Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has made a series of explosive claims about the final stages of Sri Lanka’s war, accusing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa of attempting to delay the military victory against the LTTE in 2009.
Speaking at an event, Fonseka said that despite sustaining critical injuries during the war, he had been branded a traitor by the very leaders under whom he served.
“I have to make a revelation about the leader who made this statement that I don’t love my country. In 2009, the Sri Lankan Army had surrounded Puthukudirippu from three sides. We only had to advance 10 more kilometers,” he said.
Fonseka recalled that the Army captured Mullaitivu on January 26, 2009, and within 12 hours advanced toward Puthukudirippu from the south. But the following day, he said, Gotabaya Rajapaksa questioned whether he was exhausted and suggested he hand over command to General Jagath Jayasuriya in Vavuniya.
“At that point, we were close to victory. They already knew Prabhakaran and his group were about to be destroyed. But they wanted me to delay their downfall,” Fonseka claimed.
He alleged that despite the Army being on the verge of defeating the LTTE, then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced a ceasefire between January 31 and February 1, 2009. According to Fonseka, the Security Council opposed the decision, but the military was ordered to respect the 48-hour truce.
“The result was that my army had to retreat five kilometers. I lost around 500 soldiers. This ceasefire gave the LTTE a chance to regroup and relaunch their attack,” he said.
Fonseka further claimed that the ceasefire was intended to allow LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and other senior figures to escape, citing alleged discussions with Norwegian mediator Erik Solheim. He linked this period to what later became known as the “white flag incident” adding that these were actions of the LTTE that were later pinned on the Sri Lanka Army led by Fonseka.
“Prabhakaran was a fool. He was convinced the LTTE could rise again during this ceasefire. He didn’t escape — he fought with us,” Fonseka said.
The former Army Commander also accused Mahinda Rajapaksa of political calculations during the war, alleging that the LTTE provided $2 million before the 2005 presidential election.
“In 2005, that $2 million won him the election by 150,000 votes, because Prabhakaran stopped people from voting. Tiran Alles had also gone to the place where this transaction took place. In 2010, during the presidential election he revealed this to the media. Basil Rajapaksa told me about this incident, back when I was Army Commander. An upcountry politician was also reportedly there when this transaction took place. This politician was seen being beaten up on live TV recently,” Fonseka said, without naming the individual.
Fonseka also claimed Mahinda Rajapaksa feared that if Prabhakaran was killed before the 2010 election, Tamil voters would overwhelmingly oppose him, jeopardizing his re-election bid in 2010.
“While you and I were thinking about the country, waiting to celebrate the end of the war, what he thought about was the election. This is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s mentality. And now he calls me the one who doesn’t love the country,” Fonseka said. (Newswire)
