Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Court martial day

It’s THE day, the day I will see my father taken to face a jury which listens to only one side of the story and knows the verdict of the case even before it is opened. I am scared. I am nervous, worried, and stressed. I am clueless about what could happen at the court. I sense that the judgment will be biased and I am not saying this because General Sarath Fonseka is my father. I am saying this because of the many reasons that have been folded up with this case from the day after the presidential elections took place on January 26.

 

I’ve blogged about some of the incidents and I am wondering how this game will be played. The government has been making and breaking the law and regulations for their own benefit. Here I want to recount what has happened to see if any of it makes sense:

 

January 27: More than 300 army soldiers surrounded us at the Hotel Cinnamon Lakeside. The accusation was that we were keeping army deserters and my father was planning a military coup. The accusations are false. The court released the accused people on February 26 because the CID and TID failed to find any evidence against them.

http://www.lankatruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4829:all-23-supporters-of-general-released&catid=35:local&Itemid=62

              My father’s name was blacklisted so he could not exit the country for whatever reason. It was the first time in the history of Sri Lanka that an opposition leader had to wonder if his life was in jeopardy for standing in the elections. My family had been under house arrest for more than 48 hours already.

 

January 29: The government searched General Sarath Fonseka’s campaign office without a warrant and arrested employees. They accused one of the officers, Brigadier Duminda Keppetiwala, harassed him to give statements against my father. He said, “I feel like putting the nose around my neck for what atrocities this government is committing on us for saving the country.”

http://www.lankatruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4862:i-feel-like-putting-the-noose-around-my-neck-for-what-atrocities-this-government-is-committing-on-us-for-saving-the-country--brig-duminda-keppetipola&catid=35:local&Itemid=62

              Under what legal condition can a person be arrested without a warrant? In what country can a government harass a person into giving false statements? The government also dismissed 12 senior military officers, including three major generals from the army. They were accused of helping General Fonseka. Recently, the government dismissed 10 police officers under more false allegations.

             

February 8: My father was abducted from his office at 9.15 p.m. They failed to produce a warrant or charge sheets. My father was a civilian then and he should have been arrested by the police, not the army. The officer who came to take him away, Major General Manawadu, a lower ranked officer than my father had been while in the army. According to army regulations, lower ranked officers aren’t allowed to arrest senior officials, even ex-army staff, unless it’s a fraudulent enlistment, desertion or bribery.

 

              That day onward, the government has attempted to silence civilians. Threats were issued to religious leaders and journalists also. I could go on and on but the point is that there is no democracy in Sri Lanka. There is no such thing as a fair trial anymore. My father was abducted and kept in a small room for almost a month without charges. It was almost funny to see the government trying to collect evidence after they had abducted him. When you keep a person for a month, it’s easy to make false evidence and statements. A few weeks before the charge sheets were given to my father, some high government official said in the public media that my father would be jailed for five years. How can someone say that? They already have the verdict for his trial? To refuse transparency and hide evidence for the charges, they’ve taken the steps to court martial him. Another funny thing is the court martial judge panel: The chairman of the military tribunal is Maj. Gen. H.L. Weeraetunga, the brother-in-law of the present Army commander Lt. Col. Jagath Jayasuriya. The other major generals named are people who are very loyal to the president.

              The trial against my father itself is illegal. The army act does not apply to him. The government is avoiding transparency by opting for court martial because they do not have to show what is going on. Officials in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan people and international parties such as the Assistant secretary of State Robert Blake in the US, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Shadow Defense Secretary Liam Fox in the UK have all asked the government to hold a civil case and ensure transparency. The government has disregarded all requests and put the case up for court martial because they clearly do not want him to participate in the upcoming general elections. For further information regarding the charges, please look at articles written by Former District Court Judge Kulatileke and Former Chief Justice Sarath N. De silva. 

http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=9240

http://www.lankatruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4960:all-courses-of-action-taken-against-general-are-against-the-law--former-chief-justice&catid=34:lead-news&Itemid=50

 

Today, my father will face those people who have already been told what their decision must be. Today, the public will not see what happened and that is what the government wants. Today, my father will be put behind bars for all that he fought for, for risking his life. The people can sense the truth even when they are not told what it is. Political shams don’t last forever and there will be a time when the truth will come out and the truth will set him free.

