In a vociferous defence of the manner in which he fought and won the 30-year war against the LTTE, former Sri Lanka Army Chief Sarath Fonseka riddled holes in the allegation that his troops murdered Velupillai Prabhakaran’s minor son, offered to face any probe, and gave a powerful, albeit indirect, reprieve to his beleaguered President Mahinda Rajapaksha.
Addressing the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in Colombo on Tuesday, March 20, 2013, Fonseka, a leader of the opposition Democratic National Alliance (DNA), refuted charges that his troops murdered Prabhakaran’s 12-year-old son, Balachandran.
It may be recalled that the bodies of Prabhakaran’s wife Mathivathani, 20-year-old daughter Dhuwraha (Dwarka), and younger son Balachandran were found on May 20, 2009, after the war ended. Bearing gunshot wounds in the head, the bodies were found in Nandi Kadal lagoon area a day after Prabhakaran’s body was recovered by the Sri Lankan Army. The bodies of 150 other LTTE cadres were also recovered from the lagoon area.
Prabhakaran’s elder son, Charles Anthony (24), was found dead on May 18, 2009, in the Karayamullaivaikkal area, with other senior leaders, including B Nadesan, head of LTTE’s political wing, Puleedevan, and senior field commander ‘Colonel’ Ramesh. Reports at the time hinted that they most likely took their own lives in a series of massive explosions heard within the No Fire Zone the previous day. Charles Anthony commanded the LTTE air wing, which he built up after returning from Ireland in 2006 with a degree in aeronautical engineering; he was behind the sensational night raid on the military air base inside Colombo international airport in March 2007.
Regarding Balachandran, Fonseka said that the pictures shown by Britain’s Channel 4 television network last month, one showing Balachandran sitting inside a military bunker having a snack and another his bullet riddled body, were possibly “doctored”. His explanation seems credible: “The bunker where he was looks too tidy and orderly to be one of our bunkers. In the battle field, we did not have the luxury of having such neat and tidy bunkers”.
Moreover, he pointed out, “The camouflaged uniform worn by someone who is claimed to be a Sri Lankan soldier is not what we issue our troops. This is the camouflage that is used by Indian troops. We know Tigers used smuggled Indian army-type uniforms”. Certainly, all photographs of Prabhakaran and other LTTE commanders and cadre show them in fatigues similar to those of the Indian Army.
Calleum Macrae’s documentary, which showed Balachandran with five bullet wounds in his chest, claimed that the boy was interrogated to ascertain his father’s whereabouts before he was killed. He had allegedly been sent with five escorts to surrender.
We shall probably never know the truth of these allegations.
General Fonseka has told the media that we is willing to face any independent international investigation as it is his “duty” as the commander at the time to face any probe. He charged the government of mishandling accountability issues and allowing calls for a war crimes probe to escalate. He said many people had questions, and the government should have cleared their doubts.
Like the government, however, Fonseka expressed dismay at the manner in which Tamil Nadu politicians were pressuring the Indian government on the UN Human Rights Council resolution; he hoped India would not jeopardize the traditional relationship between the two countries.
Fonseka firmly asserted that the military under his command fought the war professionally according to international law and had not violated human rights. However, if there was “specific evidence” which deserved investigation, he would submit to any probe.
Fonseka had a famous falling out with President Mahinda Rajapakse soon after the May 2009 victory against the LTTE. He contested against Rajapaksa in the January 2010 Presidential Election, but was badly trounced. He was later arrested and jailed till May 2012 when he received a presidential pardon. However, he cannot now contest elections for seven years owing to his conviction.
NitiCentral.com, March 21, 2013