“All senior military men are UNPers. Act carefully” – President tells Gota

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has told his brother Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to be careful in his actions and when trusting heads of the police and military since most of them hailed from strong UNP families and have joined the forces after 1977.

The President had cited Major General Shavendra Silva and his family background as an example. Silva, who is currently a Rajapaksa loyalist, is hopeful of being appointed as the next army commander. Silva was recommended to the army by the late P.B. Kaviratne, who was the Cultural Affairs Minister of the former UNP government and was also a powerful UNPer in the Matale District. The President had told the Defence Secretary to always be mindful of the fact that all persons holding high ranks in the police and military have been recommended to the forces by powerful UNP politicians.

The President had explained that the allegations of war crimes and photographs backing the allegation have been released to the foreign media as part of a UNP conspiracy against the Rajapaksas. He had further explained that all those holding key posts in the forces are supportive of the Rajapaksas as long as they ruled the country and the minute they were out of power, all those who are now saluting them would give evidence against the Rajapaksas on war crimes allegations.

The President had then reminded Gotabhaya of an incident that had happened in the past. He had said that the police officer, who had helped him get his brother released from police custody when he was arrested in the 1970s, had arrested him seven to eight years later for drunk driving in Slave Island. He had said that the police officer had not shown any lenience towards him and had filed a case before court. However, since Rajapaksa had known the judge, he had managed to settle the matter by paying a small fine.

Therefore, the President had advised his brother never to fully trust any police or military officer.

“Story of a fast is a lie. But one person is not eating” – Prisons Commissioner

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Prisons Commissioner P.W. Kodippili in an interview with a foreign radio station on the current crises in Sri Lankan prisons has said that no inmate in the Welikada Prison was engaged in a fast. However, when the journalist from the foreign radio station had asked for the name of the inmate, the Commissioner had said it was not actually a fast, but one prisoner was not eating any food.

The journalist realizing the level of intelligence of the Prisons Commissioner had decided not to push him any further. The journalist had smiled and said, “Yes, we asked whether the inmate was not consuming any food,” and changed the topic of discussion