 


37 comments:

  1. we are praying for your father, and we are fighting againsts the Rajapakse dictatorship, please try to get UN involved and with the support of the West includint USA and UK the world should pressure Rajapakse regime and the world needs to know about this dictatorship!!

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  2. so aparna what s up ! ur just blogging for whom to see ? yea people read ur blog but the real people who can do some thing for url are down in SL not online , u should be in sri lanka campaining with you mother not sitting on that chair n being online n spending the blood money from danu aiya . if mahindas party wins this election then (which will happen) then url will have more harder times , as u no url are against the govenment now rite , so be ready for it .

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  3. I really feel for you—and please know that the truth, thanks to you, is getting heard outside Sri Lanka by non-Sri Lankans.

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  4. It is sad they have given a room to your daddy with no AC or no hot water. I know even your daddy's dalmaton doggy can't live with no AC.

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  5. Best thing your daddy can do now is to pass war crime charge evidence against Puksha brothers to Channel 4, same way he passed execution video to Ch4 thru JDS. Thats the best way he can take ravenge against them.

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  6. I got to know from a reliable source yesterday Puksha brothers planing to give your daddy presidential pardon after election and going to kill him in few days. May be they use same method used to kill my friend Sripathi, Gota is very good in staging road accidents. Thats why I think 10X10 room in naval headquaters is much safer place for him than anywhere else in this world eventhough no AC or hot water. He can stage one meal fast unto death to demand AC and hot water. It is the most effective method to achive demands, introduced my Tamilnadu political jokers.

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  7. Political Jokers are every where in politics, not only in Tamilnadu. There are indeed many jokers in Srilanka. Your president is the greatest jokers of all; then his brothers and Fonseka. Now his daughter. Thammam?

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  8. The statements and the verdict should be ready by now. They just want to pass time until the election is over.
    One way to get him out is to make a way to take your fathers case to an international court.
    WizarD

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  9. Everybody knows your daddy got more votes than Maharaja. Now he is jealous of your daddy. Ravenge is the best answer to jealocy. I am sure Puksha brothers will talk to Comedy Central channel to soon to justify their accusations againt your daddy. That is the channel jokers normally talk.

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  10. Forget about AC or Hot water Aparna, at least have they given your daddy a mosquto net. Mosqutos are everywhere in Sri Lanka looking for an opportunity to suck blood. Not only they suck blood they give germs too. Some of those germs attack brain making whoever got germs mentally unstable. I don't think your daddy still got any germs to make mentally unstable because he never make any contraditory statements. His vision is clear, take RAVENGE against Pukse brothers just like we hit mosqutos to be flat.

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  11. Rajapukse said your daddy is a FOOL. What a insult!. As a president who won by computer JILMART he should use more decent words in insulting people. This is where he can learn from your daddy. KALAWEDDA, UGUDUWA, THOTHTHA BABA, KATU KANA HIWALA are better words he can learn from your daddy's decent vocabulary.

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  12. Probably the government is scared of the hand written floor plan; they must be thinking that the former military personnel would attack the navy base. War strategies I should say. The government is also having a hard time to explain how things are now. If the government can’t follow international rules Democratic Social Republic would be renamed to some kind of autocratic form. Sri Lanka would not survive the economic sanctions from the international community.

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  13. jeesh,cld someone pls explain to me how the citizens of sri lanka r oblivious to the net??a lot of the non-govt. websites expose MR,so how come people in other countries noe,but the people in SL dont?

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  14. @ mangy:
    Germs?They transmit dieseases,and no,they do not make you mentally unstable!It called malaria,and it can be treated over a period of a month,is not serious at all!dengue,of course,is fatal,but in SL,for some reason,the chances of contacting that diesease is extremely low compared to other countries,even if other countries hve less mosquito population.I was bitten 82 times when visiting(and im a srilankan!) and im alive and completely sane.

