ben Hurling / January 9, 2014
Agree with BBS Rep.
Rajapassa clan is cunningly trying to credit this cowardly crime to General Fonseka’s account.
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Sirimal / January 9, 2014
Agree with you.
Unequivocally agree also that SF had not had proper wording on the stage to please the masses.
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M.Sivananthan / January 10, 2014
When did Fonseka become a holy man? Immediately after the killing of Lasantha, every one pointed at Fonseka because Lasantha wrote and questioned his usage of official car etc.
What are you telling about the crisp US dollars recovered from the bank locker of Fonseka’s mother-in-law?
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Ben Hurling / January 10, 2014
Sivananthan,
Are you kidding us? The Sri Lankans.
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M.Sivananthan / January 13, 2014
I am not kidding but those were the news I read.
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Anura / January 9, 2014
Hey BBS Rep,
Have you drunk any holly water recently? You have become very wise suddenly …
Anyway, we all discuss and argue which one of the two main presidential candidates of the last election killed a popular journalist in the country? One got 60% and other got 40% of total votes.. How unfortunate are the civilian in this country?
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shankar / January 14, 2014
Maybe people are thinking if you can’t kill you may be not macho enough to run this unruly country of vijeya’s descendents.Poor ranil, he also better create some rumours that he did some killings in batalanda.Then next presidential elections he will get more than 40%at least if he contests.
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Ninja / January 11, 2014
True if the white flag stuff happened then , GR was giving orders to the army
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Amarasiri / January 13, 2014
BBS Rep,
Yes. You are most likely correct as the circumstantial evidence points that way.
The acid test is who benefits the most? Use reason to figure this out.
Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa and their cronies who benefits.
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Frodo / January 9, 2014
If General Fonseka had done it why on earth was he not charged with it. The kangaroo court hearings would have been a bit more credible if this was the case. Therefore it is a reasonable assumption that the culprit is not S.F. but medamusalayas as usual.
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Taraki / January 9, 2014
Quite a good point. There is little difference between MR & SF. It just so happens that MR won.
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M.Sivananthan / January 10, 2014
Even LTTE cannot be charged for many cases of bombings because “NO EVIDENCE”. You believe those bombings were the work of LTTE. The same problems are in the case of Fonseka also!
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Safa / January 9, 2014
It is good that General Fonseka has now revealed the true hand behind the asassination. He should know since some military personnel were involved. What says Mr Pig Shit?
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Frank N. Stein / January 9, 2014
A bunch of murderous thugs and beasts masquerading as political leaders, senior government servants and leaders of the armed forces.
Was it Jeffrey Archer who wrote there is no honour among thieves.
Young and popular MP Raviraj was killed close to his home that falls into Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo 5. The two killers on new mobikes vanished into thin air. Interestingly, there is a large army Cantonment 300 yards away in the direction where these killers fled.
F.N. Stein
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Diogenes / January 9, 2014
If SF was involved in that murder MR the devil would have got him also executed long ago!
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aratai / January 9, 2014
.
Sarath says he did not kill Lasantha.
Gota says, he does not know who Lasantha is.
MaRa says he knows who killed Lasantha.
Therefore, the murderer is …………..
.
:-)
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Wickramasiri / January 10, 2014
…..Fathima Fukushima!
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Mahinda Rajapaksa / January 11, 2014
Gotaba was being sarcastic when he said who is Lasantha?
If someone hasn’t heard of Lasantha they must be from another planet .
Gotaba is the one who did this
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The Professional / January 9, 2014
More questions as to who killed Lasantha but less reasons as to why he was killed.
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Device / January 9, 2014
Get ready for a very nasty he said she said war between M Rajapaksa and S Fonseka
This will cause a Huge war between them
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Spring Koha / January 18, 2014
ho ho ho The Battle of the Green Cards. How exciting!
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gamini / January 9, 2014
Why is it that after the President of a country making direct accusation of a person involved with a crime as murder, the Legal Authorities do not indict the suspect? Unless the President is making false accusations to cover his own involvement? This Joke is going too far. The man with the Wambotta fame who came up the Political ladder has many a murders to his credit. What a cursed Country this is?
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shankar / January 14, 2014
Good question.I was also wondering about that.Can’t Lal write to the prosecutor and say what he has said to the public and ask the public prosecutor to file charges.Good to see what the reply will be.
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INSIDER / January 9, 2014
I am no defender of the Rajapaksas at all.
