Sri Lanka candidate denies Tiger rebels shot

By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal - General Sarath Fonseka, who is challenging President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a January election, denied on Monday having said government soldiers shot surrendering Tamil Tiger rebels, adding no such incidents happened.

The Sri Lankan government had earlier denounced reported comments by the general, carried in an opposition newspaper, that senior rebels who were to surrender with white flags on May 17 were ordered to be killed by the government.

Fonseka at a special media briefing on Monday said the pro-opposition Sunday Leader had reported remarks of his out of context. He said senior rebels had not sought surrender with white flags nor had the military fired at surrendering cadres.

"They (army soldiers) never committed any criminal act. There was no any attempt of surrender on May 17,18 and 19," Fonseka told reporters, referring to the last three days of the war with the Tiger rebels.

The government had said it was seeking legal advice over the allegations in the article in the pro-opposition paper.

"The government totally denies this allegation," Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinge told reporters.

Fonseka's successor, Lieutenant-General Jagath Jayasuriya, said: "We reject (these) malicious allegations against our heroic soldiers."

Fonseka said on Monday he would take full responsibility if any rights violations or breach of international law had occurred when he commanded the army in the final stages of the quarter century war.

The government declared victory in the war after killing rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran in late May.

Fonseka and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother, led the government campaign that brought an end to the insurgency, which aimed to create a separate homeland for the island's Tamil minority.

Both sides were accused of human rights violations and atrocities during the long conflict.

Rights groups and Western governments are pressing for some kind of accountability for thousands of civilian deaths in the final phase of the war.

The government has denied charges of deliberately targeting civilians, and said Tiger fighters forcibly kept thousands of unwilling civilians with them in their last redoubts.

© Reuters

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Sri Lankan government killed surrendering Tamil Tigers, says general - Guardian
We have not misquoted Fonseka at any stage: Fredrica Jansz - Ada Derana

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Lanka’s war victory betrayed: Army Chief

Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said that the greatest betrayal of Sri Lanka’s war victory was witnessed by the country on Sunday and urged all officers and other ranks to take note of this development.

“We must stand together as one to face such betrayals aimed at tarnishing the image of the Army,” he said.

Addressing the gathering at a ceremony held at Army Headquarters yesterday to hand over letters of appreciation to officers and other ranks for their contribution to the great victory, he said that the Army went forward and achieved victory after defeating all enemy challenges, adding it was not the victory of one individual but a team effort for which blood, sweat and tears were shed. Victory was achieved through self-confidence, discipline and togetherness and an understanding of each other coupled with good management, the Army Chief said.

“Though I really wanted to give this parchment of appreciation to each and everyone of you in view of the invaluable and great service you have rendered, it was not practically possible to gather all of you to one place, and hence, this is given today as a token but each of you will receive it individually from your Security Forces Headquarters, Divisions, Task Forces, Brigades and Units. Even so, treat it as an honour I have personally bestowed on you as a symbol of appreciation,” he said.

“I believe that all members of the Sri Lanka Army deserve the honour of achieving victory after the completion of this great task. Not only the troops at the battle front but the other troops engaged in providing logistics and support during humanitarian operations contributed to the final success, which I myself as Wanni Security Forces Commander witnessed,” he added.

“I was able to lead our troops from the beginning of the Wanni humanitarian operations to its end. The opportunity I got of having been with you even at the decisive moments while looking after the requirements of Divisions, Task Forces, Brigades and Units remains a memorable part of my life.

“As you all know, the most important tasks in these humanitarian operations were executed from the Wanni Security Forces Headquarters. Realizing this, the terrorists tried to retard the operations by attacking the Wanni Security Forces Headquarters but failed.

“We all are the real heirs to the victory achieved during the humanitarian operations by destroying the so-called Eelam. It is essential to refer specially to the political leadership given for this success. This war dragged on for thirty years because we did not get the correct political leadership though we had a well-trained Army with high morale. But President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had the correct vision and leadership that enabled us to finish off terrorism in a short span of time.

