REFUGEE

Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena says it was President Mahinda Rajapaksa who appointed military officers in hiding at the time to important positions and gave them recognition and that it the President and Defence Secretary who made General Sarath Fonseka a hero in society. Therefore, he said General Fonseka would lose the respect he has so far earned if he suddenly retired.

The Media Minister made this statement at a media briefing held at the National Development Center.

“War heroes were degraded and humiliated in our country. It is this government that gave them their lost glory. It is this government that made forces personnel heroes in society…

“General Sarath Fonseka worked under Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as the Army Chief. Even now he works under the Defence Secretary as the Chief of Defence Staff. The plans to fight terrorists were formulated by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. In short, it was Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who made Sarath Fonseka a hero. No one should forget that. In such a scenario we should not leave room for conspiracies to bring military personnel into politics and abandon them in the political arena,” the Media Minister said at the media briefing.

The media briefing was organized to respond to the controversial speech made by General Fonseka at the felicitation ceremony held for him on the 12th and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered the Presidential Media Unit to inform media heads not to give publicity to the statement made by Fonseka. Media institutions that are supportive of the government also refrained from giving publicity to General Fonseka’s speech.