“In an October 6 meeting with Ambassador, Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the president ‘could’ appoint a new commission to look at complaints or use some existing mechanism, such as an ombudsman. He also noted that, contrary to widely held impressions, the army had investigated and prosecuted individual soldiers for individual crimes (presumably stealing, rape, murder, etc.) committed during the war, and Major General Peiris heading the military legal department could provide more information. (NOTE: Embassy will be following up with the general as soon as possible. END NOTE.)” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
Former secretary to the MOD – Gotabaya
The Colombo Telegraph found the leaked US diplomatic cable from WikiLeak database. The Cable is classified as “confidential” and written by the Ambassador Patricia Butenis on October 7, 2009.
Read the cable below for further details;
VZCZCXRO4278
OO RUEHAG RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHLM #0938 2801244
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 071244Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0607
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 1935
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 8971
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 7209
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 5152
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 3349
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 5108
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 1385
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 0643
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 4218
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 9531
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 6832
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO PRIORITY 1314
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3764
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000938
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM PTER EAID MOPS CE
SUBJECT: JUSTICE MINISTER, DEFENSE SECRETARY DISCUSS
ACCOUNTABILITY/RECONCILIATION MECHANISMS
Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA A. BUTENIS. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D)
¶1. (C) In an October 7 meeting with Ambassador, Justice
Minister Malinda Moragoda said the 1987 Youth Commission,
which looked at the roots of the JVP uprising, might be a
mechanism that Sri Lanka could use to get at the questions of
accountability and reconciliation. In response to
Ambassador’s query about how the Sri Lankan government (GSL)
would respond to international expectations to put in place a
mechanism to address concerns about accountability following
the release soon of the Department’s war crimes report to the
Senate, Moragoda said that President Rajapaksa had been
consulting widely on the question. Moragoda said the GSL
could not address directly the question of war crimes, per
se. But they were looking for some mechanism to allow people
to register and get responses on complaints. The president
and Moragoda discussed whether the Youth Commission model
would work. The focus, Moragoda stressed, would be on
reconciliation. He also noted that the president had the
constitutional power to appoint commissions and could
proceed. In the same breath, however, he reiterated that
getting at war crimes directly was “hard,” a political
reality that was further complicated by the upcoming
presidential elections (expected in mid-January).
¶2. (C) Moragoda went on to discuss his impressions of Tamil
views on accountability. He noted that 25 percent of his
constituents were Tamils, and he was looking for ways to get
moderate Tamils more involved in the rehabilitation of former
LTTE soldiers and others. He believed that the Tamils in Sri
Lanka were interested in “moving on,” whereas those in the
diaspora were less so inclined. Ambassador encouraged the
GSL to make greater efforts to reach out to the Tamil
diaspora community and get them involved again in Sri Lanka’s
reconciliation and re-development. Moragoda in response
touched briefly on the diaspora funding of a rehabilitation
program through IOM. He concluded by reiterating that
pushing hard on the accountability issue could undermine the
reconciliation process and “polarize” Sri Lankan society.
¶3. (C) In an October 6 meeting with Ambassador, Defense
Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the president “could”
appoint a new commission to look at complaints or use some
existing mechanism, such as an ombudsman. He also noted
that, contrary to widely held impressions, the army had
investigated and prosecuted individual soldiers for
individual crimes (presumably stealing, rape, murder, etc.)
committed during the war, and Major General Peiris heading
the military legal department could provide more information.
(NOTE: Embassy will be following up with the general as
soon as possible. END NOTE.)
BUTENIS
Martin / August 13, 2016
Why do Sri Lankan “journalists” believe that by dumping some facts in an article they made news? Can’t journalists at least add one phrase of opinion, explanation or interpretation?
/
Sama / August 13, 2016
The day media men will bring former President to the discussion table is nearing.
Incumbent PM has made it very clear the parliamentary committees with the power to react can call Mahinda Rajaakshe for discussions. This should have happened long ago. Letting the hugely alleged former president to tour around the globe, leaving him aside from the allegations being levelled at him.. not just few, but thousands sofar, but the resposnible media men have not yet been doing the job properly.
As we are well aware of the facts, the situation for journalists of the day have improved allowing them to express without barriers – no restrictions of the MR kind have yet been the case to them, no early morning press meeting the styl of MR have been the case. But have requested them to react unbiased bringing the facts.
PM has made it very clear.. that people would not respect a media culture that support former Presidnet but not even bringing the facts of the day to the people as it should be. :::: All these have to change in a speed manner if at all, all the mess left by MR et al to be solved and found the answers.
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Dankottuwa Manike / August 13, 2016
Martin the Modaya
This is news and not political analysis or commentary. The type of journalism you are suggesting is the one that is corrupting the very journalism and politics of Sri Lanka.
If you do not know something, please do not comment about it.
/
Analyst / August 13, 2016
I wonder how all the other crooks who swindled the country with their greed had been grounded and their Passports been impounded after their several visits to the FCID , but the biggest CROOK OF THE CENTURY IN SLANKAN HISTORY IS STILL ALLOWED TO VISIT ABROAD ? HIS PASSPORT HAD NOT BEEN CONFISCATED ,
In the act of his visits he’s pretending to be the President of Srilanka not the ousted President. Shame on MS The President.