“Earlier when Generals Denzil Kobbekaduwa and Wijeya Wimalarathne conducted the Vadamarachchi Operation, the terrorists were very weak like on this occasion, but due to wavering political leadership that victorious operation was halted. Even talented Army officers were given transfers due to pressure from foreign envoys.

“Army officers and soldiers were killed due to the signing of so-called peace agreements. Sinister forces had done everything possible to stop this humanitarian operation but due to the correct political leadership the country came under one flag,” the Army Commander said.

He emphasized the importance of the Constitution which bestowed legal power with the Commander-in-Chief - the President - to declare war or peace. With the political leadership, the people’s power and the strength of the Army, the entire effort ended in victory, he said.

“Without the correct political leadership we cannot eradicate terrorism. Even at the Army’s 60th anniversary parade, I said that the name of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be etched in letters of gold in history,” he said.

“I am proud to command a heroic Army consisting of war heroes who eradicated terrorism by destroying the most dreaded terrorist in the world – Prabhakaran - and his fellow terrorists. Foreign powers can learn from Sri Lanka how to defeat a terrorist organization.

“Though there were felicitations on different occasions I personally believe that the entire Army should be felicitated. That is why I felicitate and heartily honour the entire Army in this way. At this moment I remember with great honour and gratitude the brave war heroes who sacrificed their lives, became disabled and those who are still receiving treatment in hospitals. We should never forget them. Their names will be written in gold. I must mention the different projects that have already been launched for the welfare of those war heroes and their families by the Seva Vanitha branch of the Army,” Lieutenant General Jayasuriya said.

“My only determination is to make the Sri Lanka Army the best Army in the world by rigid training and by seeing to their welfare,” he said.

“The war has ended. The responsibility of the Army towards the motherland has not ended. Our responsibility is to protect the freedom achieved, resettle the people who were rescued in the humanitarian operations and help the Government in its development efforts,” he said.

The Army Commander also thanked the Navy, Air Force, Sri Lanka Police and Civil Defence Force, for the support received from them towards achieving the great victory.

“We all must strive to continue the good name achieved by our Army as the best and most disciplined one in the world and I urge all of you to have the necessary courage and energy to perform your responsibilities without any hindrance,” he said.

© Daily Mirror

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Row over Sri Lanka 'kill orders'

The Sri Lankan government has accused the former head of the country's military of "betrayal" after he alleged senior officials ordered the killing of surrendering Tamil Tiger leaders during the last days of the country's civil war.

General Sarath Fonseka said in comments published in a national newspaper on Sunday that Sri Lanka's defence minister, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, had told military commanders that no prisoners should be taken during the final offensive in May.

Speaking to the Sunday Leader, Fonseka was quoted as saying Rajapakse had ordered "they must all be killed", referring to leaders of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Fonseka led the army's final offensive against the LTTE, but later fell out with the president and the defence secretary.

Responding to the claims, Sri Lanka's human rights minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe, accused Fonseka of lying.

In a statement posted on a government website, he said Fonseka's allegations were "the greatest ever betrayal based on an untruth, ever made in the history of this country".

Fonseka later appeared to try to distance himself from the Sunday Leader report, saying he had been misquoted.

Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Colombo, said Fonseka told reporters he had been told of the order by a journalist who had been embedded with the military at the time.

Fonseka has not identified the journalist involved.

The only four-star general to have served in the Sri Lankan military, Fonseka said he was away in China when the alleged orders were given.

He said he had not been aware that the defence minister was giving direct orders to officers in the field in the final stages of battle.

Fonseka said it was not until after the war had ended that he learnt that senior Tiger rebels had used foreign mediators to organise a plan in which they would carry white flags and give themselves up.

Elections

Fonseka is contesting upcoming presidential elections against the defence minister's brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A spokesman for the Sri Lankan military gave no comment on Fonseka's allegations.

"This is a comment given by General Fonseka and he will come out with many more," Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the AFP news agency.

"We will not comment on what he says."

The Sri Lankan government claimed victory over the LTTE on May 18 after the army wiped out the rebel leadership in a final fierce battle.

