![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/gotabhaya-rajapaksa-colombo-telegraph.jpg\" "\\"Gotabhaya")
<\/a>Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is not known as a moderate voice, and his remarks were emblematic of his downplaying government actions while exaggerating the opposition threat.<\/p><\/div>\n
The Colombo Telegraph found the relevant leaked cable from the WikiLeak database. The cable recount details of a meeting the US Embassy has had with Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on February 2, 2010. The cable classified as \u201cCONFIDENTIAL\u201d by the ambassador Patricia A. Butenis.<\/p>\n
The US Ambassador wrote \u201cOn February 2, Defense Secretary Dotabhaya Rajapaksa summoned DATT to a hasty meeting under the pretext of discussing an upcoming engagement activity with the U.S. military. As expected, Rajapaksa also wanted to explain the government\u2019s position on the treatment of General Fonseka following the January 26 presidential election. He did not mention a coup attempt, as had been charged in the media, but said Fonseka was planning violent reprisals against the Rajapaksas and their supporters if he had won. He claimed Fonseka his supporters had no reason to reason to fear government reprisals but also warned there would be more transfers and compulsory retirements of officers <\/a>who were seen as Fonseka supporters in the security forces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRajapaksa said that many in government feared for their lives if Fonseka had won. \u2018 If you don\u2019t believe me, just ask the family of former Navy Commander Wasantha karannagoda. They were afraid to come outside\u2019\u201d the Ambassador wrote. \u201cRajapaksa accused Fonseka of manufacturing hysteria among the diplomatic corps, senior religious leaders and others by claiming the government wanted to harm him.<\/a> He also accused fonseka of inventing grievances as CDS in order to appeal to the opposition. The Defense Secretary claimed Fonseka and his supporters had no reason to fear government reprisals. He pointed out there had been no reprisals carried out after the 2005 election, and there was no reason to expect such behavior now. At the same time, however Rajapaksa warned there would be more transfers and compulsory retirements of officers who were seen as Fonseka supporters in the security forces.\u201d she further wrote.<\/p>\n Placing a comment the Ambassador Butenis wrote \u201cFonseka held a press conference yesterday and the opposition leadership with Fonseka met with the diplomatic corps today. The hasty summoning of Embassy DATT was an effort to get the Rajapaksa spin on developments. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is not known as a moderate voice, and his remarks were emblematic of his downplaying government actions while exaggerating the opposition threat. It is interesting that he did not mention the allegation of coup plans by Fonseka, but his promise of more military purges to come was ominous.<\/p>\n Below we give\u00a0a part of the confidential cable.<\/p>\n Related news links;<\/p>\n Death threat to Sunday Leader Editor: If you want to escape you go to Temple Trees \u2013 Full text of the threatening\u00a0letter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WIKILEAKS: FONSEKA OPENS UP PANDORA\u2019S\u00a0BOX<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks \u2013 Fonseka did discuss the \u201cwhite Flags story\u201d with US\u00a0ambassador<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WIKILEKS \u2013 FONSEKA TRIED TO ESCAPE THE\u00a0COUNTRY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks: Fonseka tried to shift blame on war crime to\u00a0Gota<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks: \u201cFonseka could be assassinated\u201d Basil said\u00a0matter-of-factly<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,1,26,27],"tags":[1143,1139,1208,1161,1220,1134,1206,1257,1263,6983,1242],"class_list":["post-1898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-politics","category-news","category-war-crimes","category-wikileaks","tag-authoritarianism","tag-democracy","tag-election-monitoring","tag-foreign-affairs","tag-gotabhaya-rajapaksa","tag-human-rights","tag-presidential-election-2010","tag-sarath-fonseka-in-wikileaks","tag-us-embassy-cables-on-sri-lanka","tag-war-crimes","tag-white-flags-case"],"yoast_head":"\nVZCZCXRO4825\nOO RUEHAG RUEHROV RUEHSL\nDE RUEHLM #\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a00085\/01 0340618\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nZNY SSSSS ZZH\nO 030618Z FEB 10\nFM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO\nTO RUEHC\/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1251\nINFO RUCNMEM\/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY\nRUEHKA\/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 2378\nRUEHIL\/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 9400\nRUEHKT\/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 7655\nRUEHLO\/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 