Army officers cashiered for ‘links with SF’ to get back their dues shortly

Several Navy officers including Weerasekera and Sinniah to receive relief 

By Shamindra Ferdinando-October 28, 2015

About a dozen army officers who had been sent on compulsory retirement  or compelled to retire early over their alleged clandestine involvement with Gen. Sarath Fonseka during 2009 and 2010 period would be reinstated and retired with promotions and enhanced entitlements, authoritative sources told The Island yesterday.

This would enable them to secure higher ranks, back wages and pension, sources said. The arrangement had been made possible by the then Gen. Sarath Fonseka’s intervention soon after the January 2015 presidential polls, sources said, adding that an assurance had been given to the President regarding the concerned officers impartiality.

Democratic Party leader Fonseka had arranged for a meeting between those who had been affected due to the previous government’s decision and President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat.

The officers are Maj. Gen. J. J. P. S. T. Liyanage (Artillery), Maj. Gen. G.P.R. de Silva (Vijayaba Infantry Regiment), Maj. Gen. G.L.A.D. Amaratunga (Sinha Regiment), Maj. Gen. B.M.D. Alwis (Field Engineers) and Maj. Gen. A.A.D. Jayawardena (Artillery). Sources said that as the last four officers had been compelled to retire prematurely they had been denied promotions as Majors General; they retired as Brigadiers. In accordance with the proposed arrangement, all of them would be able elevated to Majors Gen.

Sources said that Majs. Gen. Liyanage and de Silva had been sent on compulsory retirement while others were forced to retire early.

Among the others forced to retire were Brigadiers T.F. Meedin (Signals), G.S. Padumadasa (Electrical and Mechanical Engineers), Asoka Padeniya (Service Corps), L. Abeywardena (Service Corps), P.J.A. Weerasinghe (Military Police) and H. A. N. Hapuarachchi (Engineers) and Lt. Colonel A.K. Suraweera (Sinha Regiment/Volunteer)

Asked whether any of the brigadiers were like to be promoted to the next rank, sources said its was likely. They stressed that there hadn’t been any formal inquiry into the conduct of officers and they were unceremoniously dismissed. Sources said that the officers had been notified after the government directed Army Headquarters to finalise the matter. They would be called by Army Chief Lt. Gen. Crishanthe de Silva within the next few days.

Sources said that over 30 officers would benefit from Fonseka’s intervention. Some of them had returned to the service, sources said, adding that those benefited from the Maithripala Sirisena-Wickremesinghe decision included several Navy officers. Among them were Rear Admiral Thusitha Weerasekera and Commodore T. J. L. Sinniah. Weerasekera quit the Navy alleging that he had been deprived of due promotion to the next rank. Sinniah commanded naval task forces assigned to hunt down some of the floating armouries of the LTTE during eelam war IV.

Another beneficiary is A. K. Boyagoda, the Commanding Officer of SLNS Sargarawardena destroyed in an LTTE suicide attack off Mannar in the early 90s. Boyagoda remained in LTTE custody for several years before the then UNP-led UNF government secured his release in a high profile exchange of prisoners.

Some sources said Sinniah might return to active service.

Sources identified other Navy officers benefited by the government move as P. L. N. Obeysinghe, S. Hanwella and T. M. J. Mendis. The navy faulted Mendis for the Southern Command’s failure to thwart a Sea Tiger attack on the Galle harbour at the onset of eelam war IV, a charge strongly denied by the officer.

Sources emphasised that the Navy officers though being categorised as politically victimised were never accused of being involved with Fonseka.