By Colombo Telegraph –
“What is most important, said Blake, is that everyone should feel that they are equal as Sri Lankans and share the same rights. That is not the case right now for Tamils. Rajapaksa blamed the LTTE, and pointed again to the East where there is “full freedom.” He urged A/S Blake to have confidence in the GSL. He regretted that there was too much “speculation, talking and shouting.” We know the situation is not perfect, he said. “The conflict was long and hard,” and society has benefitted greatly from the LTTE’s defeat. Rajapaksa pleaded that he had not received the credit he deserved for disarming the LTTE cadres and the paramilitaries” US State Department wrote to US Embassy Colombo.
The US State Department wrote “He has outlawed ransom payments and threatened to prosecute anyone who pays bribes or ransom. The government wants people, even former hardcore LTTE, to live a normal life. Blake suggested that the GSL engage the Tamil diaspora community, which could provide financial resources for reconstruction in the north, if the GSL can convince them of iyts good intentions. He suggested that the GSL consider starting a non-profit organization that could receive contributions from overseas for reconstruction and rehabilitation. Rajapaksa told Blake that the GSL has started reaching out to Tamils in Colombo; Ambassador Wickramasuriya said the Embassy has begun to do so in the U.S. as well. “People who want to settle problems are not aggressive,” Rajapaksa said.”
A classified diplomatic cable which details a meeting the US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake has had with Secretary to the Ministry of Difence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on September 24, 2009 in US. The Colombo Telegraph found the related US diplomatic cable from the Secretary of State section of the WikiLeaks database. The cable was classified as “Confidential” signed by Hillary Clinton on September 25 2009.
Under the subheading “POLITICAL RECONCILIATION” the US State Department wrote “Blake questioned why President Rajapaksa announced his intent to delay steps on devolution until after presidential and parliamentary elections in spring 2010, when opposition political parties are so weak. Progress on this area would net Tamil votes that could more than offset any loss of support from nationalists, whereas continued delay in announcing political reconciliation efforts would further diminish the President’s Tamil support. Rajapaksa reiterated that the President wants Tamil votes and said his party expects to win them in the Eastern Province. The President knew he would lose in Vavuniya municipality to the opposition Tamil National Alliance, so soon after the fighting, but was okay with that. The President’s concern is that the nationalist People’s Liberation Front (JVP) has tried to destabilize the government by suggesting that the President aims to sacrifice the hard-won victory of the Army. He attributed rumors about Chief of Defense Staff Fonseka’s presidential candidacy to these machinations. Rajapaksa said the President was committed to devolution, but that the 13th Amendment would require adjustment before it could be implemented. Right now, police authority would devolve to the Chief Minister; and the only Tamil Chief Minister would be in the Northern Province. Chief Ministers have no national or international obligations; the GSL wants more Tamil-speaking representation among the police.”
Related stories to this cable;
WikiLeaks: After The War Gota – Blake Meeting In America
WikiLeaks: Eight Thousand IDPs Disappeared – Gota To US
American Lanka Lover / October 30, 2012
Indeed Gota DOES deserve a hulluva lot more credit, and much LESS criticism, than he gets for being more responsible than any other person for defeating the LTTE and preserving the territorial integrity of the nation.
While the narcissist traitor Fonseka tries to claim the credit, his contribution, while substantial, pales in comparison to Gota’s. That is FACT. If you doubt it READ THE BOOK!
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Don Stanley / October 30, 2012
Gota the white van goon had a deprived childhood and craves CONSTANT attention and respect and when he does not get it he becomes desperate – like he is now to overthrow the 13th Amendment.
The guy needs a therapist, bad!
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Lady Gaga / October 31, 2012
ALL the Rajapassa Godaya brothers – a bunch of uneducated thugs from Hambantota – had a deprived childhood and are now are making up for it!
They are desperate to loot the country and make as much dirty money through Chinese contracts as they can through thuggery and destruction of institutions and intimidation of the CJ and judiciary, on the one hand, and parliament on the other, which provide checks on the unbridled power of the President gone mad with power – to make up for their Rajapassa childhood deprivation..
