General Fonseka retired with immediate effect: Plea to remain in service till 1st of December rejected
By K.T.Rajasingham
General Fonseka retired with immediate effect, his plea to continue in service till 1st of December, rejected.
Sri Lanka Government has accepted the letter of retirement sent by Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka with immediate effect, rejecting his plea to wait in service till 1st of December.
The letter from the President Secretariat addressed to General Fonseka pointed out that that “in keeping with your wish to proceed on retirement without further delay, as you have already over stayed your date of retirement by four years, you will be retired from the Sri Lanka Army with immediate effect. “
The letter further stated “Consequently, you will cease to hold office as Chief of Defence Staff, also with immediate effect.”
Earlier on Friday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed to the request of Gen. Fonseka to retire from active military service and formally the Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga sent the letter accepting his resignation with immediate effect on Sunday, and a copy of the letter was also released to the media .
It said the government had no option but to retire the Chief of Defence Staff with immediate effect after he complained that the government had lost faith in him.
The letter further said, “A further communication setting out the position of the government to issues raised by Gen. Fonseka will follow.”
The text of the letter sent by the Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunga, in response to the request made by Gen. Fonseka to retire from the post of Chief of Defence Staff is given below:
"I am directed by His Excellency the President to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12 November 2009 seeking permission to retire from the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army.
I have also been directed by His Excellency the President to inform you that in keeping with your wish to proceed on retirement without further delay as you have already over stayed your date of retirement by four years, you will be retired from the Sri Lanka Army with immediate effect. Consequently, you will cease to hold office as Chief of Defence Staff, also with immediate effect.
This decision has been arrived at having giving anxious consideration to the fact that you yourself believe that H.E. the President and the Government have lost the trust and faith bestowed upon you, as the senior most serving military officer in the country.
I have been further directed to inform you that you will also be provided with adequate security commensurate with the level of threat.
In regard to the numerous statements made by you in your letter under reference and Annex A, I’m directed by His Excellency the President to inform you that a further communication will follow setting out the position of the Government.
Lalith Weerathunge,
Secretary to the Presidient.
Sunday, 15 November 2009."
- Aaian Tribune -
Comments
Team Work Essential for Success
Team Work is essential for the success of any project and the war was no exception. Any one who thinks he is solely responsible for any achievement is unfit to be a leader. Accepting a resignation with immediate effect is a good practice.
Commendable and
Commendable and straightforward decision from the President. General Fonseka has become a scape goat. That is the very reason we feel sorry. As far as the president's concern over the security forces in SriLanka, no leader or government gave such a recognizion to all the 3 forces in the recorded history as the present government. If Mr. Fonseka is so ungrateful to forgert that, how is he going to be a leader of a country. He is running after a mirage which he never will be able to reach or see in his life time.
Dear GF, We, General public
Dear GF, We, General public insulated you from opposition members who rediculed you during humanatarian operation. We supported you upto the hilt, since you were best general who could get real action and execution under the leadership of commander in chief President Rajapakse. We respected you for your ideology, your actions, results and patriotism. We still respect Gen Kobbekaduwa, Clacy Fernando, Parami Kulathunge for their unshaken patriotism althouth they could not win the war. We, knew that you kept quite when Ranil signed CFA giving territory to LTTE, you kept silent when LTTE carders urinated on bunkers occupied by our soldiers, you did not do anything when LTTE fellows showed their back to our heros. You did not do anything when LTTE raised their flag in Jaffna or Vavunia during Pongutamil. You were in power when national anthuem was not allowed in Vavunia and Jaffna. In fact you were pulled out from Jaffna to pelase the TNA when you did your job.
Simply you did not resigned or it was not enugh to frustrate your feelings...
We ignored your remarkes publicly down grading srilanka navy's role after the war. We ignored your remarkes when you publicly and tacitly critizied Adm. Karanagoda's role in winning war. We ignored your statement that srilanka is belongs and will be ruled by singalease although we did not agree since this country is belongs to all srilankans alike. We did all that to respect your ideolgy.
The day such ideology is lost, We will not have such respect further.
The reasons you have given in your letter of resignation is childish, family related and personal. There is no compelling sigle strategic reason in that letter.
Remember, we adore and respect Gen Kobbekaduwa not becuase of he won the war, but he was until his death true patriot. If you join Hakeem, Mano, Kiriella, Ranil, Ravi, Pakiyasurthy bunch; what perception you wanted us to have?
We shall respect during our life for Gen Fonseka who fought the war. But we shall not vote for Gen Fonseka who swift side with traitors. This is not a threat, but a clear promise.
Well said!
well said Tissa, by the way, it seems the resignation letter was drafted by Ranil, Mano and Mangala, not Sarath Fonseka himself..atleast the ones initially circulated in media!
We agree Tissa
Tissa, what you have expressed are common for all of us...
"We shall respect during our life for Gen Fonseka who fought the war. But we shall not vote for Gen Fonseka who swift side with traitors. This is not a threat, but a clear promise".
Tissa, thats what I wanted to
Tissa, thats what I wanted to say as well.
A sad day in Sri Lanka as
A sad day in Sri Lanka as Tissa puts it eloquently.
Immediate Removal
Sarath Fonseka has exhibited his poor judgment by submitting that letter of resignation stating that the government has lost confidence in him. What alternative the government got in the light of that letter rather than accepting it immediately. Fonseka has been ruthless of other officers who wanted to step down for personal reasons many a time citing emergency regulations. But for him the President had been too kind.
Foneka’s reference to an Indian involvement has now been countered by Indian Foreign Secretary stating that such a thing never happened. Being Chief of Defense Staff making such claims is propaganda and childish. We will hear a more detailed response from the government in due course.
The government also should conduct an inquiry to determine whether CDS had compromised anything pertaining to national security and dabbled in politics while in office. With silly ambitions of personal glory the General has side stepped many times. If not for a serious administration GOSL could have lost the war.
We know how Mr. Premadasa conducted his office afflicted by the personal glory of Presidents office. The initial analysis shows that Fonseka has been misguided and has acted in bad faith during the last few months of his office.