Betrayal of war winning armed forces: FNO finds fault with the Rajapaksas, SLPP over their silence

The Federation of National Organizations (FNO) has found fault with former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the SLPP leadership for turning a blind eye to Secretary General of Amnesty International Agnès Callamard’s high profile visit to Mullivaikkal memorial site to commemorate the LTTE dead.

The leading FNO figure Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera, said that the government shouldn’t have allowed that visit to take place as the country celebrated the 15th anniversary of our triumph over terrorism.

In an open letter addressed to the former Presidents, the FNO reminded them that AI had been exposed for accepting funds from various LTTE front organizations over the years.

The FNO letter, while reminding the Rajapaksas as to how the military defeated the LTTE that was considered invincible, pointed out the absence of post-war strategy to deal with those seeking to humiliate the country through unsubstantiated war crimes allegations.

Among those who signed the FNO letter were Buddhist monks, lawyers and ex-military officers, parliamentarians and civil society activists.

The FNO has issued a warning to the SLPP that unless it protected national interests, those who voted for the party previously would turn against them. The letter went onto stress that those who betrayed the war winning armed forces would never be pardoned under any circumstances. The Rajapaksas had been told that they had done absolutely nothing to prevent the continuing campaign against the armed forces.

Lt. General (retd.) Jagath Dias, the General Officer who commanded (GoC) of 57 Division at the height of the war, former Navy Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, who from retirement creditably reshaped the Civil Defence Force as a fitting adjutant to the military fighting formations, Manohara de Silva, PC, and Gevindu Cumaratunga were among the signatories (SF)