Sri Lanka: Ex-Minister Along with Ex-Navy Commander in China-aided Conspiracy

( November 25, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Pathfinder Foundation that is maintaining close ties with the Chinese government is continuing with its plans to bring ex-defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa into politics. The foundation headed by Ashoka Milinda Moragoda, a former Minister, whereas an ex-commander of Sri Lanka Navy, Admiral (Rtd) Jayanath Sirikumara Colombage working as the Director, Centre for India -Sri Lanka Initiatives of this foundation.

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sri Lanka recognized the Pathfinder Foundation as one of its top 10 partners at a ceremony to mark Chinese New Year and Sri Lanka’s National Day held at the BMICH during the previous government headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa is now on an official visit to China along with his G.L. Peris, who was then the Minister of External Affairs.

According to the media report, on the first week of this month, the chairman of the Pathfinder Foundation Moragoda met with ministers Faizer Mustafa and Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena at Colombo Club, Hotel Taj Samudra to discuss this very political plot.

They had discussed about making use of the brewing political dispute between the SLFP and the UNP, with China’s support, and bring Gotabhaya to the political fore.

The Pathfinder Institute has entered into an understanding with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) to field Gotabhaya as the SLFP’s presidential or prime ministerial candidate in 2020, ‘Sathhanda’ reports.

Dealing with China’s foreign policy, CICIR is supervised by the ruling Communist Party and has direct ties with the defence and foreign ministries.

It studies Sri Lanka through its Institute of South and Southeast Asian Studies.

Moragoda as well as the two ministers with whom he had discussions are said to be very good friends of Sirasa media network owner Killy Maharaja.

Sirasa is opposed to the prime minister and is making attempts against the present government, according to political analysts.

File Photo: Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies APCSS Chief of Alumni John Gasner poses for a photo with Admiral ( Rtd.) Jayanath Colombage.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday (24) decided to investigate Prof. G.L. Peiris over unlimited use of financial allocations when he was the foreign affairs minister during the previous regime.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has received complaints that he had used the ministry money in that manner between 2010 and 2015.

File Photo: China awarded the Pathfinder’s Chairman as the one of top partners