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Brian de Bois Guilbert / October 31, 2012
There’s nothing wrong in trying to overthrow 13th amendment which was forced on us by India
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Palayandi / October 31, 2012
This same Gota left the Army and fled to USA when the LTTE was winning the war.
When some powerful nations (including USA,influenced by India headed by Sonia who had a grudge with VP) along with China, Pakistan, Iran, and many others decided to eliminate LTTE, our President came to power by illegal means broke the ceasefire and declared war.
Only then Gota returned to the country to oversee the war.
These are also facts not to be forgotten.
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Samantha / October 31, 2012
There’s probably no other group of brothers, in power, who suffer from such severe inferiority complex. Thus, the need for enormous cut-outs of themselves and constant praise, a task that is currently assigned to state media.
People have completely forgotten, Premadasa who was also a thug, and whose inhumanity seems to pale in comparison. That should give some indication how bad the Rajapaksa brothers are.
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janaka / October 30, 2012
Tamils will have heard about helping hambantota and will not send funds to GOSL.
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Mango / October 30, 2012
So, “Tamils” were quite happy to give money to the LTTE’s fighting fund (you know, to buy weapons, explosives, landmines and other lovely toys) without asking any questions whilst knowing that the LTTE fund collectors would skim a percentage of the funds into their own pockets, but not so happy to give money to re-construction and development, knowing that some of that money would also be diverted into various people’s pockets in SL.
Strange logic by these ‘Tamils’, no?
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Lester / October 30, 2012
Do you have any objective evidence that “LTTE fund collectors would skim a percentage of the funds into their own pockets?”
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Mango / October 30, 2012
Lester is asking for proof that LTTE fundraisers skimmed off money into their own pockets. Switzerland and France provide two perfect examples.
“…because of the actions of the tiger operatives themselves. In an act of gross recklessness and betrayal these elements generated bank loans in the names of their supporters, misappropriated those sums and have made no attempt to help pay back the money.
This left the people who had taken those loans in a very vulnerable and desperate situation. ….”
You’d have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at their well-deserved predicament.
It gets even better.
” Earlier tiger collectors used to work on a voluntary basis but later the collectors were paid a commission depending on the amount they collected. This incentive resulted in a massive increase in the fund raising. At the same time enthusiastic collectors engaged in violence and intimidation to increase the amount collected as their own income through commissions too increased proportionately. In France LTTE collectors had a farm outside Paris where abducted Tamils were taken and held as captives until ransoms were paid or huge payments guaranteed.”
I wonder if the LTTE collectors used white vans for their abductions?
http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/1952
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Brian de Bois Guilbert / October 31, 2012
Lester
your real name must be Rip Van Winkle :)
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zaheer musamil / October 30, 2012
Most of Tamils earned money (Edited out)and sent to the Prabakaran’s dream land achievement. Some Tamils (like Donald J Gnanakatha)enjoyed with that money and now they frustrated because Tamil [Edited out] stop their hard earning money to this kind of Die Ass Pora.
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Native Vedda / October 31, 2012
janaka:
“Tamils will have heard about helping hambantota and will not send funds to GOSL.”
You mean Tamils will not send funds to the clan given that GOSL = Clan.
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Native Vedda / October 31, 2012
Mango:
“Lester is asking for proof that LTTE fundraisers skimmed off money into their own pockets.”
Why not the people demand an even handed investigation into both the activities of LTTE fund raisers and Sri Lankan state officials and politicians in respect of funds raised and spent on mutually assured destructive (MAD)war?
I will object to you being appointed the commission’s chairman.
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Mango / October 31, 2012
We must copy Norway which allows the tax records of its citizens be available for public inspection. Then contact the Swiss banking authorities (with US assistance) to release details of all accounts held by SL politicians. The Swiss banking secrecy laws have already collapsed under US pressure.
http://tinyurl.com/ygo57w3
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Piranha / October 30, 2012
Giving credit to Gota for what? For being the law unto himself?
