“JUST A COUNTRY LAWYER”
By Colombo Telegraph –
“He did not complete his Advanced Level (“A levels”) education, instead leaving his job as a clerk at the library at Sri Jayawarendapura University in the Colombo suburbs in 1970 to run for his late father’s seat representing his native Hambantota in Parliament.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeak database. The cable is classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” details biographic details on Sri Lanka’s fifth President Percy Mahendra Rajapakse. The cable was written on November 21, 2005 by the US Ambassador to Colombo Jeffrey J. Lunstead.
Under the subheading “JUST A COUNTRY LAWYER” Ambassador Lunstead wrote “ Percy Mahinda Rajapakse was born on November 18, 1945 in Verukatiya, Hambantota District, the third of SLFP founder-member D.A. Rajapakse’s eight children. (An older brother Chamal is also an SLFP MP, while two younger brothers, Godabhaya and Basil, had been living in the U.S. but returned to help with their brother’s campaign for the presidency.) He was educated at Richmond College in the southern district of Galle (where his father reportedly had to engage a Sinhala tutor to boost his son’s proficiency in his native tongue), as well as Nalanda College and Thurstan College in Colombo. He did not complete his Advanced Level (“A levels”) education, instead leaving his job as a clerk at the library at Sri Jayawarendapura University in the Colombo suburbs in 1970 to run for his late father’s seat representing his native Hambantota in Parliament. When he won at the age of 24, he became the youngest MP in Sri Lanka’s history to enter Parliament–a record that still stands. Taking advantage of a decision by the then-Justice Minister to allow MPs to enter law school–whether or not they had the necessary educational qualifications–Rajapakse graduated from Sri Lanka Law College in 1974.”
Below we give the relevant part of the confidential cable;
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 001981 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2015 TAGS: PINR PGOV CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON PRESIDENT MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE REF: A. COLOMBO 1853 ¶B. COLOMBO 1975 Classified By: AMB. JEFFREY J. LUNSTEAD. REASON: 1.4 (B,D). ----------------- MEET THE NEW BOSS ------------------ ¶1. (SBU) Percy Mahendra (aka "Mahinda") Rajapakse was sworn in as Sri Lanka's fifth President on November 18, 2005--his 60th birthday. Like his predecessor and rival Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Rajapakse has the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in his blood, with his father, D.A. Rajapakse, joining Chandrika's father S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike to form the SLFP in 1951, and an uncle serving as a Cabinet Minister in the 1970 government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Chandrika's mother. With his sterling SLFP credentials and with a brother and cousin also involved in politics--and with three young sons possibly contemplating political careers as well--Rajapakse is widely considered to represent the only real challenge to the Bandaranaike family's dynastic grip on the party. The left-of-center economic policies endorsed in his campaign manifesto, as well as the quasi-nationalist sentiment in his anti-federalist stand on the peace process (Ref A), may reflect a conscious effort by Rajapakse to move the party away from the centrist positions espoused by Kumaratunga over her 11 years as president and back toward its original Sinhalese socialist roots. Rajapakse has a reputation for astutely outflanking domestic political rivals--his longevity within the corrosively internecine SLFP bears indirect testimony to this talent--but his experience on the international stage is limited. Although clearly indebted to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) for his narrow victory at the November 17 presidential polls, Rajapakse will likely try to limit the former Marxists' influence in his administration. How successful he is in doing so will be one of the most important tests of his legendary political savvy. --------------------- SOUTHERN STRENGTH: ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL ---------------------- ¶2. (SBU) Hailing from a politically prominent family from the southeastern district of Hambantota, Rajapakse is the first Sri Lankan president not from Colombo or its environs. (Late President Ranasinghe Premadasa's family is from the south, but