Velupillai Prabhakaran, the group's founder, was killed in the fighting and his body shown on national television.

Sri Lankan authorities have resisted international calls for a investigation into allegations of war crimes committed during the conflict after the United Nations alleged that more than 7,000 civilians were killed during the first four months of this year alone.

Fonseka has said he will consider ordering an investigation if he is elected president.

© Al Jazeera

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Sri Lanka accuses General Sarath Fonseka of 'betrayal' - BBC
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Rebels killed amid surrender: Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan troops shot dead surrendering Tamil Tiger leaders on the orders of the defence secretary, the former chief of the army who is now running for president said in remarks published on Sunday.

Sarath Fonseka said Gotabhaya Rajapakse, brother of the current president, instructed soldiers not to take rebel prisoners in the days before the Tamil separatists were defeated in May after decades of bloody ethnic conflict.

"Gotabhaya Rajapakse spoke with Brigadier Shavendra Silva, commander of the army's 58th division, giving orders not to accommodate any LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) leaders attempting to surrender and that they must all be killed," Fonseka said.

He told the privately run Sunday Leader newspaper that senior Tamil Tigers had used foreign mediators to organise a plan in which they would carry white flags and give themselves up to the army.

Fonseka led the army's successful offensive but later fell out with President Mahinda Rajapakse and defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

He resigned last month, accusing the government of sidelining him, and is now attempting to unseat President Rajapakse in elections on January 26.

The government has previously denied ordering troops to kill Tamil Tiger political wing leader B. Nadesan, senior rebel S. Puleedevan and another Tiger official and their families. Fonseka made no mention of the leaders' families.

Sri Lankan authorities have resisted international calls for a war crimes investigation amid allegations by the United Nations that more than 7,000 civilians were killed during the first four months of this year alone.

The government's military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara declined to comment on Fonseka's remarks.

"This is a comment given by General Fonseka and he will come out with many more," Nanayakkara said. "We will not comment on what he says."

The military claimed victory over the LTTE on May 18 after wiping out the leadership of the once-powerful movement, which began its armed struggle in 1972.

© The Age

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'Defence Secretary ordered to shoot the surrendered LTTE leaders' says former SL Army Chief

By Frederica Jansz - Common opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka says Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa instructed a key ground commander in the north that all LTTE leaders must be killed and not allowed to surrender.

In an explosive interview with The Sunday Leader General Fonseka the then Army Commander said he had no information communicated to him in the final days of the war that three key LTTE leaders had opted to surrender to Sri Lanka’s armed forces as the battle drew to a bloody finish.

Fonseka charged that communications were instead confined between the LTTE leaders, Norway, various foreign parties, Basil Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament and the powerful senior adviser to the President and such information was never conveyed to him as he supervised the final stages of the war. “Later, I learnt that Basil had conveyed this information to the Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa – who in turn spoke with Brigadier Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army’s 58th Division, giving orders not to accommodate any LTTE leaders attempting surrender and that “they must all be killed.”

General Fonseka explained how on the night of May 17th this year desperate efforts of three senior LTTE leaders trapped in the war zone to save their lives failed as they were instead shot dead as they prepared to surrender to government forces.

The government later claimed that troops found bodies of three key LTTE leaders identified as Nadesan, Pulidevan and Ramesh during the mop- up operations in the last LTTE stronghold on the morning of May 18.

General Fonseka said the incident took place as the remaining LTTE cadres were boxed into a 100m x 100m area, North of Vellamullivaikkal.

Balasingham Nadeshan a former police constable of Sri Lanka police was the political head of the LTTE. Seevaratnam Pulidevan was the head of “LTTE peace secretariat” while Ramesh a senior special commander of the military wing.

Hours before they surrendered, in a flurry of emails, text messages and telephone calls between NGOs, a foreign government and Sri Lankan officials in Colombo, the two LTTE political leaders had frantically inquired as to how they could give themselves up.

They were told: “Get a piece of white cloth, put up your hands and walk towards the other side in a non-threatening manner.”