5430\nRUEHNE\/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 3815\nRUEHNY\/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0016\nRUEHOT\/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0216\nRUEHMD\/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 0170\nRUEHKO\/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 4479\nRUEHCG\/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 9961\nRUEHBI\/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 7208\nRUEHON\/AMCONSUL TORONTO PRIORITY 0211\nRHEFDIA\/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY\nRUEHGV\/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0098\nRHHMUNA\/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY\nRUEHBS\/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY\nRHEHAAA\/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY\nRUEKJCS\/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY\nS E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000085\n\nSIPDIS\n\nDEPARTMENT FOR SCA\/INSB\n\nE.O. 12958: DECL: 02\/02\/2020\nTAGS: PGOV<\/a> PREL<\/a> PREF<\/a> PHUM<\/a> PTER<\/a> EAID<\/a> MOPS<\/a> CE<\/a>\nSUBJECT: DEFENSE SECRETARY ON FONSEKA AND POST-ELECTION\nDEVELOPMENTS\n\nREF: COLOMBO 81\n\nCOLOMBO 00000085 001.2 OF 002\n\nClassified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA A. BUTENIS. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D)\n\n\u00b6<\/a>1. (S) SUMMARY: On February 2, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya\nRajapaksa summoned DATT to a hasty meeting under the pretext\nof discussing an upcoming engagement activity with the U.S.\nmilitary. As expected, Rajapaksa also wanted to explain the\ngovernment's position on the treatment of General Fonseka\nfollowing the January 26 presidential election. He did not\nmention a coup attempt, as had been charged in the media, but\nsaid Fonseka was planning violent reprisals against the\nRajapaksas and their supporters if he had won. He claimed\nFonseka his supporters had no reason to fear government\nreprisals but also warned there would be more transfers and\ncompulsory retirements of officers who were seen as Fonseka\nsupporters in the security forces. END SUMMARY.\n\nLEGAL ACTION AGAINST FONSEKA\n----------------------------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>2. (S) Rajapaksa said the government would have to take legal\naction against Fonseka for illegal involvement in politics\nwhile still serving as Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and for\nenticing serving officers to support his campaign for\npresident. He stressed that unlike outrageous claims by\nregular political opponents, Fonseka's threats and betrayals\nhad to be taken more seriously. He said the \"white flag\"\naccusation (that Rajapaksa had ordered the killing of\nsurrendering LTTE leaders at the end of the war) was\nparticularly egregious.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>3. (S) The defense secretary said the government had to beef\nup security after the election because it had become aware of\nFonseka and JVP plans for violence. He said that many in\ngovernment feared for their lives if Fonseka had won. \"If\nyou don't believe me, just ask the family of former Navy\nCommander Wasantha Karannagoda. They were afraid to come\noutside.\" Rajapaksa said he knew that Fonseka had deserters\nand ex-Army soldiers with him at his hotel and that was why\nhe had sent additional security there. Nevertheless, Fonseka\nand his supporters had always been free to come and go from\nthe hotel as they pleased.\n\nHYSTERIA IN THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS\n--------------------------------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>4. (S) Rajapaksa accused Fonseka of manufacturing hysteria\namong the diplomatic corps, senior religious leaders and\nothers by claiming the government wanted to harm him. He\nalso accused Fonseka of inventing grievances as CDS in order\nto appeal to the opposition. The defense secretary claimed\nFonseka and his supporters had no reason to fear government\nreprisals. He pointed out that there had been no reprisals\ncarried out after the 2005 election, and there was no reason\nto expect such behavior now. At the same time, however,\nRajapaksa warned there would be more transfers and compulsory\nretirements of officers who were seen as Fonseka supporters\nin the security forces (reftel).\nCOMMENT\n-------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>6. (S) Fonseka held a press conference yesterday and the\nopposition leadership with Fonseka met with the diplomatic\ncorps today. The hasty summoning of Embassy DATT was an\neffort to get the Rajapaksa spin on developments. Gotabhaya\nRajapaksa is not known as a moderate voice, and his remarks\nwere emblematic of his downplaying government actions while\nexaggerating the opposition threat. It is interesting that\nhe did not mention the allegation of coup plans by Fonseka,\nbut his promise of more military purges to come was ominous.\nBUTENIS<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"