‘ Red flag over the Sri Lankan Navy’ – A response

Certain references in Shyamon Jayasinghe’s reply to my article in response to his, have to be clarified. With due respect to the readers I will only deal with few relevant issues out of many inconsequential trivialities chosen to be included in his reply. His omission of several other significant references made by me shows his admission of those inadvertently though.

Shyamon is making a serious mistake in putting me into the Viyathmaga group where I have never been and never desire to be. This shows that he is full of delusions which apparently apply to his other concerns as well unless he is wilfully attempting to misdirect.

It is true I have held high posts not only during the SLFP regime but I have also served as the Chairman of NGJA under Ranil’s Government.

He is totally ignorant of the commission’s findings and may be deaf to all writings and comments following the Bond Commission report for him to state that the commission has not implicated the UNP and its leaders when in fact the commission has specifically passed serious strictures about Ranil and few other Cabinet members of his party UNP in the final report.

With regard to the involvement of the UNP, its Leader and top brass in the bond scam, we all have to wait with our fingers crossed until the fugitive Governor is caught and brought. I believe he is aware how this person is evading arrest.  No doubt that the perpetrators of that huge financial crime are attempting to play it down by referring to frozen assets and views expressed by unknown financial experts about forensic audits, etc. all of which are nothing worth more than sheer red-herrings and absolute nonsense.

The exceptional treatment given to selected witnesses like Ranil by the Bond Commission to answer questions sent to him before coming to the witness box leaves us with the doubt whether everyone big or small as he claims is treated alike and no one is above the law. I do not want to write lengthy articles to elaborate these.  But I stand by what I say. 

My commitment and association with Yahapalana goes far beyond the arm’s length contribution by some people living overseas, like him. Perhaps he may not be aware but can find out about my public radio programs on two occasions before the January elections in a community radio station of Melbourne while I was there. The views I held about the previous regime and my wish to contribute towards a Yahapalana change were clearly expressed in those.

Shyamon has overly exaggerated the circumstances under which some ex-Army officials are to be questioned.  He is well aware of the treacherous campaigns by the refugees supporting terrorism and the stories they make up.  They have spent millions to get people to rape school girls and video film such to portray them as Army atrocities. Fortunately due to proper intervention of the law such attempts have been frustrated. 

It is in these circumstances that I believe the highest responsible in the country has intervened to maintain sanity. He will have to wait patiently till investigated facts are broadcast before he makes lame comments which he claims are based on Al-Jazeera and Economy Next! Therefore I do not wish to deal with his fantasies of soldier crimes, which are irrelevant and meaningless.

While respecting him as an elderly scholar and a person who has contributed a lot to art and culture, I reserve my right to disagree where necessary.

T. Rusiripala