he himself grew up in and was elected from Colombo.) Rajapakse identifies strongly with his rural southern Buddhist base (which, incidentally, is the same base eyed by the JVP), even though his family's wealth, education and political prominence obviously distinguish him from the typical Sinhalese farmer. With southern Sinhalese voters, the admiration appears to be mutual; Rajapakse won handy majorities in the six southern districts of Kalutara, Galle, Ratnapura, Moneragala, Kurunegala, Hambantota and Matara. ----------------------- JUST A COUNTRY LAWYER ----------------------- ¶3. (U) Percy Mahinda Rajapakse was born on November 18, 1945 in Verukatiya, Hambantota District, the third of SLFP founder-member D.A. Rajapakse's eight children. (An older brother Chamal is also an SLFP MP, while two younger brothers, Godabhaya and Basil, had been living in the U.S. but returned to help with their brother's campaign for the presidency.) He was educated at Richmond College in the southern district of Galle (where his father reportedly had to engage a Sinhala tutor to boost his son's proficiency in his native tongue), as well as Nalanda College and Thurstan College in Colombo. He did not complete his Advanced Level ("A levels") education, instead leaving his job as a clerk at the library at Sri Jayawarendapura University in the Colombo suburbs in 1970 to run for his late father's seat representing his native Hambantota in Parliament. When he won at the age of 24, he became the youngest MP in Sri Lanka's history to enter Parliament--a record that still stands. Taking advantage of a decision by the then-Justice Minister to allow MPs to enter law school--whether or not they had the necessary educational qualifications--Rajapakse graduated from Sri Lanka Law College in 1974. LUNSTEAD
dhammika thantirige / January 3, 2012
hey guys i have passed my a levels and so what? i couldent save my country but MR did.so be greatfull people just becuse some white person thinks hes not that cleaver .my country is safe becuse of the president.think what you have done for your country before you criticise others.long live the president
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janaka / January 3, 2012
most of the time are the ones with the most critics on Mahinda Rajapakse’s battle against terrorism are the ones (Both Sinhala and Tamil) who live abroard in europe, Canada, America or Australia, they do not live in fear on Sri Lankan soil, they do not send their children to school and fear they never come back alive, they do not see their husbands and fathers go to work everyday and fear they never return back alive.
you can see in the people’s writing style were they grown up here in this comments.
for those who have much critics against mahinda rajapakse’s or against the people who are loyal to him.
think of what you would do if you live in Sri Lanka, sending your children away with bus or train with the idea it could blow up.
because that is the bigest reason the general people in Sri Lanka like mr Mahinda Rajapakse so much.
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Nihal / January 3, 2012
Well put Janaka
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SHAN AZVI / January 3, 2012
HELLO ALL….
AT LEAST MAHINDA HAS GOT THE GUTS TO COME FORWARD & FINISHED OFF THE 30YRS OF BLOODY WAR WHICH COULDN’T BE DONE BY ANY OF THE PREVIOUS HIGHLY EDUCATED PRESIDENTS OR POLITICIANS IN SRI LANKAN HISTORY.
LET’S NOT FORGET THAT> RAJAPAKSHA WAS THE ONE MADE FONSEKA CHIEF & AFTER ALL FONSEKA FORGOTTEN THE PAST & WANTED TO BECOME A PRESIDENT OVERNIGHT BY KICKING MAHINDA OUT.
MAY BE MAHINDA HAS LIMITED EDUCATION BUT HE MADE DIFFERENCE IN SRI LANKAN POLITICAL HISTORY & BROUGHT ULTIMATE PEACE TO THE NATION.
AMERICANS LIKE TO SPY & CRITISIZE ON EVERY COUNTRY, NOT JUST SRI LANKA. LET’S TELL THEM TO GO TO HELL & TELL THEM TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR OWN BACKYARD THAN COMING TO OUR COUNTRY & TRY TO SCRATCH OUR ASS !!!.
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R.P Perera / January 3, 2012
How can a person who failed the Advanced Level have the knowledge and undersanding to run a modern country. He is fit to run a village at best.Winning the war was done by the military and that too by resorting to violations of the Laws of War and Humanitarian Law- killing thousands of Tamils. Yet the stupid Sinhalese masses think there can be a single state without a permanent reconciliation. MR cant hold the country together except by force. So be prepared for a military dictatorship.