But the attempt to surrender by the three LTTE leader and their families failed. Sometime between midnight on 17 May and the early hours of the next morning, the three men and their family members were shot dead.

General Fonseka said it was Basil Rajapaksa together with the Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa who through foreign intermediaries conveyed a message back to the LTTE leaders who wished to surrender to walk out carrying a piece of white cloth. “It was their idea,” he said.

GENERAL SILVA AND ARMY COMMANDER SAY ‘ NO COMMENT’

When we contacted Shavendra Silva, now promoted to Major General he sounded very shocked when told of the allegation but insisted he could not respond to this charge until he had clearance from the military spokesman.

Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told us he had to get clearance from the Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya.

Later in the day the military spokesman said that he had contacted both the Army Commander and General Shavindra Silva and both had said that they would not comment on the matter.

The chief intermediary for the three LTTE men was the Norwegian government’s then Environment and Development Minister Erik Solheim. (Solheim is now the overseas development minister) On Sunday 17 May, Mr Solheim apparently received calls from LTTE figures who said they wanted to surrender.

The ICRC in Colombo later confirmed that it had received word from the Norwegians that the two leaders were looking to give themselves up. “The ICRC was approached on this matter by the representatives of the LTTE as well as the Norwegian authorities,” spokeswoman Sarasi Wijeratne was quoted saying at the time of the incident. “The information was referred to the Sri Lankan authorities. We have no idea what happened [then]. We lost contact with everyone in the last conflict.”

The government’s point man in the negotiations appears to have been former foreign secretary Palitha Kohona who is now Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the United nations He was quoted by news agencies saying that in the days leading up to Sunday evening, he had received a number of messages indicating from Mr. Nadesan and Mr Pulidevan – whom he has met at various peace talks – wanting a way out.

In one interview with ‘SiberNews’ Mr. Kohona said that his response had been that “there was only one way to surrender that is recognised by military practice”. He said they should obtain a white flag and give themselves up. “I kept saying this for three days,” he added.

But General Fonseka maintains that Nadesan, Ramesh and Pulidevan had been shot dead by government troops as they advanced towards them carrying a white flag, as they had been instructed to do.

Fonseka said he later learnt about what exactly had taken place as a result of journalists who had been entrenched at the time with General Shavendra Silva’s brigade command. These reporter’s according to Fonseka were privy to the telephone call received by the Army’s 58th Brigade Commander from the Defence Secretary –“telling him to not accommodate any LTTE surrenders but to simply go ahead and kill them.” – “These journalists later told me what exactly took place,” Fonseka said.

_____________________________________________________________

“Norway never got in touch” – Basil Rajapaksa

Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa refuted this damning charge. He told The Sunday Leader, “The Norwegians never got in touch with me over this particular incident. I have been in touch with the Norwegians over various issues pertaining to the conflict but never once on this particular issue.”

When asked if he had been unaware then that three LTTE leaders were seeking surrender during the last stages of the war – Rajapaksa replied, “No. I won’t say that. But Norway never got in touch with me.”

Asked nevertheless if he did convey something to this effect to his brother and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mr. Rajapaksa said “If I had not been informed by Norway in the first instance then obviously the second did not happen.”

Our attempts to contact Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa failed. When we telephoned the Defence Ministry Friday we were told Mr. Rajapaksa had not been in office the entire day. His staff refused to release any other telephone number.

© The Sunday Leader

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Tigers begged me to broker surrender - Times Online

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Attacks on media: The story unfolds

Sunday Times Political Editor - Despite reports that the US would seek "a more positive relationship" with Sri Lanka based on a bi-partisan accord reached by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Blake was on track. He raised almost all issues of concern to the Obama administration and later fielded questions from the media at a news conference on Thursday.

A significant aspect was references to the media though most outlets did not focus upon the fact. Blake declared in a prepared text, "An important element of reconciliation is safeguarding and protecting the rights of all Sri Lankans. In practice, this means that journalists should be able to write their perspectives and report on events freely, without fear of reprisal; that individuals should be able to voice their differences openly; and that people who have violated the rights of others should be held accountable for their actions."

