Where is my father?

I am Aparna Fonseka, youngest daughter of General Sarath Fonseka of Sri Lanka. Today, 8 February 2010, I decided to start this blog because of the unfortunate and disgraceful incident that happened to my father. I am tired of watching from the sidelines and reading what people have written without being able to defend. However vile, destructive or poisonous the remarks about him and my family have been, I’ve been listening silently. I’ve stayed silent even after there was an assassination attempt on his life. I’ve been silent when they accused my brother-in-law of being an arms dealer. I’ve been silent when they surrounded our house and put us under arrest. But today, my father was dragged away before his family and his life is in danger again. I cannot be a silent spectator any more.

My father dedicated forty years of his life to serving my motherland, Sri Lanka. Unlike other politicians or top officials, he did not earn a single penny other than respect from his country men. He rescued Sri Lanka from the ruthless terrorists, the LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tiger Eelam), who spread fear and violence in the nation. Today, he was arrested without a warrant or a valid reason at his office in a manner that even a criminal or enemy would not be treated.

The person who came to the office to arrest my father was Major General Sumith Manawadu who was the officer in charge of Mullaitivu during the Eelam War IV and he was transferred to the Army headquarters in Colombo as punishment for issuing wrong orders to the ground troops, which resulted in the death of 117 soldiers in combat. According to what I’ve seen in newspapers, The Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa knew of this rift and used Major General Manawadu for several operations against my father. It was Major General Manawadu who also played the role of Commanding Officer in “Operation Trans Asia” who kept us under house arrest till the election results were called off and spread false rumors saying we were keeping army deserters. The only men who were with us on Election Day were my cousins, some party leaders, few retired army officers and the men who were legally appointed by the court for my father’s protection. The state media published news stating that the military that surrounded the hotel was for our own protection. This coming from a government who wouldn’t even assign enough military personnel for my father’s protection after he had resigned! Why would they send five hundred for our protection on Election Day? It was another story that the government cooked to silence skeptics and dampen questions that were being raised. We had decided to go to a hotel because of the threats we’d been getting from the government.

The state media is trying to label my father as a traitor to brainwash civilians. The rural areas only hear the voice of the state media and if some person raise their voice against the government in power, they will lose their jobs and even their lives. As soon as the election was over, the government seized my father’s office, took most of the equipments, and with no valid reason, arrested over 13 men who worked there. This was only the beginning they had launched against my father. They fired 14 military officers with the accusation that they were planning a military coup. There is no evidence for any of these allegations but I am also aware that they are capable of making false evidences after taking these people under arrest. Democracy in Sri Lanka has screeched to a halt. As the president said after the rigged election results were announced, “the law is equal to every person who lives in the country but to the president.”

On 2009, my father was known as the best army commander in the world. (Eg. http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items09/150109-8.html) Everyone wanted to know his methods and tactics. They were impressed by how he ended terrorism which had been going on for almost three consecutive decades. I can wholeheartedly say that he is the most patriotic man I know and possibly the most patriotic man who has ever lived in Sri Lanka. He sacrificed his life in the war not once, but three times! Sri Lanka, what more do you want from him?

Only my mother, sister and I can understand the amount of work and thought he put into the miraculous victory. There were countless days when I fell into restless sleep not knowing whether he would arrive home from work safely because of the many threats he had on his life. For weeks we wouldn’t see him because he had gone to join our brave soldiers at the war front. After the suicide bomber’s attempt, I sat for two whole days in the emergency room praying for a miracle to save my father’s life.

Now, I am sitting here clueless begging people for information and for help. I do not know where my father is, where they’ve taken him, what they’ve done to him. Why are they attacking him? For trying to save our country from corruption? Or because he is the only man with courage enough to stand up against the corrupt government? Or is it because he was the only one who understood the hardships of Sri Lankan civilians who live from one day to the next? My father is a hero and this is how they show their gratitude? I need my father back. This is an urgent and sincere request to help find him.

Sincerely,

Aparna Fonseka

(Daughter of General Sarath Fonseka)