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Ponil Wickramasinghe / January 4, 2012
lolz only UNP gays in kuruduwaththa can rule sri lanka?
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Kumar / January 3, 2012
“The Commission takes the view that the root cause of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka lies in the failure of successive Governments to address the genuine grievances of the Tamil people. The country may not have been confronted with a violent separatist agenda, if the political consensus at the time of independence had been sustained and if policies had been implemented to build up and strengthen the confidence of the minorities around the system which had gained a reasonable measure of acceptance.”
Thus the LLRC accepts that the violent separatist agenda was the outcome of the failure of the successive Governments of Sri Lanka to address the genuine grievances of the Tamil people!
Further, under “The Different Phases in the Narrative of Tamil Grievances” it has mentioned in para.8.163 of the Report:
“The decisive rift in the inter-ethnic relationship came first with the riots of 1958, then in1977, and culminating in what is known as ‘Black July’ of 1983, and the heinous failure of the then Government to provide adequate protection to Tamil citizens. The problems pertaining to the Tamil Community and their grievances cannot be fully addressed without a fuller understanding of this culture of violence that marred the relationship between the Sinhala and Tamil communities.”
Thus, the LLRC indirectly accepts that the “culture of violence” was introduced in the country NOT BY THE TAMILS, but by the Sinhalese and it was indirectly catalyzed by the Governments of Sri Lanka!
The President must accept the TRUTHS openly and find a durable political solution.
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Janaka / January 3, 2012
no that was not done by Sinhalese or Tamils.
it was done by the britisch, they wanted that Sinhalese and Tamils hate each other and kill each other.
then it is easy to take over the Island.
it was the british who gave the Tamils more rights then Sinhalese during the ocupation.
it was the british who gave tamils education,
it was the british who transported thousends of tamils to Sri Lanka, changing the entire demograpic population.
they did this to us.
remember that
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Kumar / January 3, 2012
Note:
The first para is actually para 8.150 of the LLRC Report.
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factfinder / January 3, 2012
” When he won at the age of 24, he became the youngest MP in Sri Lanka’s history to enter Parliament–a record that still stands. “
In 2000 Duminda Dissanayake[1] broke the record by entering the parliament at the age of 21. I wish US embassy stick to the facts.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duminda_Dissanayake#Political_career
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Nadee / January 3, 2012
Some people have said that A/L and Degrees are not needed to be a great person who works for the country. But in this case he has cheated for A/L and the law degree. Doesn’t matter who did that. It is really a bad thing.
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SHAN AZVI / January 3, 2012
MADAM AMMA “NAVI PILLAI” & DIASPORA TERRORIST NETWORK SHAKEN BY THE “THALAIVAR-PRABHA’S” DEATH, BUT MAHINDA’S OPTIONS WERE ON THE TABLE EVEN PRIOR TO HIS DEATH, BUT MR. GREEDY “THALAIVAR-PRABA” ONLY WANTED SEPERATE COUNTRY SOLUTION & NO OTHER POLITICAL SOLUTION.
& NOW THAT “THALAIVAR PRABHA” HAS GONE, DIASPORA TERRORIST TRYING TO SETTLE FOR THE 2nd BEST THRU “TNA” + “MADAM AMMA N.PILLAI” HAHAHAHAHA.
EITHER MAHINDA RULES OR JVP RULES OR UNP RULES : SEPERATING SRI LANKA WILL ONLY BE A DAYDREAM GAME FOR DIASPORA. SO THEY SHOULD INSTEAD INVEST THEIR EXPENSES ON RE-BUILDING THE POOR TAMIL COMMUNITY IN SRI LANKA.