The statement, the official viewpoint of the Government of the United States, assumes greater significance in the light of the buck-passing that is now going on. Gen. (retd.) Sarath Fonseka continues to insist he had nothing to do with murder, assaults, intimidation, harassment or the white-van abductions of journalists, democracy activists and others. More pointedly, he told the National Association of Lawyers on November 27 that he had nothing to do in the killing of Lasantha Wickramatunge, Editor of The Sunday Leader. He stood near United National Front leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, as he garlanded a portrait of the slain editor cum lawyer. Now the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which has taken over investigations, is to question Gen. Fonseka on the murder of Wickramatunge.

A response to those remarks by Gen. Fonseka came from Defence Secretary, Lt. Col. (retd.) Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, his arch foe now. He told our sister paper the Irida Lankadeepa (November 29) during a lengthy interview, "he (retired Gen. Fonseka) is now saying something else. He is belatedly talking of media freedom."

Asked why he remained silent when attacks on the media were carried out, Lt. Col. (retd.) Rajapaksa is quoted as saying, "We did not keep quiet knowing it. We do not say it even up to now. We are saying it now because he (Gen. Fonseka) is talking about media freedom. In my web site (reference is to the website of the Ministry of Defence run by the Defence Secretary) we have not reported these.

"We are saying it because (Gen. retd.) Fonseka is saying it. Particularly at that time, I accepted the accusations made by the media. I kept silent all throughout. I wanted to save the armed forces chiefs. The reason is because we did not think of personal matters since we had a common goal. My silence over the killing of Lasantha Wickramatunge and other issues thus led the blame being placed on me. My aim was to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)."

Lt. Col. (retd.) Rajapaksa's remarks to the Irida Lankadeepa were repeated in other interviews he gave both the print and electronic media thereafter. They were to draw the attention of the Colombo-based diplomatic community, particularly those representing western nations. If the issue was lost on media rights groups both in Sri Lanka and abroad, some of the western nations that release reports on human rights violations were to take note of the Defence Secretary's remarks. That was the fact that he was aware of what was going on but did not act in order to protect armed forces commanders.

For the United States, it appears to have answered questions raised with regard to the media in the State Department annual report on Human Rights. Similarly, for the European Union, though not intended, it provided the answers to the issue of attacks on the media. The EU too had raised the issue in two consecutive reports. These reports were a prelude to the EU Council of Ministers taking a formal decision later this month on whether or not the GSP Plus concessionary tariffs to a basket of Sri Lankan exports should be continued.

If the Government did not respond to the first report, a team of Ministers formulated a response to the second one. To say the least, Lt. Col. (retd.) Rajapaksa's latest assertions were at variance with the official positions taken by the Government. There is little doubt that the EU Council of Ministers will take note of these new developments. An EU diplomat who did not wish to be named told the Sunday Times "it is now certain there will be no extension of the GSP Plus after June next year. Not until the tough conditions the EU will place are paid heed to by the Government."

Here was a situation where Gen. Fonseka is saying he was not involved in any acts of violence against the media. On the other hand, here was the Defence Secretary strongly denying any involvement but significant enough, admitting he was aware they had occurred but yet acknowledging he had chosen to remain silent. That was to "save the armed forces chiefs" and to achieve the "common goal" of defeating the Tiger guerrillas. That silence was whilst the official web site of the Ministry of Defence brazenly named several journalists and branded them as "traitors".

Mangala Samaraweera, MP and one of two spokespersons for Gen. Fonseka's polls campaign charged that the Defence Secretary had withheld information and asked why the CID had not recorded a statement from him. He said he had violated the Penal Code by disclosing in interviews that he was aware of attacks on journalists but remained silent. He was speaking at a UNF news conference on Thursday. Samaraweera said that the Defence Secretary was a senior Government official and therefore could not engage in politics nor give lengthy political interviews to the print and electronic media on behalf of his brother. He claimed this went against the ruling of the Commissioner of Elections that no Government officials engage in political activity.