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  15. Nightwish you are totally right. Rajapukse must be scared of revealing the place Aparna's daddy is kept. Not only former military personnel, about 90% of the active military also totally support him. It was clear from postal votes in last Presidential election. They will all come together to rescue him with something like a Bastille attack.

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  16. You are the family of Gen. Fonseka, so it would be wise to write to those international organizations and ask for help now, don’t forget to attach a copy of his letter that was “smuggled” out of the detention. Consult some internationally recognized lawyer and submit those letters send cc to some heads of recognized countries. Evidence provided with those letters is a must. I can read the press announcements of the political jokers now; they are trying to justify everything by saying it is internal affairs.

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  17. Hey Aparna, Just finished my website. http://muhammedfazl.com/
    Dedicated part of the page to your dad. check it out and let me know what you think. I am pretty sure the supreme court will do justice to your dad, the war-hero. Stay steadfast, cheers.

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  18. "Fonseka himself put thousands of soldiers under court martial. At one time the figure was 8,500. I shouted at him and I had to release them."

    Mahinda Rajapakse

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  20. Your mommy said daddy got a sharpnel stuck in his brain. That is the reason he needs AC in his prison room. Rajapukse can't understand this because he doesn't have any sharpnel in his brain, in fact it is filled with cow dung.

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  21. Your daddy didn't do war against LTTE in a AC room in Colombo as Gothapaya did. He was always in bunkers along with solders in hot sun. Now his health is deteriorating due to lack of AC anyway. It looks like sharpnel stuck in his brain is gradually corroding with no AC and high sea winds in Navy prison room. Aparna can't you provide AC to your daddy's prison room and pay for electricity bill for AC, same way Rajapukse gave our money for your education in US from president fund.

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  23. News item says "Hunt for Dhanuna continues". With 1 million rupees no body come forward with any info means entire country is with your BiL Dhanuna. Otherwise 1 milion may be not big enough for traitors to come forward. I know 1 million rupees not even enough for Dhanuna to maintain his American way of life for 1 week. With 1 million I don't think they can catch even a Dadu Lena.

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  25. Aparna,

    Is that true when your daddy called you over the phone in the week end his voice was so pale due to severe breathing problems he has now in ACless prison room? I am wondering why Rajapukse doesn't offer his physician and spiritual healer Eliyantha White's service to your daddy. Rajapukse these days kind enough to offer White's service to sportmen all over the world. May be your daddy needs to have a tatto of Rajapukse in his back to qualify for White's services.

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  26. Ane manda Aparna. Api denna witharai me blog eke inne. Meka hariyata paalu gei walan bindinawa wage wedak. Walan nethuwa wena deyak nedda apita kadanna. Eeth ithin wedak nane. Mama ithin gay ne.

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  27. every body aparna is going back to sri lanka ... yahooo finally .

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  28. hmmm she couldn't go . also heard mahinds speech in vavniya . now i feel sad for u aparna

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  29. Ane manda Aparna apita una deyak! I somehow managed to come to parliament, your daddy too. But not sure how long he can be an MP, until court marshal is over. Then JVP will have their own for your daddy's place in parliament. Your family is in utter mess now. Mommy is in Colombo, U and Apsara in US, Danuna ayya is in hiding, daddy is in ACless prison room. Your can't escape from this utter mess now. There is ONE and ONLY one way to escape from this mess. I would tell you later.

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  30. Aparna,

    Wish you and your family very happy new year!!

    No body here to wish you happy new year, It is really sad everybody now forgot about your daddy and your family. Even JVP now don't want to talk about your daddy. They got at least 3 of their members into parliament using your daddy's name.

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  31. dear Apsara

    i m MR Ismail from LONDO i was trying contact you from FEB 2010 but i never got a answer from you

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  32. Thathata tikak amarui kiyanne. Kesillalu hariyata. Husma gannath amarulu. AC ekakwath ewwoth narakei?

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