Screaming At Gota & Silent On Fonseka, Why?

By Granville Perera –May 21, 2015

A war winning decorated military hero, who was court marshaled, stripped of his medals and humiliated by the Rajapaksa brothers regained his honour with the election of Maithripala Sirisena to the Executive Office. He was acquitted of all charges, his medals returned, pension and other retirement benefits restored. He was later promoted to the rank of Field Marshall, the first military officer to rise to this rank in Sri Lankan military history. Yesterday, he along with his wife Anoma (who was reappointed by President Sirisena as the Chairperson of the Ranaviru Seva Authority) participated in the military celebrations opposite the parliament in Battaramulla commemorating the military victory against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). During the Rajapaksa regime, Sarath Fonseka was denied even the opportunity to participate in the grandiose victory celebrations that was the hallmark of the Rajapaksa administration.

While he along with the commanders of the other forces should have been given the credit of defeating terrorism, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa have continued to deny it and claim credit for themselves to the extent that all records of Filed Marshall Sarath Fonseka had been erased from the war history. Gotabaya had selected and worked with field commanders like Shavindra Silva, Jagath Dias, Kamal Gunaratne etc. who probably reported to the political/ administrative leadership directly and not to the commander of the army. The international community and the Tamil Diaspora accused all of them including Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka of committing war crimes and excesses during the war.Read More