"We will come with answers to those issues (attacks on the media) at the right time," said a UPFA campaign official. He said some television programmes and booklets to answer the issues raised were now under preparation. "They will be aired and distributed respectively after our polls campaign begins in Anuradhapura on December 18. They cannot get away by placing the blame on Gotabhaya," the official added.

Amidst this controversy, state-run television networks have provided wide coverage to allegations that a member of Gen. Fonseka's family profited by military deals with the Government, a charge that is dismissed by the former Chief of Defence Staff as "baseless and malicious".

Even before the official polls campaign is set to begin after nominations on Thursday, both the UPFA leadership as well as the main Opposition parties have begun to woo the media. Last Tuesday, for the fourth time, President Rajapaksa invited a thousand media workers, journalists, library staff, printing personnel among others, to dinner at 'Temple Trees'. Rajapaksa had only walked to a few tables to smile and say "hello" to his guests when some confusion broke out. Beer was served and some left the tables to help themselves to the brew preventing him from his regular public relations routine,

Those media events have also become the subject of debate. Gen. Fonseka was asked, at his first news conference to announce his candidature, on November 15, his policy towards consumption of liquor. He said he did not object to the consumption but added that he would crack down on drug abuse. Sections of the pro-Rajapaksa Buddhist clergy tried to make an issue of these remarks.

They argued that whilst the UPFA Government spoke of Mathata Thiththa (full stop to alcohol and drugs), Gen. (retd.) Fonseka was talking about consumption of alcohol. Loyalists of the 'common candidate' were quick to point out that alcohol was freely served during Rajapaksa's media events. If it was only beer for the thousand that gathered on Tuesday night, there was premium whisky, brandy and other liquor at the previous event for the media at the Colombo Hilton, they pointed out.

It is now Gen. Fonseka's turn now to wine and dine the media. His campaign staff was busy yesterday making arrangements for a major event tomorrow evening. The Sunday Times has learnt that tomorrow's event at the Taj Samudra will assume greater significance for another reason. Besides the entertainment aspect, the Opposition's 'common candidate' for the Presidency is to spell out his media policy and make commitments to practitioners should he be voted to power.

According to one source, "he will go beyond assurances of media freedom" but declined to elaborate saying matters were still not finalised. "I can only tell you he has some interesting surprises," the source added. Though he will not put forward a manifesto, as reported earlier, a common minimum programme of sorts will incorporate the policies towards media which Gen. Fonseka is expected to announce tomorrow.

(This is an edited version of the Sunday Times political column. To read the full article, click here)

© The Sunday Times

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Sri Lanka wants more players in oil race

Sri Lanka plans to offer three more blocks off the island's northwestern shores for oil exploration, the government said on Saturday.

"We need more players in the oil exploration race and the government plans to call for tenders for three more blocks off the Gulf of Mannar early next year," Petroleum Resources Minister A.H.M. Fowzie told AFP.

Cairn India, a unit of Britain's Cairn Energy Plc, began a 100 million-dollar seismic survey off Sri Lanka's northwestern coast earlier in the week to explore for crude oil.

Cairn said it hopes to complete the survey by March and start drilling in the first half of 2011.

Fowzie said previous seismic data had showed the potential for the discovery of more than one billion barrels of oil in the Mannar Basin but there have been no finds yet.

Sri Lanka awarded Cairn one of eight blocks totalling 3,000 square kilometres (1,158 square miles) in 2008. In 2007, India and China were given one block each but neither has begun exploration.

With the island just emerging from the end of a 37-year Tamil separatist war, Fowzie is hopeful of attracting more players.

Sri Lanka produces no oil and spent 3.4 billion dollars on importing crude last year.

In the 1970s, overseas companies explored areas off Sri Lanka's northwest coast but failed to find any oil and gas reserves worth exploiting commercially.

© AFP

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Sri Lankan war allies, now political enemies

By KRISHAN FRANCIS - Just a few months ago, Sri Lanka's president and its army chief were strong allies, working closely together to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels and end the nation's 25-year civil war.

Now the two men hailed as national heroes are bitter political opponents, as Gen. Sarath Fonseka works to unseat President Mahinda Rajapaksa in next month's presidential elections.

