Gotabaya Rajapaksa -Three Years Later
Sunday, May 27, 2012
By Frederica Jansz – Pictures by Thusitha Kumara
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development in a frank and detailed interview with The Sunday Leader outlined his future plans to help restore normalcy to the country three years after the war has ended. He further detailed the work he has already carried out which he emphasized addresses significant areas of the LLRC recommendations even before the report was finalized.
- On Tamil militancy: If we relax, if we don’t take steps to prevent it there is a possibility it can rise again. But from the security forces, intelligence we have to take steps to change the way we operate. Their international network is in tact.
- As you know the LTTE was equipped like our military… they has similar artillery guns, similar mortars, similar machine guns but none of these weapons were produced in Sri Lanka. They purchased them outside in the open market and smuggled them into the country
- We want to get more assets for the navy so they can go beyond into the blue waters and dominate. That is one of the major aspects of our new defence policy.
- Certain allegations in the Darusman report were baseless. For example disarming other groups… this is recommended by the LLRC and the international community too brought pressure citing the EPDP and Karuna groups.
Excerpts:
FJ: Why did the President grant a pardon to Sarath Fonseka? Why now?
GR: I don’t want to answer anything about Sarath Fonseka – no questions on Sarath Fonseka. Even the BBC asked… I said I don’t know anything – it has nothing to do with me.
