Was the hotel Fonseka moved in to be his secretariat in transition?
By K T Rajasingham
Colombo, 28 January (Asiantrsibune.com):
The Opposition Presidential candidate who was squarely defeated in the Presidential election has moved out of the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel (Trans Asia Hotel), at 21.30 hours yesterday.
The citizen Sarath Fonseka has now gone to occupy the rented house on Queens Road, on a monthly rent of Rs 1 million, opposite the Royal College in Colombo.
It was only on January 26 evening that Sarath Fonseka moved into Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel (Trans Asia Hotel), one of the most posh hotels in Colombo. He booked 100 rooms in the hotel for him, his family, to the Parliament opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe and many of his assistance, supporters and personal security members. It is learnt that each room cost US$85 per day. Was the hotel to be his temporary secretariat after the elections?
Before occupying the hotel room, Sarath Fonseka sent a message through K. Balapatabendi, a former secretary to President Chandrika Kumaratunga during her first term to Lalith Weeratunga, and the current Secretary to President Mahinda Rajapaksha, to be ready with the swearing in arrangements for Wednesday morning to enable him to take oath as President of Sri Lanka.
The tone and tenor of the telephone call was said to amount as an order and a very intriguing message and government thought that they were up to some mischief.
Subsequently, Sri Lanka Army began patrolling outside the hotel and was providing the maximum security to the former Army Commander and his group.
Once the Election Commissioner announced the final results of the election, Sarath Fonseka began to pack off from the hotel.
As Fonseka moved out of the hotel, Commander of Western Province and Puttalam Major General Manawaduge instructed the Police officer on duty to arrest one of the close aides of Sarath Fonseka who was very much wanted by the police.
According to a source, Army and police are looking for one Senaka Arnold Haripriya de Silva alias Captain Shah Silva, who claims himself as the private secretary to former common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka. The Police Spokesman said that his car was found at the Bodhirajarama Temple in Maligawatte on 23rd evening.
It is learnt that Senaka Arnold Haripriya de Silva, a former Army Captain was dismissed from the Army and he was once shot by the police while riding a motorcycle to collect ransom.
But the police officer who was an associate of DIG Vijaya Amerasinghe, the brother-in-law of Sarath Fonseka refused to carry out the instruction of the serving Commander of the Western Province and allowed the culprit to slip.
Furthermore, it is learnt that once Sarath Fonseka reached yesterday to his private residence as a private citizen, 30 out of the 60 army soldiers who gave security to the former Presidential candidate have reported back to their Unit that provides Security to the VIPs. It is learnt that today balance soldiers too would report back to their units.
When Asian Tribune asked whether Citizen Sarath Fonseka would be provided with any Army soldiers for his protection in the future, an Army officer told that Sarath Fonseka when he took over the post of Commander of the Sri Lanka Army he refused to give any soldier for protection to his predecessor General Shantha Kottegoda.
The same sources told now he must request the the Secretary of the Defence for protection.
The army sources further said when the earlier General Lionel Ballagalle applied for protection, the then Army Commander Sarath Fonseka recommended for only a troupe of 4 soldiers to be provided for General Ballagalle’s protection.
In the meantime, Sarath Fonseka has so far failed to hand over the General’s House, located at the Bullers Road which he forcefully occupied after his retirement from the army until the elections were over despite assurance earlier given to the Supreme Court of vacating the General’s House.
It is learnt that once the house is officially handed over by Sarath Fonseka to the Army, then the Army might consider recovering penal rent from him for forcefully occupying the house.
Furthermore, already he has to settle to a sum of Rs. 2,082,995.80 for the usage of Inmarsat Satellite Phone.
Now it is also learnt that Army might take appropriate action to recover all the moneys due from him before considering to release his monthly pension.
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
The Real Fonseka and the Ponna Dance
My hats off to President Rajapaksa for having handsomely won the election which he barged into 2 years before his term expired. At one time I thought he may not make it due to all the glorified propaganda and media force put on by SF. I know lots of money did come SF way through Norway, England, France, Germany and the US. These countries are still watching how to get Rajapaksa ousted beaming bogus propaganda such as rigged election.
I also have to thank this very website Asian Tribune. You guys did a wonderful job by exposing SF in true style with Mr. Rajasinghams investigative reporting. The parallel website Asian Tribune buckled at some point, and blocked comments of the reader. They had a well oiled bunch of journalists who slandered MR left, right and center without recourse to scrutiny by the readers.
Then we have to give credit to SF for allowing us to witness the traitors to the country. Somawansa and JVP got badly exposed in this effort of SF. Then the other group Ranil, Mano, Jayalath, Ravi, Tissa, Managala along with several others got exposed too. I am happy we got Hamilton Wanasinghe, former Army commander who extended his support to SF pants down. This man has dubious past robbing the Army and a disgraceful Army Commander. Also getting Chandrika Bandaranaike who did not support her own party candidate is a blessing. This exposure of the parasites who otherwise would have crept into Rajapaksa government and damaged their plans now can be carefully execluded. Thank you Mr. Fonseka for exposing these rascals through your motives were even worse.
Then there is another band who is talking about Sinhalese chauvinism. I must tell it is the Tamil Chauvinism which had done the damage all these long years. If you see the results more Tamils have voted for SF, on one way described as the worst Army Commander to have hit them. Yet, they did vote for him bending in half for all the walloping SF has done to them. None of the so called Tamil Political Leadership has had balls to do the right thing in a democracy, still blinded by LTTE illusion.
What is the security SF is now talking about? He did travel around the country without any cover during the Presidential Election. He seems to have got numbers in the North and East. If he has a threat, he should know how to minimise such effort. This man expose himself more than the averege citizen, and then cry to have him protected. Without being a rat, he should know to defend himself if he was a true soldier. But he did not fight the acutal war. There were ground commander who did that job. Fonnie was only giving orders from the top. He ascended to his office due to seniority, but scraped that procedure to appoint his own men to the top. If not for Gotabaya he would have made the Army his private security force. This man even does not have the guts to accept defeat!!!
PAY BACK!!!
SF has collected over $ 150 million for the election campaign. There must be more money in US accounts that have saved for retirement. SL government must collect dues, before he leave the country.
I do not hesitate to offer
I do not hesitate to offer him a bunch of flowers for the great service done for the country while serving at the army as well as at he presidential election.He manage to draw the sharp line deviding the patriotic people from the rascals who are ready to betray anything for the sake of grabing the ploitical power.The JVP who appeared in front of people as saviors ,too tried to grab the political power at any cost.The voters who voted for the bunch of rascals would be ashamed of it one day.The SF gave clues at times for the genuine voters not to follow him.But who were blind could not follow his message.