Rajiva Wijesinha

“ Gen Fonseka’s assertion that the President’s statement indicated mistrust of the army seems farfetched. What the General reports the President as having said, that there was strong public opinion about the country having a too powerful army, was not at all surprising, in terms not of mistrust, but of prevailing needs and what was being circulated by international elements opposed to the government, that this army would be used to limit freedoms in the North. ”

“ Raising their number by half as much again, or even more, when life would be relatively easy, would have placed in the same category a vast number who would not have been as deserving of the current high regard in which current members of the forces are held. ”

“ In this case, though we were able as in the previous case to point out that this was not government policy, the criticism was that the assertion sent out the wrong message, suggesting continuing militarization when what was desirable was affirmation that normality had been restored. Previously, in responding to criticism of his statement about Sri Lanka belonging to the Sinhala majority, we had responded by pointing out that Gen Fonseka had not intended at all to suggest that there was no place for minorities, and that any suggestion of a majoritarian outlook was not government thinking. ”