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P2BSL / January 3, 2012
I couldn’t help noticing how people kept commenting that MR put an end to terrorism. Does anyone even remember those that sacrificed themselves to bring peace to this nation. The men and women who left their families and worked day and night and many not returning home to thier loved ones and some surviving only with one arm or leg. MR has done nothing compared to these brave Sri Lankans. While our dear brothers and sisters fought valianty on the bloody battle grounds, MR was just sitting in parliament and yelling with the other ministers and driving around with his security guards in cars. Why is he getting the credit? Is it because he’s the president? Seriously, just think, compared to our soldiers, what has he done? Even without comparing, how has he contributed towards ending this war? The true heros and the people that ended this war are those that we easily forget.
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Nihal / January 3, 2012
Be case he gave the correct political leadership to get the fight going against those terrorists.
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Kumari / January 3, 2012
@P2BSL, I have no disrespect for our war herores, all armed and police personnel, they did the ultimate sacrifice. But winning the war against terrorism political leadership also very importants. Look like you are very young and have no idea of Eelam War I. in 1987 all these tigers were cornered to Jaffna peninsula and could finished them easily but due to foreign (India) intervention President Jayawardena had to ordered our Armed forces to step back. These foreign intevention came up in Eelam war IV too, but Basil Rajapaksha interacted with india and kept India well informed and keeping it from intervention. As a President Mahinda Rajapaksha and Defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakksha could have stop the war because of others country’s intervention. I think you remember the people who flew to Sri Lanka last phase of the war and met MR and GR, and other calls for stopping the war, ‘t but they didn’t stop, and we all enjoy the freedom terrorism. Those are the things Rajapaksha family did behind the seen at the final war against terrorism. Please be respectful for that. Read more about this war history before comment.
@ Rohan keep dreaming of Eelam. I hope you will find the peace in your mind heal.
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SHAN AZVI / January 3, 2012
MAHINDA IS A LEADER & LEADERS DON’T NORMALLY HAVE TO PHYSICALLY FIGHT IN THE WAR. THEY ARE THE MENTOR FOR PEOPLE LIKE FONSEKA, TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO. BUT FONSEKA WANTED RAJAPAKSHA’S SEAT AS SOON AS HE BECAME POPULAR.
I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST FONSEKA,BUT THE BIGGEST MISTAKE FONSEKA MADE WAS A QUICK DREAMING OF PRESIDENCY, WHICH WAS HIS DAWNFALL.
MAY BE MAHINDA HAS LIMITED EDUCATION BUT HE IS VERY EXPERIENCE POLITICIAN & HE KNOWS HE MOVE PRETTY WELL. MAHINDA LEARNED HIS KNOWLEDGE BY EXPERIENCE NOT MUCH BY EDUCATION THAT’S WHY EVEN RANIL NOW FINDING HARD TO CHALLANGE THE IRON MAN.
PRABARAN HAD ALL THE OPTIONS ON THE TABLE PRIOR TO HIS DEATH, BUT PRABA WANTED ONLY SEPERATE NATION & HE DIDN’T WANT MUSLIMS OR SINHALESE IN NORTH. ALSO HE WANTED NORTH TAMIL GIVEN MORE PRIORITY THAN EASTERN TAMILS. PRABARAKAN HAD A VERY TYPICAL WAY OF THINKING OF PROBLEM LIKE ONE WAY TRAFFIC. THAT’S WHY EASTERN TAMILS WERE STARTED HATING HIM AT THE LAST PACE OF WAR.
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ash / January 3, 2012
all of you lankans are forgetting one important thing. it was india who defeated the LTTE by giving your navy the info to go and smash the LTTE supply ships. india did that after the mumbai attacks rattled new delhi policy-makers who were asleep to terror threats till then. any monkey who was president would have defeated the LTTE with india’s help, whether mahinda or chandrika etc. so don’t get carried away. you lankans are slaves of india today and forever. india created the LTTE and destroyed it. they will re-create another LTTE if lankan monkey presidents misbehave. you have been warned.
