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Government ministers and media continue to attack Fonseka
No rift between government and General Fonseka says Military Spokesperson |
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2009-10-17 | 4.30 PM |
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Military Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara in a media release said that an organized group of people were carrying out a conspiracy to create a rift between the Army and the government through stories in newspapers, websites, posters and media conferences claiming of a clash between Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka and the government. The Spokesperson further said that legal action would be taken in future against such persons.
The media release issued last evening by the Military Spokesperson stated that General Fonseka is currently the most senior member of the Army and there was no rift in the relationship between him and the government.
Although the Military Spokesperson has made such a |
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statement, neither a government representative nor the Chief of Defence Staff has made any comment on the matter yet. Signs of a rift between the government and General Fonseka first came to light when government members and ministers started making various allegations against him. Apart from the Ministers, even Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Chairman, Hudson Samarasinghe conducted several radio programmes criticizing General Fonseka.
The close relationship and friendship between General Fonseka and the Rajapaksas broke down when the President on the advice of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa decided to remove him as the Army Chief on July 15 without any prior warning. Although the President made several attempts to mend the rift with General Fonseka, they were unsuccessful due to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s objections to such moves.
The Defence Secretary and the Chief of Defence Staff were to attend the event held to mark the launch of a book by Minister Champika Ranawaka. However, the Chief of Defence Staff did not participate in the event.
Yet, General Sarath Fonseka would meet the President and the Defence Secretary at an official Army event scheduled for the 23rd, during a visit to Kandy and at the opening of the bridge in Kinniya.
Although the three individuals attended the banquet held at the Hilton Hotel to mark the 60th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army, photographs of the event were not released by the Presidential Media Unit since the President was not in the best of moods that day.
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