But what Fonseka says is a ton of unadulterated
rubbish. He must know there are a handful who
are aware of what happened. Powerful people may
have turned a blind eye after the event. But
Mr. Fonseka, you are past master at blaming
others and declaring yourself a Bodhisatva. That
is utter rubbish.
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Aloka Giragama,National University of Singapore / January 9, 2014
The circumstances of Lasantha’s murder make it absolutely clear that government was involved in it. That murder and Gen SF’s jailing will recoil on the Rajapakses sooner or later.
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M.Sivananthan / January 9, 2014
But Lasantha was writing about Fonseka and not about Mahinda!
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Palmsquirrell / January 9, 2014
Lasantha was writing critical pieces on Mahinda and Lasantha has stated that Mahinda threatened to destroy him.
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NAK / January 13, 2014
But he was creeping in to Temple trees late in the night.
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Burt / January 9, 2014
This is a serious alligation that SF is making to an international media organization. On the other hand even if you are to believe what Lasantha’s bro says MR said it still does not look good on MR as commander in chief if his general was committing murders and he was looking the other way.
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Safa / January 9, 2014
As revealed by General Fonseka
‘Fonseka claimed that the Government was intentionally not taking action to have the gang involved in Lasantha’s murder arrested.
The former Army Chief claimed that this same gang was involved in attacks on other journalists as well at the time. (Poddala Jayantha, Upali Tennekone and Raviraj)’
Hence it is now fairly certain that Lasantha was killed by MR/GR through the offices of Mervin Silva using MSD / PSD personnel.
Mervyn Silva publicly admits to killing Lasantha Wickrematunge and grievously attacking another journalist –
“Lasantha from the Leader paper went overboard. I took care of him. Poddala agitated and his leg was broken. Now a fellow in my electorate is trying to stand against me. I now tell him in his own hometown, I will give him only seven more days. If he does not resign as chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, don’t blame me later on. You’ll don’t find fault with me. If this fellow goes against what I say, I will send him to the place where I sent Lasantha,” Non-cabinet Labor Minister Mervyn Silva stated publicly at a meeting in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya.
Silva had made this statement addressing a gathering at the Jayanthi Mahal Junction at the opening ceremony of a Sathosa outlet in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya on Thursday (9).
A Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member told Lanka News Web that the recorded versions of Silva’s speech have already been sent to the President and the SLFP general secretary. Silva while being critical of Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Prasanna Ranaweera and several other members has said he did not fear any one as long as President Mahinda Rajapakse was in power, as he could not be defeated by any force.
http://groundviews.org/2009/07/13/mervyn-silva-publicly-admits-to-killing-lasantha-wickrematunge-and-grievously-attacking-another-journalist/
When such evidence is before the public it is amazing how the Police and Judiciary can be twiddling their thumbs for the last five years.
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The Professional / January 10, 2014
Dr. Maralovin Silva is diverting all dirty water channels into his home gardent tomake the the gardens of SLFP heirarchy clean.
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Spring Koha / January 18, 2014
I said…You said…He said…She said…they said…we said…I did…You did…He did…She did…they did…we did.., The continuing story of Sri Lankan politics.
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Fathima Fukushima / January 9, 2014
Well done Saint Fonseka. Love you.
Good riddance.
The nation is indebted to you Dear General for ridding all enemies of the nation.
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Ben Hurling / January 9, 2014
Fathima Fukushima
Please go pick up your brand new, free iPad from the Guard Room at Temple Trees.
Cheers!
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Tamil from the north / January 11, 2014
Can someone find this Fat’fucku’shima? He must be rolling in some pig shit and drinking dog urine.
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Piraña / January 15, 2014
To find fartima fucku you must go to the Srilanka’s biggest lunatic asylum angoda.
This dogs shit lives in a mental hospital one need to find him and break his neck.
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RajasH / January 9, 2014
Surely MR GR axis should now challenge SF to show eveidence or sue him for defamation?
If they keep silent it means they are guilty?
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fred / January 9, 2014
Isn’t there a saying that when rogues fall out honest men come into their own? This looks a classic case of that.
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srilal / January 9, 2014
LW murder is still a mistory , there are so many stake holders in it , Brigadier Duminda Kappetiwala’s name was mentioned as the chief suspect, who was Duminda Kappetiwala ? wasn’t he the PA for Lt.Gen Fonseka ?
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M.Sivananthan / January 10, 2014
Now some people try to give a clean chit to Fonseka. He is a proven agent of USA. That is why Tamils voted him enmasse even after Fonseka cried the Tamils are the second class.