Rajapaksa's allies brand Fonseka a potential dictator and say he is ungrateful to the man who promoted him to army chief and put him in charge of leading the fight against the rebels.

Fonseka, who resigned from the military last month, accuses Rajapaksa of corruption and nepotism and says the nation is still not at peace, even though the war ended in May.

"Under cover of war victory, if someone is trying to boost up his family image or to stick to nepotism ... then you can't say peace has come," Fonseka told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday.

Fonseka was highlighting the position of Rajapaksa's three brothers: one a Cabinet minister, another the president's top adviser and a third the defense secretary.

Fonseka said if elected he would prune down the extensive powers of the presidency and strengthen parliament under the prime minister.

But many Rajapaksa backers argue Fonseka is actually planning on taking more power, and might even turn the country into a dictatorship.

Fonseka brushed off the accusation.

"If I was keen about a military regime, I would have done it long ago, even before the war was won," he said. "I am a disciplined general who commanded a disciplined army."

The falling out between Rajapaksa and Fonseka is stark. After the war, the president promoted the army chief, giving him a fourth star and naming him commander of all military forces.

But Fonseka complained he was sidelined into a bureaucratic job and under constant accusation of plotting a coup. He resigned last month and announced he would run as the opposition candidate in Jan. 26 elections.

Victor Ivan, a political analyst and editor of Ravaya newspaper, said Fonseka's decision has made the election — which had been considered an easy win for the president — a real contest and was healthy for democracy in the country. But also he warned of a close race sparking street violence.

The government and the military came under harsh criticism for their conduct during the final months of the war, when 300,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were trapped along with Tamil separatists in a shrinking war zone in the north.

According to the U.N., more than 7,000 civilians were killed from January to April, and a U.S. State Department report listed instances when government troops allegedly fired at civilians and hospitals and killed rebels who tried to surrender with white flags. Journalists critical of the military campaign were killed, attacked or forced to flee the country.

Fonseka implied gangs working for government leaders may have been involved in the attacks on journalists and denied war crimes allegations.

"As far as the army is concerned, I don't know there were any war crimes. I monitored every action by the troops," he said. "If we went on ignoring the safety of civilians, out of the 300,000 civilians we saved, half would have gotten killed."

But Fonseka's entry to politics has alarmed the mainly Hindu minority Tamil group, who view him as an ethnic Sinhalese nationalist.

His reported comments last year that he was fighting for a Buddhist, Sinhalese state reinforced that fear. Fonseka says he was misquoted and that he stands for equality and justice for all.

"In my previous job I did justice to them (Tamils). I destroyed terrorism and liberated the affected people," Fonseka said, adding as president he would ensure "equal rights and justice done to all communities in the country."

But he was non-committal on the long-standing Tamil demand for power sharing, saying only a future parliament could decide the issue.

© Associated Press

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Hundreds of children still missing in Sri Lanka: UN

Sutirtho Patranobis - Hundreds of children continue to be missing or remain separated from their parents in the refugee camps for the displaced Tamils in northern Sri Lanka, the United Nations (UN) said on Friday.

Tracking missing children becomes difficult as families are scattered across camps and the government should take the help of the UN agencies and the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) to reunite them, general (retired) Patrick Cammaert, UN special envoy of the special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict, said.

`` (But) the number (of missing children) is gradually going down,'' he said, adding that UN agencies and ICRC should have access to registration data of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to accelerate the process.

Cammaert was interacting with the press after a five-day visit to refugee camps and rehabilitation facilities for child soldiers across Sri Lanka.

The former Dutch Marine Corps general said several children he met in Ampara district of eastern Sri Lanka told him about ``re-recruitment'' fears after their release from rehabilitation camps. Cammaert said he also came across ``isolated cases'' of new recruitment of children by groups. ``It is unclear who is recruiting the children. Police are investigating the cases,'' he said, adding that there was no evidence that the children were being recruited for arms training. ``But it was important enough to flag it,'' Cammaert said.

