REFUGEE

Sources from temple Trees say that President Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa had severely reprimanded NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa for revealing to the country that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had given a statement to the US authorities during his recent visit to the US.

The story about Gotabhaya being interrogated by the US authorities was a secret to the country and the Chief of Defence Staff was unaware of it until he visited the US.

The NFF Leader told a media conference on the 2nd that the Defence Secretary was subjected

to an interrogation fro over an hour during his recent visit to the US by the US Immigration authorities. Wimal Weerawansa said the Defence Secretary visited the US as a member of the Sri Lankan delegation that attended the UN General Assembly and the story of his interrogation was kept away from the local media.

However, soon after Wimal Weerawansa made this statement, UNP parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella said the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya had implicated General Fonseka to save his skin.

He said the US authorities were therefore now hunting down General Fonseka. Kiriella told parliament yesterday (4) “Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was interrogated when he visited the US earlier. Sarath Fonseka is being questioned following the statement given by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa should have told Sarath Fonseka not to go to the US. However, since the Defence Secretary did not do any such thing, Sarath Fonseka was placed in a difficult situation.”