Now the politics of Lanka is not about Lanka but about USA. Sinhalese/Tamils now think they can get some millions by supporting USA.
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RajasH / January 14, 2014
what a load of rubbish is this?
Tamils knew Sarath was a USA agent so they voted for him?
just f off
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vishvajith / January 9, 2014
I think the Jury is out on this one. General is no saint. It was GR who asked Lasantha or his brother to go easy on Army Affairs stating he can’t guarantee the safety of Lasantha if he continues. This was the time General was all powerful.
Can a member of the forum opine, what happened to the child who was castrated for the journalistic activities of the father. Happened in the Peliyagoda area.
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rohana / January 9, 2014
The all know what happened but Lal wick is a traiter too.Is he really a brother of Lasantha?
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Wickramasiri / January 10, 2014
Come on, don’t detract from the main subject. Lal W is a decent guy and they were a close family.
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rohana / January 11, 2014
He may be a decent guy but if you listen to SF, LW printed MR’s posters for presidential election. Federica lied to the court to put SF in jail. He is a traitor. If Lasantha living he will agree with me
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Mahinda Rajapaksa / January 11, 2014
The Wickrematunge family were very united the Sunday leader is a family media empire built by two brothers
So how can you say lal Wickrematunge is a traitor.
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nimal dunuhinga / January 9, 2014
When the pearl of Indian Ocean turned into killing fields
what can I do with my childhood water-pistol?
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siri / January 9, 2014
The fact that even after 4 years, the police have not been able to produce a single clue on this killing (done in broad daylight in the Capital),is enough to tell us who was behind it. If it had really been Gen Fonseka, the inquiries would have proceeded rapidly and the man would now be in jail.
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Piranha / January 10, 2014
Both Mr & SF know who killed Lasantha and both are openly pointing fingers at each other. In any civilised country this would have started an investigation by the police as there would have been a clamour for justice. In Sri Lanka however both the Rajapaksa regime criminals and Sarath Fonseka’s military are well known for many murders and other appalling crimes and no one dares to stand up and accuse either party. What a pitiful state of affairs!
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Just M.E. / January 10, 2014
I think – to be charitable to all those who are being accused of killing him as well as to the dead man himself – Lasantha brought it upon himself by getting confused about what he was all about; by getting his various roles in life mixed up. He was bad in boundary maintenance. You see what I mean?
First, he crossed professional boundaries and then, what is worse, he flouted the ethical standards zealously guarded by those professions. He acted like a daredevil in whatever he presumed to be doing. Yes that’s it: he presumed to be lot of things in life of which he knew very little. He was a presumptuous (that’s the operative word) stuntman in whatever he did. He thought he was a politician and a journalist at one and the same time. He was wrong. You can be both a politician and a journalist in your life, I have no problem with that. But definitely not in the same activity you are pursuing at a given moment. This was the fatal mistake he made. He was very irresponsible in that he did not consider the potential for great social harm in his actions violating all accepted norms of conduct in organizational settings: he simply didn’t care about the protocols and procedures of conducting business in a modern society based on the rule of law. “He didn’t respect nobody.” He was a sort of a “Wild West” character. In short, his behaviour was very unprofessional and anti-social. This kind of transgression causes system malfunction and creates social panic and forces the authorities to take extreme measures to restore system integrity.
Secondly, even within the profession he presumed to be practicing at a given moment, he crossed genres in a cavalier fashion. For example, in writing he crossed the line between fiction and non-fiction in one and the same piece of writing. Even within the genre of purported non-fiction journalism, he crossed the line between reporting and insinuation, between investigation and intimidation, between analysis and conjecture, between information and disinformation, between fact and propaganda, and paid the ultimate price.
Similarly, in his clandestine politics he was uncertain if he was with MR or Ranil, or working against both for LTTE, or working against all three for the State Department. Actually he was only working for (destroying?} himself without being self-aware. When you’re a reckless go-getter and a shameless social climber everyone is a friend to be used and dumped – eventually turning them into your enemies. When push came to shove, he didn’t know who his friends and enemies were. If you get one to screw another, then one day they may both decide to screw you because they realise you are a loose cannon and as such a menace to everyone around.
Lasantha was a driven man, but for what? In my assessment he comes off as a sociopath. What he needed was therapy, not elimination.
Only redeeming thing in this whole sordid saga is that MR and SF stuck to their respective roles and did a clean job of carrying out their tasks in protecting system integrity. I agree this concept of “system integrity” is a bit different from the more mundane idea of “moral integrity.” But hey, somebody has to do the job.