The UN envoy said attorney general Mohan Peiris had assured him that children associated with armed groups would be treated as victims and would not be prosecuted. ``Their number is between 600 and 700. They will be able to start without stigma, on a clean slate,'' Cammaert said.

He also emphasised the ``special needs'' of the ``significant number of young people who were abducted by armed groups when they were minors and who are now above 18 years of age.'' Cammaert said the government should initiate a dialogue to formulate a policy for them.

© Hindustan Times

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Free Sri Lanka child soldiers: UN envoy - AFP
Sri Lanka: UN envoy on children and armed conflict ends visit - UN News Centre

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Post-war Sri Lanka, scars remain

Anthony David - Months after ending a 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka that claimed over 100,000 lives, fresh hopes have been raised about building ethnic unity, although scars remain.

Government forces inched their way into the rebel-held territories in the northern part of the country in the final phase of the offensive in January this year. They eventually killed all the senior rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) including their leader commander Velupillai Prabhakaran May 18 to end the war.

Minefields are being cleared, large hauls of weapons, ammunition and explosives continue to be unearthed from the former war zone as some 10,000 suspected Tamil rebels remain in custody pending either prosecution or rehabilitation.

An estimated 130,000 people out of 300,000 displaced by the war still languish in refugee camps while the government goes ahead with ad-hoc resettlement plans including allowing some to go with friends and relations in other areas, but not to their original villages.

From Dec 1, the heavily guarded refugee camps were declared "open camps," enabling the free movement of inmates who were previously prevented from leaving.

The move was seen as a political ploy to appease Tamils ahead of a presidential election, which President Mahinda Rajapaksa - who spearheaded the war - has called for January, two years ahead of schedule.

"At the previous elections the people living in the north were not able to vote properly. Therefore, I have decided to seek a fresh mandate from the entire country," Rajapaksa said.

Tamil rebels prevented members of their minority from voting in the north and east for the 2005 presidential election. That move favoured Rajapaksa against opposition candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe, the architect of a Norwegian-backed ceasefire and peace talks.

The Tamil rebel chief Prabhakaran was widely believed to have underestimated Rajapaksa and launched unprovoked attacks on military convoys less than three weeks after the president took office. The government's military push came after a wait of six months.

But military victory has sparked off differences over Rajapaksa and General Sarath Foneska, the army commander who led the offensive after he survived a suicide attack by the LTTE. Less than two weeks after the war ended, he was appointed defence chief of staff, a largely ceremonial position.

Fonseka, who retired prematurely from service in November, has decided to enter politics and run against Rajapaksa.

"It is clear that the president's popularity is dropping which has forced him to go for fresh elections before his six-year term has ended," said Wickremesinghe, who leads the opposition United National Party that is supporting Foneska.

Tamils have so far seen only the military end to the conflict, with the government failing to come out with proposals to resolve long-standing grievances of unemployment, under-development and administrative issues.

But the surface benefits of the war's end are evident.

A key highway linking the north and south which was closed during the war, except for a brief period of the Norwegian backed cease-fire during from 2003-05, has been re-opened to civilian traffic, enabling better interaction between the communities.

A railway line linking the country that was blown up in 1985 by Tamil rebels is being rebuilt. Fish and agricultural products from the former war-torn areas are flowing into markets of the south.

In the south, tourism is improving with freedom of movement after the removal of security restrictions, and in the capital city there were no longer fears of suicide attacks and bomb explosions.

As the government moves to win the hearts and minds of Tamils ahead of the election, the scars of the war remain. International pressure to probe war allegations of crimes continues.

"It is true that terrorism has ended, but our families have suffered a lot and lost many of our members due to the war," said Thangamani Thiruchelvam, 42, a mother of two who lost her husband in the war.

An estimated 7,000 civilians perished in the final three months of the war, according to United Nations estimates.

During the war an estimated 23,000 soldiers were killed and 30,000 others injured, some of them disabled for life.

The bitter war ended with a military solution, but a political solution to the ethnic conflict is needed to prevent the nation from slipping backwards.

© IANS

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