It appears he’s also involved in Nefarious activity DISCREDITING OUR COUNTRY .
.
How he’s been allowed to do these activities in the name of fictitious claims by him and his
scrap merchants( Bootlickers) while visiting the neighbouring countries pretending to be either OFFERING DANE OR MEETING THE EXILED CROOKS ALL THESE ARE FICTIONS TO FOOL THE SRILANKAN PUBLIC.
THE , MS cum RANIL COMBO JOLLYWELL KNOWS WHAT HES UP TO ?
BUT A CROOK IS A CROOK UNTIL HE’s BEEN cleared he should not be allowed to be Swanning around the world.
Same applies to Multiple Passport Fraudster , Buru Wanda too. He too appears to be spreading HATE SPEECHES ABROAD.
OUR RULERS WILL NEVER LEARN. GOD SAVE SL!!!!
THEY ARE ALL THE SAME IDENTICAL AS A MATTER OF FACT!! Until the new COMBO PROVES OTHERWISE.
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Vibushana / August 13, 2016
One of the biggest crooks in Sri lanka’s 2500 years of history is Gotabaya Nanadasena Rajapaksa alias Gota alias Greese Yaka alias White Van Billa .One example will be good enough.He purchased the now bare land of nearly 100 perches at Ward Place Colombo 7, right next door to the private residence of former President J.R. Jayawardene.
However it was bought in the name of his brother in law,his wife’s sister’s husband who owns the Fashion House clothing store at DS Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 8.With the heat on for the hidden so Rajapaksa billions gathering up, the crook seems to have slowly sold the this land to a developer as a construction has begun.
If the investigating authorities just inquire from the former owners of this valuable real estate, they will get to the bottom of how a mere Colonel in the Army and a computer programmer came and saw the property but ultimately bought the property paying an obviously huge sum in the name of his BIL.The simple question is how did this creep get so much money.The answer is blowing in the wind.Will the the investigators bother to find out?
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Samuel Jayaweera / August 13, 2016
Peacock mansion is the same. It has been bought to ASP but the money pumpers are Rajaakshes. The most curnning ASP liyanage should be questioned on this again and again. He will have to reveal it if not today tomorrow. The bugger Liyanage had been appointed as an Ambassador to Nigeria or somewhere, to please him for all the business deals. Mahinda Rajaakshe should be questioned on the topic, what basis he followed at the time, any candidates with no credentials matching to Diplomacy to have been appointed by him unanimously. Leaving that pennisless former Foreign Mnister GLP aside, but to react by his own destroying entire diplomatic ties built sofar….. all these he should make clear to the nation.
Why the former soldiers were appointed as Ambsassadors… were they not like Gonage the buruwa koranawa wage ?
These and many other questions that have no answers should be made clear by Rajakshes men yet today, Media men should be brave to perform their job if not today when.
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Emil van der Poorten / August 13, 2016
The simple reality is that this man and his extended family will NEVER be investigated nor prosecuted for reasons best known to those who would otherwise by responsible for doing so.
“Unuthekai, Munuth ekai!”
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Snowden Edward Asange / August 17, 2016
Fully agree with You…
Appoint SF as defense secretary or Defense minister…he knows how to extract the TRUTH from the Jarapassa brothers..just remind him of how he was dragged from inside a hotel room…
He might be like DIG Udugampola whose family was murdered …while being murdered..their pleas n yells were recorded n sent to MR Udugampola….EVERYTIME. he went on a TOUR OF DUTY. to apprehend the CULPRITS…he would PLAY the cassette…to GET MOTIVATED….SF will do same n the need to spend on LENGTHY COURT CASES will not be needed..
We could say….GOOD RIDDANCE OF THE BAD RUBBISH…n save valuable money of the public…
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Spring Koha / August 13, 2016
The dumb will talk and the lame will walk before any member or proxy of the government of Sri Lanka is found guilty and serves a punitive term for wrongdoings committed. Politicians of every hue will call for A REGISTER but emblazoned on the inner cover of every register in invisible words will be ‘In Lanka, Missing is for ever’.
The grieving goes on.
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Tamil from the north / August 14, 2016
President Can Appoint A New Commission To Look At Complaints: Gota Tells US: this hoodlum gets to decide who looks into complaints? Are you joking? Throw his stinking arse in a foreign jail for good.
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Gobba / August 14, 2016
Why is the government playing around Gota ? Is there a deal between him and the ruling forces ?
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justice / August 14, 2016
The army prosecuted its own commander and sentenced him to jail.
(Later he became a Field Marshal and MP)
This has never happened in any other army.
Gotabaya R, is only a colonel.
He can be court martialled for possession of income/assets far beyond his means, accumulated when he was on active service, and as Deputy Defence Minister, while holding the rank of Colonel.
An ‘army court’ is “like any other court”, as said by the Supreme Court.
/
Spring Koha / August 15, 2016
justice,
The Army Commander was prosecuted in a fit of pique because The Great Liberator and his excitable Defence Secretary felt that the soldier was hogging too much of the credit for the Nandikadal business….and getting beyond his station.
Now the boot is on the other foot!
/