“Samaraweera had no faith in the Rajapaksas to address meaningfully the questions of national reconciliation and accountability, despite their great importance for the health and future of Sri Lanka. Mahinda Rajapaksa was ‘not so bad,’ but his family (that is, brothers Gotabhaya and Basil) had made him a prisoner of the worst racist and chauvinist elements in society. Mahinda himself also was firmly opposed to any devolution of power and had argued in closed government meetings that he wanted Sri Lanka to be a ‘unitary’ not just a ‘united’ country.” the US Embassy Colombo Informed Washington.
The Colombo Telegraph found the leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The classified “CONFIDENTIAL” cable recounts details of a meeting the US Ambassador to Colombo, Patricia A. Butenis has had with General Sarath Fonseka’s chief campaign strategist Mangala Samaraweera on January 6, 2010.
Ambassador Butenis wrote; “Fonseka, on the other hand, had made reconciliation and accountability centerpieces of his campaign. Samaraweera noted the 10-point plan the general had just signed with the TNA leader Sampanthan on political rights and economic re-development of the war-affected areas. He also said Fonseka had been ‘surprising me with his liberalism’ and noted that the general himself had come up with the idea of ensuring freedom of religious belief under a new regime. On the very sensitive issue of accountability, Samaraweera again said he was ‘pleasantly surprised’ that Fonseka believed accountability was important for Sri Lanka, agreed with Samaraweera that the country needed a truth and reconciliation process, like the South Africans, and had ordered the campaign to start working out the logistics of a truth and reconciliation commission. Samaraweera thought that if Fonseka won, the Rajapaksas would be marginalized in the SLFP and the SLFP mainstream would want to work with the new government on reconciliation and accountability.”
Amarasiri / April 23, 2014
“”Ambassador Butenis wrote; “Fonseka, on the other hand, had made reconciliation and accountability centerpieces of his campaign. Samaraweera noted the 10-point plan the general had just signed with the TNA leader Sampanthan on political rights and economic re-development of the war-affected areas. He also said Fonseka had been ‘surprising me with his liberalism’ and noted that the general himself had come up with the idea of ensuring freedom of religious belief under a new regime. …..Samaraweera thought that if Fonseka won, the Rajapaksas would be marginalized in the SLFP and the SLFP mainstream would want to work with the new government on reconciliation and accountability “
So, this was Sri Lankas loss and MaRa gain.
What a pity.
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aratai / April 23, 2014
.
Fernando’s, Silvia’s, Pieris, ………… Because of their ‘origin’ cannot become a President of Srilanka.
:-)
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Thondamannar / April 23, 2014
Who is this Samaraweera fellow in this WikiLe4alk report???
That looser Avmangalaya the hypocrite??
It appears, he has taken BooTennis too for a Guuu ride.
Was this the reason the General slapped him just after loosing the Presidential elections ??
We the Tamils did not believe him though Boo Tennis was taken for a ride.
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Matilda Nona / April 24, 2014
“Fonseka, on the other hand, had made reconciliation and accountability centerpieces of his campaign”
What for the telling Aney; What truth and reconciliashion for a man who thinks minorities are rubbish fit for the dustbin. Now everybody even Burgher people think this man is a fox.
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Hinnihamy Jayathilaka / April 24, 2014
Matilada ammandi,
whoever you are, people may have said and done things being unable to see beyond, being amidst civil war, but those words may have no meaning. I myself have heard our minorities calling us all (sinhala majorities) barbarians. But how many of us are identified as such – is the question. People in this country in general are not aggressive as has been branded through the brutal mechanisms of Rajapakshe regime, they had enjoyed gentle sorta of life style for such a long time until it changed drastically becuase of the war between state forces and LTTE and other terror groups.
Today, even if we dont have a war – administration to stay as if they are helpless, not addressing the issue properly- is the greater question to many. I personally believe, immediately after the war is over, any administration with wholeheartedness could achieve lot more than MR regime has ever achieved in the line of finding peace for the future of the nation. Since last septempter, not much is achieved by his regime, though NPC leader was democractically elected by the pressure exercised on teh regime through all international communities. Though they the rulers claimed the credit to have held elections in Nothern soils addressing the issue, but MR regime alone would not have done that, if IC´s pressure was not there. Since 2009, what we have achieved is almost nothing, but hand ful of projects making the people life long debtors to China, not allowing the poor of the poor to survive their life in today´s kind of sky rocketed price hikes in daily needs.
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Native Vedda / April 24, 2014
Hinnihamy Jayathilaka
” I myself have heard our minorities calling us all (sinhala majorities) barbarians.”
Though I would not call Sinhala/Buddhists barbarians I would say they are indeed self destructive stupids like their Tamil brethren.
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Sinhaya / April 25, 2014
Doesn’t all those facts point in the direction that the good General already had well planned his path in collaboration with U.S to take Rajapakse brothers to Hague?
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Sinchoappu / April 25, 2014
How many of us the right thinking, peace loving, ones against any kind of killings would have become happier, if Rajapakshe were caught by international police.
I respect SF for good reasons:
a) He is the only candidate in spot light today have no nothig fears to express what he thinks is right
b) Only sinhala prominent who is seen and owns a well disipline nature
c) His is inspiring actually, … but what can Rajapakshe give us as a leader of his own kind
a) How to smuggle funds collected for teh benefit of the disaster victims
b) How to smuggle state funds through earning commissions by many of the gigantic projects
JVPrs has got proof materials that over 90% of credit taken from Chinese are gone to waters… ( to the hands of corruption family and henchmen)
No nothing like feasibility studies had been done for them
b) How to treat own people – under ape eka principle.
c) Appointing wrong ones to wrong places
Washington – Own cousin with tea business qualities have been only qualification that he has earned but made get on with americans..
Some other embassies are filled with former millitary, navy, marine officers iwth zero qualifications when it goes for diplomacy
Best known consequence – total down fall of diplomatic relations
But still trying to tell something else to the palatable, but guillible, and easily vulnerable nation.
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Piranha / April 25, 2014
The TNA realised the good intentions of Sarath Fonseka and decided to support his candidature for the presidency and if he had won the country would have been at peace and would beprogressing economically. Alas! sadly, the criminal Rajapaksa got back into power and ruined everything, not only for the tamils but also for the Sinhalese, muslims and others and unnecessarily tarnished the name of the country.
Political thuggery would have vanished, the police force would have done their job and the judiciary and other democratic institutions would have thrived. Sri Lanka needed a firm leader, not a thug, after the end of the war to bring order, reconciliation and prosperity but now the trouble and strife and uncertainty will continue for many more years to come.
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LKcricket / April 26, 2014
Do not ever trust a man who associate with [Edited out]Mangala Samaraweera. He is the dirtiest politician the Sri Lankan people have ever encountered. He just cared only with his viscous political agendas and nothing else.
This [Edited out]
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