Fonseka's statement:

Legal luminaries express dismay

Chaminda PERERA

Legal luminaries yesterday expressed their dismay over the errant and treacherous statement made by Former Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka to an English weekly and said that the country was put into inevitable danger owing to this statement.

They said Fonseka has reportedly said that he had been misquoted by that particular paper while the journalist who interviewed him said that she wrote exactly what she had been told by Fonseka.

They were speaking at an intellectual forum at the Media Ministry auditorium yesterday. They said the General has not rejected the news items that appeared in the English weekly.

"The General has failed to take any action against the newspaper which according to him has misquoted him. The relevant newspaper carried a clarification without an Editor's note to avert the public attention on this matter, they said.

According to senior lawyer Kalinga Indatissa, the UN's letter to the Government demanding for show causes on the war crimes allegations made by General Sarath Fonseka against Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Major General Shavendra Silva has stressed that UN is more serious about what General Fonseka told the newspaper than his denial at a press briefing which was held a few days after the news item was appeared in the particular newspaper.

He said the international forces that stood against Sri Lanka during the humanitarian operation are engaged in an attempt to bring Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Head of the 58 Division Major General Shavendra Silva and the Security Forces at large to International War Crimes Tribunal based on this errant statement made by General Sarath Fonseka. Senior Lawyer Sagara Kariyawasam said General Sarath Fonseka has comprised the country and the Security Forces through this statement which cannot be expected from even a private.

Senior Lawyer Kushan De Alwis said the world has four Conventions that deals with matters related to war crimes. They are Hague Convention, Geneva Charter, London Charter and Rome Statute.

He said Sri Lanka has not been a signatory to the Rome Statute. He added that the UN Security Council can bring Sri Lanka before International War Crimes Tribunal based on this type of statements.