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Dr. Maverick / January 6, 2012
True. India wiped it’s sins for the curse it created. Indira Gandhi put a curse upon herself and her family by creating LTTE using RAW. The sacrifice of her son was due to the curse she created as well as the side effect took her own life. Understanding the curse, Sonia used all the resources to lift the curse her mother in law created in order to secure her own son getting caught to the curse Indira created. LTTE is Guinea pig tested by the Gandhi family under the R&D Lab named India Inc.
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Das / January 3, 2012
Mahinda Rajapakse is the shrewdest politician ever. He manipulated and used the innate greed in all mankind – the greed for perks,position,power and wealth, to gather a crowd of “yes men” around him including those elected and those unelected, those who had brains & those who did not, from among intellectuals, ignoramuses & diplomats present & past, criminals past & present, who were willing to do anything to satisfy their desires.
Thus we see a monolithic dictatership clothed in socalled democracy, built to last a long time.
We are witnessing the side effects.
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shan azvi@gmail.com / January 3, 2012
HELLO ASH: OF COURSE YOU GUYS IN INDIA CREATED THE SRI LANKAN TERRORIST & DESTROYED THEM AS WELL. THAT COST YOU GUYS RAJIV GHANDHI. THAT’S WHAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU TRY TO F#@K UP WITH WRONG PEOPLE BUDDY. DON’T TRY AGAIN COZ CAN COST YOU ANOTHER PRESIDENT BUDDY HAHAHAHA.
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Kumari / January 3, 2012
Who is this ASH****? talking nonsense.
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shan azvi@gmail.com / January 3, 2012
HELLO ASH: OH YEAH…. INDIAN CREATED THE SRI LANKAN TERRORIST & ALSO INDIA SENT THEIR BRAVE SOLDIERS CALLED (IPKF) TO SRI LANKA & THEY PROUDLY CAME TO OUR LAND & RAPED ALL OUR WOMEN IN NORTH & EAST.
I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE U A “INDRA GHANDHI” MEDAL FOR YOUR SOLDIERS’ ACHIEVEMENT ASH.
TELL ME ASH: HOW WOULD U FEEL IF SRI LANKA SUPPORT “KASHMIR” + “PUNJAB” TERRORIST?
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a lawyer / January 4, 2012
Stop trying to make mountains out of molehills. You don’t need a wiki-leak to know that this is true.. there was no big cover up by anyone to hide this fact.. everyone in the legal profession knows this. Felix D.B. thought it was fit that all MP’s knew law so that they could draft better laws, and MR was one of the few who took advantage of it. I personally think that it is commendable not a reason to laugh at. Don’t forget, D.S. Senanayake was 4th in class when there were only 4 students in that Class. But on the other hand, no one seems to know who the classmates of R. Premadasa were at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo. Oh! and No one seems to know who the batch mates of Chandrika Kumaratunga while she was at the prestigious de l’Université Paris-Sorbonne. So, instead of making fun of a man who had done something for the country, commend him for his achievements.
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a lawyer / January 4, 2012
pl do not talk without knowing real facts. THERE WAS NO CHANGE in admission qualifications in the year MR entered Law college. for admissions in 1974 January basic qualification was GCE O/L 5 creidts including English and Sinhala /Tamil language. the entrance exam was held before Administration of Justice Law (AJL)came into operation on 1st January 1974. F R Dias Bandaranayake never changed the qualification for Law College. Law College is governed by Council of Legal Educations and noting to do by the Minister. Pl check the Law college rules in 1973 for qualifications FOR ADMISSIONS TO 1974 BATCH.
This for your information by a Law student in 1971 bigining to 1974 end. I entered for the Advocates course and took oaths as Attorney at Law in 1974 under AJL. THIS THE TRUTH AND NOTING BUT THE TRUTH. US embassy had been badly misled by some one. Sorry.
