On My Beat: “Whereas Fonseka is treated like a lord…”
By K T Rajasingham
Colombo, 12 February (Asiantribune.com):
The Fundamental rights violation petition filed on Wednesday challenging the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of General Sarath Fonseka is coming before the Supreme Court today.
Anoma Fonseka and New Democratic Front Secretary Ms Shamila Perera filed the petition for and on behalf of General Fonseka for his immediate release saying his fundamental rights were violated.
A three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court will hear the Fundamental Rights Application today. The Supreme Court Bench will Comprise of the Chief Justice Asoka de Silva, Justice Shiranee Tillakawardena and Justice Chandra Ekanayake.
The respondents cited in the petition are Lt. General Jagath Jayasuriya, Army Commander, Major General Sumith Manawadu, OIC – in charge of Colombo Security, Sri Lanka Army Head Quarters, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Secretary, Defence, Brigadier Wijesiri, Head of Military Police, Slave Island and the Attorney General.
Whereas Fonseka is treated like a lord. Thursday started for Sarath Fonseka at the Senior Officers apartment with breakfast provided by the Army. He was given a varieties of food which includes rice and curry (Salmon, potatoes, dhal and poll Sambol) , green salad including Gottu Kola (centrella), Rotti, baked beans etc., and coffee and tea, of course.
Sources said Tea and coffee are made available 24 hours. Also they said only those in the ranks of Lt. Colonels or Colonels are assigned to take care of him.
In the afternoon around 1.30 PM Anoma and Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, Fonseka’s lawyer visited him. Anoma brought lunch. Military police tested the food brought by Anoma. An innocent military police officer has to taste the foods before allowing Sarath Fonseka to eat.
Later the officer would be watched for 30 minutes and if nothing untoward happened to him only, the military police would allow that food to be given Sarath Fonseka.
Always an innocent military officer’s life is at stake when he undertakes to confirm that the food given to Sarath Fonseka is free from poison.
Mahavamsa has it that there had been queens who have killed their own husbands by poisoning the food. One classic case was that none other than queen Anula. Now we have Anoma and army was not ready to take any risk even food brought by Anoma, the wife of Sarath Fonseka.
When Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa came with Anoma to meet Sarath Fonseka, he brought with him the current issue of the Lankadeepa newspaper. The Army allowed Sarath Fonseka to keep that copy of that paper.
An Army source told Asian Tribune that they have no problem with Sarath Fonseka reading any Newspaper. He said unfortunately the Sri Lanka Navy only gets down Lake House papers. Therefore, they are helpless in providing other newspapers except Daily News andDinamina
While talking to Minister Keheliya Rambukawella, the Government spokesman on National Security, he told this year’s Sarasaviya’s award for the best actress has to be awarded to Anoma Fonseka. He said that he is prepared to nominate her for that best actress award for 2010. He said that she was seen yesterday (Wednesday) in the midst of the protesters at Hulftsdorp hale and hearty , talking, laughing and enjoying.
Within ten minutes when the press camera was switched on to her, immediately without using glycerine she started shedding tears. What an instant performance?
Anoma was also seen yesterday in the Srisa TV appealing to the women of the country. It was reported she has said that in total 52 per cent of the population in the country are women and the womenfolk should come forward in toto to do away with corrupt government.
Sources told that Anoma is politicalizing her husband’s arrest to make the maximum and to contest in the forthcoming parliamentary seat from Ambalangoda in the Galle District.
Earlier, Anoma Fonseka reported to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission that Sarath Fonseka was confined to a junior Navy personnel’s apartment.
On her report, Sri Lanka’s Human Right Commission representatives visited Sarath Fonseka yesterday and to their surprise they found him at the apartment earlier occupied by the present Navy Commander Admiral Tissera Samarasinghe.
Several Army officers and soldiers speaking to Asian Tribune said that when Sarath Fonseka was the Army Commander for four years, more than 600 of them were court martialled by him and they were treated like dirt when he was in power and authority in the Army.
They said that more than 200 cases were filed against him in the Supreme Court and in the High Courts in the country by soldiers and officers challenging his atrocities and he has failed to act in almost all cases according to the Supreme Court judgements. They said, there are 40 cases still pending against him in the High Courts as well as in the Supreme Court. They said that as he is no more the Army Commander, a handful of those who filed the cases have withdrawn their cases.
Many other soldiers and officers said that Fonseka when he had been the head of the Army, he had arrested and kept imprisoned more 1000 soldiers and officers on some flimsy charges and harassed them. They lamented that regarding all those allegation never the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission has ever considered to come forward to investigate.
And why now, they asked.
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
This is getting to be really
This is getting to be really interesting. A Colonel or Lieutenant-Colonel first eats some of the food brought in by the General's wife and then they are sitting and watching the Colonel to see whether he drops dead. (And we hope this brave Colonel is eating only a part of the food so that there is still enough food left for the General.)
And it seems, based on the info in the article, the Colonel or Lieutenant-Colonel is eating a part of the food brought in by the General's wife, but not a part of the "varieties of food" provided by the army. If many officers are upset with the General, as the article suggests, who is more likely to poison the General: His wife or disgruntled army officers. Now this is not only interesting, but also getting confusing.