But now unfortunately the system is again facing a challenge with SF’s role changing from army commander to a contender for political power and his threatening to spill the beans to gain political advantage. We have to wait and see who will be a better story-teller. After all people like a story of what they like to believe happened rather a story of what actually transpired. SF has his own issues in this regard. We know he also suffered from the boundry-crossing syndrome during the closing stages of the war – let alone his well documented psychopathic behaviour throughout his army career.
We are indeed headed for an interesting time.
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shankar / January 14, 2014
Just me,you write and write generalised stuff but no specifics or examples to validate your points in character assasination.Give us examples to back your so called claims of transgressions by lasantha.
Put up or shut up.Don’t try to character assasinate a dead man who cannot defend himself now through writing skills and bluff.Provide the evidence to back your claims because CT readers are not the morons that you take them for and will always look for tangible stuff not language and writing skills covering a big bluff.It won’t impress them at all.
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Thanga / January 10, 2014
Just M.E. is justifying the killing of LW because the latter crossed the boundary of journalism. He was acting or behaving like a politician. Granted this is so, do you kill someone because he crossed the boundary line of journalism? The remedy is to bring action for libel against LW. After all the government had a bunch of newspapers under state control. They could have been effectively used to demolish the articles LW wrote. In such circumstances truth would have triumphed.
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M.Sivananthan / January 10, 2014
When UNP rule destroyed all the FREE medias, all the so called champions of Human Rights,Freedom of Expression, Reporters sans Frontier and many kept silence.
Did Lasantha write anything about the brutalities of the UNP?
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kris / January 11, 2014
Sarath fonseka killed the lasantha ,because Lasatha at at that time attacking SF
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Andre / January 11, 2014
You should be a pin gonek to even say like that. Your kind of pingonas are the majority in this lost island today. So no wonder nothing acceptable could come out of your evil mouths. People in this country, before long will see who are the perpetrators of all killings soon. That is the uttermost wish of mine and others that seek only justice.. just the justice to this day.
The govt of MOST ABUSIVEly arosen sofar, tried by all means to corner
the great hero of the nation, a man with all principles after all to this day- that is none other than SF. But all their efforts ended up not in favour of them. It is the sake of IC, that SF is free of the prison today, not the abusive regime. Even today, SF has no rights to go and see his daughters in the States. All the rights have been grabed by the brutal rajas.
All these alone are evident to every brain healthy ones to see, that he cant be the person to have killed Lassantha, though the rascal may have accused him of done so. If these acccusations were right, they have all powers to prove and jail the man again on the very murder.
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Anton / January 11, 2014
If Gen. Fonseka had done it or even involved in that very brutal killing of that highly respected journalist, then Rajapaksas would have gone to town with the evidences instead of framing bogus charges like in the case of “White Flags”. Isn’t this enough for us to believe that all those murders were carried out by the “king” and his brother. Let us assume that Gen. Fonseka had something to do with that. Still, the orders would have come from the top as they are the ones who wanted to put a complete stop to all those who talk/write/show/discuss/print etc. etc. against their ideologies. How many abductions, killings, death threats and attacks have taken place after Gen. Fonseka’s wings were clipped. Have those being carried out by Gen. Fonseka! Moreover, why there isn’t a single investigation is not carried out by the regime. We can only direct our fingers to the present regime and not to any others.
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Andre / January 11, 2014
My wish – IC to react adequately at least in the upcoming UNHRC session making all the way Rajapakshes to be caught.
I dont agree with Dayan Jayathilaka most of what he has to say in terms HR issues, but the latest comments made by him to lanken pvt channel, I feel, all three steps he has added there should long have been fulfilled by the rulers if they at all want to prove this time that their stand is legitimate. Their DJ is very right. The problem to this day is Rajapakshes seem rather attacking the messengers than even studying the gravity of the problems that the nation has to face because of their unpragmatic nature.
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Andre / January 11, 2014
It is the nature of lanken authorities to let forget the crime investigations with the time. They should rather give highest priority to investigate them as western world would react to any crime activities.
I wonder why CBK terms failed to find the brutal murderer of Vijaya K ^s murder. I equally feel why it did not work in terms of Richard de Soysa^s and several other murder cases that the authorities report that they intiiated them. And not forgetting the mass grave found in Matale focusing on the rests of the murdered in late 80ties. I am accessed only to online press, so I have the feeling I dont get much to read on those issues.
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T Wickramaratna / January 11, 2014
The murderer is obviously the person who knows the culprit
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