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shan azvi@gmail.com / January 4, 2012
ALL THESE MESS WERE CREATED BY THE US EMBASSIDOR IN COLOMBO. THIS IS BIG SHAME FOR AMERICANS FOR MAKING FUN OF SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT. AMBASSIDOR SHOULD BE EXPELLED OR GIVE A FORMAL APOLOGY TO THE PEOPLE OF SRI LANKA & WE NEED AN ASSUARANCE FROM “AMERICANS” THAT NOT TO INTERFERE IN OUR INTERNAL AFFAIRS IN THE FUTURE.
IF GOVT DOESN’T ACT HARD ON THEM NOW, IN THE FUTURE THEY MIGHT EVEN SEND ONE OF THEIR “DRONE” PLANE TO OUR TERRITORY & CONTINUE THEIR SPY WORK, THE SAME WAY THEY RECENTLY DID IN PAKISTAN & BREACHED PAKISTAN’S SOVERINITY.
BY THE WAY, MARAJUANA SMOKING “GEORGE BUSH” + ” BODY BUILDER WITH ZERO BRAIN MR.ARNOLD SCHWAZNIGAR” BOTH SHOULD BE SENT BACK TO PRIMARY SCHOOL BEFORE THEY TALK ABOUT OUR POLITICIAN.
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shan azvi@gmail.com / January 4, 2012
DEAR ASH: U INDIAN LOTS OF DAMAGE TO OUR COUNTRY. U CREATED SRI LANKAN TERRORIST + UR INDIAN SOLDIERS (IPKF) RAPED ALL OUR WOMEN + U R INTERFERING TOO MUCH IN OUR PERSONAL AFFAIRS MAN. I THINK SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT MAHINDA HAD THE GUTS TO DESTROY THE TERRORIST CREATED BY YOU MORONS. MERVIN IS NOT SEX MACHINE LIKE IDIOT – IPKF FORCES MORON
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ash / January 5, 2012
sorry mate if you elect o’ level qualified monkeys as president we have to interfere. we helped mahinda to crush ltte and now he is getting china help. he is going to learn his lesson soon. ungrateful sob. if monkey premadasa kept ipkf ltte would be finished in 1993. you lankans are all living in fools paradise. ungrateful hanuman lanka
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Janaka / January 5, 2012
Our President did not ask your country’s help, he just played your country in a game with China to get the advantage of Sri Lanka’s strategic location.
he also played a game between the west and eastern powers.
and in the time that your country, China, the west nations and the eastern nations have diplomatic fights, our President and the Sri Lankan armforces wiped out the Tigers under your nose.
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shan azvi@gmail.com / January 5, 2012
TO ASH: WHAT QUALIFICATION FAT BI@%H JAYALALITHA HAS? WHAT QUALIFICATION “MRG” HAS? MOST OF UR POLITICIANS ARE RETARD ACTORS & ACTRESS ANYWHERE. U SHOULD WORRY ABOUT UR PUNJAB & KASHMIR TERRORIST MAN & DON’T WORRY ABOUT OTHER COUNTRY MAN.
WE WENT TO CHINA B’COZ U GUYS MORONS BUDDY
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mal / January 10, 2012
aiyo!!!!!! no wonder the country is in a soup…….
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Senthuran / March 24, 2012
oh this is interesting
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Rodrigue / March 25, 2012
did MR even go to school?
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Ajith / March 26, 2012
Please expose your deep intention about the comment given by the America that is real hidden fact came out as a 1st step to start conflict civil people. The dog has come out from the bag …, why …? They were behind us to approve statement for human rights violation to interfere internal affairs in Sri Lanka. Now they are trying to fingering unnecessarily areas via warm-up the people and make internal conflict to holdup government such Libiya, Iraq, Afghanistan. At last it will suffer all of us. They will do more than this in the future that our responsibility is not to give back support for them to success these tasks. As a Sri Lankan we go forward in unique political view until resolve the issue.
What is reason of switching MR’s Education qualification in this time? Is it harm to any one in the world? It is better single practical man than lot of qualified heads with out practical knowledge. MR was done his max for the country viper out terrorism no one was not able to do during last 30 years.
Obviously, we are respecting our president that he is great practical politician to run this country.
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