11 March 2016 02:31 am
Mr. Fonseka, in his first parliamentary address after nomination as an MP, said he endorsed it as the commander who the led the military at that time.
“We should not shy away from any investigation. We should not resent foreign participation,” he said.
He also said that the political interference during the last stages of the war had caused the country to face the ‘white flag issue’.
Field Marshal Fonseka said the LTTE had been cornered to a small lagoon area during the last month o f the war, and therefore even low ranking military personnel such as corporals could have finished it off without the involvement of the top brass of the military.
He said the political leadership asked him to take respite from the operational duties, and instead assigned the political authority to handle the military operations. He noted that this should be probed to absolve the military of any charge.
“The white flag charges could have been avoided if the political leadership who tried to grab credit for the war victory handled the military operations effectively." he said.
He said he would reveal the truth on the final stages of the war through a book which he hoped to publish soon. “An investigation has to be done on the white flag issue so that people could know the truth" he said.
He said he had to visit China urgently during the final stages of the war as he had finalized some purchase orders which the army had made. Besides he said the services of high ranking officers including the Army commander was not necessary as the LTTE was trapped at that time. Low ranking officers could have handed the war easily if they were given a free hand, “he said.
Delivering a verbal attack on the Rajapaksa family he alleged a sum of US 2 million dollars was given to the LTTE during the 2005 presidential election campaign to get the LTTE to prevent the people in the North and the East from voting. He alleged that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa himself had revealed this to him.
He said counting was stopped in centers in Kandy, Ratnapura, Gampaha, Anuradhapura and Matale districts during the 2015 presidential election.
Referring to the arrest of Ven. Uduwe Dammaloka Thera, the field Marshal said Buddhist monks get caught and are sent to prison when those who steal elephant calves come and dump them in temples. “If the Venerable Dhammaloka Thera is imprisoned why is it that former Defense Secretary is allowed to get away," he questioned alleging that former Defense Secretary was also involved in the thefts of elephants.
Accusing the former president and his family of various charges the Field Marshal said they would have to pay for their crimes. "We cannot think twice when it comes to penalizing the Rajapaksas" he said. Singing the famous song Duka Sepa Nithi Perale, he said the Rajapaksas never thought the wheel would turn. (Yohan Perera)