Subsequent to the controversial statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena that summoning Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Navy Commanders to Court regarding the Avant Garde Accusation was wrong, the following day which was Thursday, Indian High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha had met Maithri.
Although sources from the Indian High Commission said the meeting was to discuss Maithri’s trip to India, we cannot say whether Maithri’s controversial speech was also subject to discussion on that occasion.
India is a country that has an eye on the behaviour of the Security Forces of Sri Lanka. The reason is Sri Lanka is a neighbouring country to India.
When the Indo-Lanka Agreement was being signed, JR feared that the Army in Sri Lanka will carry out a conspiracy against the Agreement. The reason was Minister of National Security Lalith Athulathmudali who was in charge of the Army was strongly opposed, on policy, to this agreement. If JR could not control the Army and some chaos ensued, JR’s most trusted Minister Ronnie De Mel had asked the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv whether he could send the Indian Peace Keeping Force. When the Indo-Lanka Agreement was signed, Rajiv sent Indian military ships to Colombo to protect JR’s Government.
When the war ended in 2009, Army Commander General Fonseka went to the North and delivered a controversial statement. That is, that he will not permit the land that the Army freed to be subject to a political solution. Subsequent to this statement of his, Mahinda suspected whether an Army conspiracy could take place opposing his government. Army Intelligence Divisions which had fallen out with Fonseka, handed over reports to Mahinda Rajapaksa that Sarath Fonseka was planning on carrying out something like that. Kapila Hendavitharana who was in charge of the Army Intelligence Division was entangled in conflict with Fonseka. Mahinda believed in the reports of Kapila. As soon as Mahinda received thee reports he summoned the Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad at dead of night to Temple Trees.
Controversial statement
Mahinda inquired from Alok Prasad where he could arrange for the assistance of the Indian Army in order to protect his government if by chance an Army Conspiracy took place. At that juncture Alok Prasad spoke to India and got down ships of the Indian Navy to Colombo.
Civil Society Activist Professor Sarath Wijesuriya said that Maithri made the controversial statement about Gotabaya and the Navy Commanders recently based on false reports handed to him by Intelligence sectors that there was a wave of anti-government sentiments within the Army. During the past when Intelligence sources handed over their reports against Fonseka to mislead Mahinda, he did not shout it out in public. He requested the assistance of India and later removed Fonseka from the post of Army Commander. If Maithri made that statement based on those reports, it is a very dangerous situation. The reason is a tremor was experienced within the government and the image of the President was also damaged. If Intelligence divisions are attempting to take over the administration of the country by handing over Intelligence reports to the President, the room for Sri Lanka too, to become a victim of the tragedy that has taken place today in Pakistan where Army Intelligence sources control the Presidents of Pakistan, is very real.
In his controversial statement Maithri said that if there are no accusations against the Army Intelligence Division Officers who have been taken into custody regarding the murders of Journalists Lasantha and Prageeth, they should be released. One day after he made this statement, a Sergeant Major committed suicide accepting the blame that he committed the murder of Lasantha and requesting that the Intelligence Division Officer who is in custody right now in connection with the murder be released. While Maithri requested that he be released if there are no accusations based on Intelligence Division Reports, a Seargeant Major has committed suicide requesting that he be released.
This is a very dangerous situation. While a retired Sergeant Major says that he killed Lasantha, and information has been revealed that he was deployed in Army service even after his retirement, there is suspicion regarding an invisible hand that is in operation within the Army. If Maithri does not clear out the pawns of Gotabaya and cleanse the Army and take control into his hands, huge destruction is at hand. If Maithri becomes a prisoner of these invisible hands, it would not be possible to prevent Sri Lanka becoming another Pakistan.
Here, it is valuable for Maithri to identify the war heroes and the Rajapaksas or the Army personnel who carried out the contracts of the Rajapaksas. If he cannot identify them, it would be degradation of war heroes who served the country and not of those who worked on behalf of the Rajapaksas during the war.
Courtesy: Ceylon Today