He was behind the mass murder of surrendered LTTE cadres and, since the end of the war has been responsible for the abductions, torture, disappearances and murders of the Rajapaksa regime’s opponents. This unelected Tzara needs a kick in the backside and possibly worse.
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Brian de Bois Guilbert / October 31, 2012
thanks to Gota , SL forces managed to destroy LTTE separatist terrorists. No wonder those who gave succor to terrorists now shedding crocodile tears over human rights
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Godaya / October 31, 2012
He managed to destroy LTTE only when powerful nations like USA, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and many others helped in various ways.
But when he was serving in the army, he got cold feet and resigned from the arm and emigrated to USA.
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Dave / October 31, 2012
if there was no Gota, LTTE was still playing around with thousands of lives in Sri Lanka. Today , Sri Lanka is a free nation because of Gota. That is the truth.
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Native Vedda / October 31, 2012
Dave
“if there was no Gota, LTTE was still playing around with thousands of lives in Sri Lanka.”
If there was no Sinhala/Buddhist there would not have been LTTE. Thousands of lives would have been saved had there been proper democracy.
“Sri Lanka is a free nation because of Gota.”
Because of Gota the people are allowed to open their mouth only to have their meals. The food is so expensive people open their mouth once a day.
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Lester / October 30, 2012
Mango,
I see your source of “objective” information is DBS Jeyaraj, a well-known anti-LTTE “journalist.” Jeyaraj has a good imagination, so good, in fact, that he is in the habit of seldom revealing his sources. You are better off quoting the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense.
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Brian de Bois Guilbert / October 31, 2012
Yeah Mango
Please quote TamilNet , then at least our friend Lester AKA Rip Van Winkle would relent
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Mango / November 2, 2012
Tamilnut’s greatest story, ever, was this:
Hordes of Genocidal Sinhala Monkeys Plague Resettled Eelam Families in Vanni
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=32363
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David Blacker / October 31, 2012
You can lead a horse (or a donkey) to water, but you can’t make it drink :D
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Native Vedda / October 31, 2012
David Blacker
“You can lead a horse (or a donkey) to water, but you can’t make it drink”
You do have first hand experience, do you?
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David Blacker / November 1, 2012
Yes, Ooruwarige Booruwa, I have had a lot of first hand experience leading you to water and saying “Drink, Booruwa, drink.”
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Beyond surprised / November 1, 2012
Blacker:
Is that why people mistake you for a camel all the time?
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David Blacker / November 1, 2012
I’m sure you’re regularly mistaken over many things, BS ;)
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Mango / October 31, 2012
Lester,
DBS had his legs broken for being critical of the LTTE in Canada and still continued to write objectively. He was exiled from Sri Lanka for being critical of the SL govt’s war, its methods and impact on the Tamil people. He’s more guts than most and his story is accurate. There are many comments in that article by people who were affected, supporting his story.
Typical example:
“When are they going to stop these people in Canada.
This week I saw one of their fundraiser and orator Kalanithy Kulamohan riding a 62000 dollar Jeep. She only bought a Wagan for her husband costing 48000 dollars last year and they are living in a 700000 dollar house in Markham.. Both did not have any real jobs.”
The Swiss govt is finally investigating how the LTTE scams worked. Their method was simple:
“Sie beschafften für Landsleute gefälschte Lohnabrechnungen. Mit diesen erhielten Tamilen Kredite bei Banken, meist zwischen 70’000 und 100’000 Franken. Die Höhe entsprach keineswegs den realen Einkünften. Weil die LTTE die Zinsen zahlten, willigten ihre Landsleute aber ein. Die Bundesanwaltschaft geht von 130 Fällen aus.”
translation = The LTTE provided fake payslips to allow Swiss Tamils to get loans and mortgages. The LTTE paid the loan interest. All went well until 2009. The Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s looking at at least 130 cases.
http://tinyurl.com/9rud8kq
And of course, the well-researched “Funding the ‘Final War’: LTTE Intimidation and Extortion in the Tamil Diaspora” by HRW.
