Ex-commander disowns statement

The joint opposition Presidential candidate and former Army Commander Gen Sarath Fonseka on Monday dissociated himself from a statement that he made in a newspaper interview that the army had killed three top ranking LTTE leaders after they were asked to surrender.

At a hastily convened news conference, the former Army Chief said that he was responsible for all the actions of the security forces commanders and forces on the ground throughout the war against the LTTE and no field commander acted in violation of any international law. Fonseka had told The Sunday Leader that the army had killed in cold blood S Puleedevan B Nadesan and Ramesh when they came holding white flags as per a prior agreement with the Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. They were killed on the orders of Gotabaya, he alleged.

But the General turned politician changed his tune when the government said that he had violated the official secrets Act and legal action could be taken against him.

The government on Sunday itself denied that the army had killed LTTE leader trying to surrender and that Gotabaya had ordered the killing.

Mystery surrounds movement of Sri Lankan fishing vessel

Mystery surrounds the movement and the self inflicted fiery end of the Sri Lankan multi-day fishing vessel Wind Marine 8 that was chased in vain by the Indian and Sri Lankan navies in the Bay of Bengal since last Wednesday.

An Indian defence official told Express on Monday, while six other Sri Lankan vessels in the pack surrendered meekly to the ICG, the crew of Wind Marine 8 not only did not surrender but also took as hostage two ICG personnel who had boarded the vessel to steer it to an Indian port.

 

The vessel then sailed southeast towards Chennai. It was eventually traced to a spot off Cuddalore, 100 nautical miles southeast of Chennai. Three members of the crew were arrested, and the two ICG sailors held captive were rescued.

Ex-commander disowns statement

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