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/ltte0306webwcover.pdf
For you to deny the LTTE used extortion to obtain their funding and the fundraisers themselves skimmed off the funds is just silly.
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Lester / October 31, 2012
Hi Mango,
While I agree there was extortion, I doubt the claim of “skimming” that you mention amounts to much. Going by Jeyaraj’s own admission, those collecting funds were given “commissions”, making the probability of “skimming” even less likely.
By the way, you left out this rather important part of your copy-paste: “Seit Dienstag sind zwei Staatsanwälte des Bundes und fünf Kriminalpolizisten in Colombo…”
Translation: “Since Tuesday, are two prosecutors and five criminal police (investigators) in Colombo…” In other words, your translation refers to allegations made by the police/CID in Sri Lanka. Nice try there!
And lastly, the LTTE did not extort money by kidnapping people in foreign countries. The modus operandi was to threaten their relatives back home. Jeyaraj’s claim that the LTTE took people to remote farms is laughable.
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Mango / October 31, 2012
Hi Lester,
The amount of skimming can only be guessed at, unless the collectors subject themselves to an audit, which with the LTTE’s demise, is unlikely.
The article I quoted says that Swiss Federal Prosecutors & Police are in SL to interview witnesses regarding a case being brought against LTTE fundraisers in Switzerland by the Swiss legal system. So, the charges are being brought by the Swiss authorities :)
You shouldn’t totally rely on Google Translate :)
The French LTTE torture farm story hasn’t been substantiated elsewhere (in English), but that doesn’t discredit the rest of DBS’s article.
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Lester / November 1, 2012
Hello Mango,
I need not rely on Google translate; I am fluent in German. Yes, Swiss investigators are in SL to interview witnesses, but these witnesses have no doubt been briefed beforehand by the Sri Lankan CID and police, so what they say amounts to exactly what the CID and Sri Lankan police want them to say. In particular, if the witnesses are ex-LTTE, then we can be sure they have been adequately tortured by the Sri Lankans and will readily admit the tooth fairy wears dentures. To put it another way, the credibility of your claims rests on exactly who the witnesses are; the fact that they are in Sri Lanka doesn’t help your case.
DBS should do a better job of revealing his sources; he says a certain event happened, and does not offer any corroboration. This is the equivalent of “tabloid” journalism.
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Beyond surprised / November 1, 2012
Mango:
Jeyaraj might, at one time, been an objective journalist but the fact that, relatively recently,he has been bought over by the Sri Lankan government is one of the most poorly kept secrets around. Everyone seems to have his price. Look at who sold the Sunday Leader and to whom!
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Mango / November 1, 2012
Hi BD,
How has DBS been bought? He’s in Canada and thus outside GoSL’s influence. Do you mean the interview he did with KP, for which he obviously had to have Gota’s permission?
The Sunday Leader case is another part of the rolling, post-war tragedy caused by a hubristic, arrogant administration.
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Bedrock Barney / October 31, 2012
Gota does deserve some credit for the war effort. got to him that. But he shouldn’t expect more. He and his siblings are cashing in big time after the war. More so than anyone else who contributed. He should read the story of Cincinatus.
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David Blacker / October 31, 2012
I don’t think GR is talking about himself personally when he suggests that insufficient credit has been given for winning the war — he is talking about the GoSL itself.
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Native Vedda / October 31, 2012
David Blacker
Why should anyone give GoSL credit?
Oh yeah because GOSL and the state thrives on creating more problems for the people and killing them. In that respect it deserves to be rewarded.
You should be rewarded for your sustained support for the state.
perhaps a Noble prize for peace? You wouldn’t refuse it would you?
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David Blacker / November 1, 2012
Whether the GoSL should be given credit or not is a different matter. I pointed out that GR was probably speaking of the GoSL rather than himself. Do try to stay focused, Native.
You have suggested this “Noble Prize” for me before, and it’s quite noble of you, but I think you should first check if there is such a prize :D
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Bedrock Barney / October 31, 2012
He is the state, no?
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Mango / October 31, 2012
MR, Gota & co are following the well-worn path of the Ashokan Personality Rule rather than Cinnciantus’s example.
“The Big Man (invariably male) has to control every fiddling little thing. It is a deeply-rooted cultural tendency towards the over-concentration of power at the head of organisations and a failure (if not an ingrained inability) to delegate power.”
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2612/stories/20090619261202400.htm
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Mango / November 1, 2012
Hi Lester,
Toll! Then you’ll agree that the Swiss press report says the following:
• the Swiss have already proved the LTTE fundraised in Switzerland using illegal methods.
• Now they’re in CMB to determine where the money went.
• The defendant’s lawyers are following witness testimony, by video link in Berne.
If witnesses have been tortured and/or coached (probable in some cases), the defence will use that to discredit the witness statements.
The credibility of my points rest of prima-facie evidence, already attested to by Swiss Tamils who openly stated to Swiss TV, the kinds of illegal method used by LTTE fundraisers. :) Since you’re fluent in German, then you’ll understand this Swiss TV report from 2006 explaining the extortion and oppression used by the LTTE to get more funding from Swiss-based Tamils, including the LTTE’s standing order forms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5cdpOX1y4A&
So, what exactly are we disagreeing about? We know that the LTTE often extorted Tamil exiles for funding through fake loans. We know that the fundraisers skimmed off part of the funds raised. And LTTE fundraisers have already been jailed in France & Holland for these acts.
DBS should’ve provided more evidence of LTTE white vans and torture farms.. something like this, perhaps? But that omission doesn’t negate the facts he’s mentioned in his article.
http://ellalanforce.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/sri-lankan-patriots-in-france-force.html
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Lester / November 2, 2012
Extortion and skimming are two different things. Extortion can be either for personal gain or on behalf of the organization, while skimming is entirely for personal gain. The point I am making is that the LTTE was not corrupt (for whatever reason). If one of their members was skimming signficant amounts of money and it came to the attention of the LTTE leadership , that member would not last very long.
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Mango / November 2, 2012
The skimming definitely happened (through personal and anecdotal knowledge), but the victims would never complain to the police because they were engaged in illegal activity. A perfect situation. The skimming increased in the final few years because VP had bigger problems to worry about than disciplining a few errant collectors.
The LTTE might not have been as corrupt as GoSL, but they were corrupt – they are Sri Lankans, however hard they try to deny it. Fatty even groomed his idiot son to take over the struggle! :)
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Lester / November 2, 2012
Well, all I can say is that you have not provided any conclusive evidence for skimming. Even if such skimming did take place, it would have taken place outside of Sri Lanka, which means there wouldn’t have been much the LTTE leadership could have done about it. So such an activity was never endorsed by the LTTE itself. Lack of corruption in the LTTE is apparent in the fact that except for the Karuna defection, the LTTE leadership held together to the very end. And, there was never an attempt to assassinate Prabhakaran.
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Mango / November 2, 2012
Hi Lester,
The evidence of skimming is already there in DBS’s article. If you choose to believe otherwise, your faith in humanity is indeed touching :) Again, there was plenty of corruption in the LTTE in the last few years of its existence. The millions sloshing around in bank accounts around the world, being fought over by the surviving competing factions is proof of that.
That the LTTE leadership (mostly) held together until the end made GoSL’s task of killing the entire top leadership much, much easier. So, we should be thankful for that, no?
VP’s maniac adherence to the Führerprinzip, which you see as a positive was, in retrospect, a disaster for the LTTE. All power and decision making vested in paranoid monomaniac who was unable to listen to advice or constructive criticism. He should’ve learnt from a successful insurgency group like the Algerian FLN, who maintained a leadership committee and didn’t vest all decision making powers with one person.
We don’t know of any attempts to assassinate VP, but even their relative infrequency suggest both a population willing to submit to his rule and simultaneously terrified of the consequences of a failed assassination. Defection seemed to be preferred way to escape the LTTE. VP remaining in power, in retrospect was a stroke of luck for GoSL. Imagine if Mahinda had had to deal with an alternative, more reasonable, more compromise-ready LTTE leader?
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