In a major relief to the newly sworn-in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gotabaya-rajapaksa-sworn-in-as-sri-lankan-new-president-262851">Sri Lankan president</a>, a court dropped corruption charges and handed him back his passport on Friday.&nbsp;

As per the Sri Lankan constitution, no court proceeding can take place against any serving president. However, when a president leaves his office, action can be taken against him.&nbsp;

In September 2018, the High Court indicted Rajapaksa on the charge of siphoning off 33 million rupees (nearly $185,000) in state funds to build a memorial for his parents. Gotabaya was also handed over his passport which was impounded, allowing him to visit India next week at the invitation of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sri-lankas-newly-elected-president-accepts-pm-modis-invitation-to-visit-india-on-november-29-263217">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>.&nbsp;

The Sri Lankan president had earlier pleaded not guilty when he was tried before a special court established by the former government in a bid to expedite high-profile corruption cases.&nbsp;

The court said that the fate of six others who were charged along with Rajapaksa will be decided when the case will go for the next hearing on January 9.&nbsp;

Official sources said that Rajapaksa was also entitled to claim foreign sovereign immunity in the two civil cases filed against him in US for causing the death of senior newspaper journalist and torture. In 2009, Gotabaya denied any involvement in the killing of editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and torturing suspects when he headed the defence ministry and his brother Mahinda was president. &nbsp;

Wickrematunge was murdered days before his testimony was due in a defamation case filed by Gotabaya after his newspaper accused him of corruption in a deal with Ukraine to buy fighter jets.&nbsp;

Last week, Gotabaya was elected president of Sri Lanka and on Thursday his brother was sworn in as the prime minister.&nbsp;

(with inputs from AFP)

In a major relief to the newly sworn-in Sri Lankan president, a court dropped corruption charges and handed him back his passport on Friday. As per the Sri Lankan constitution, no court proceeding can take place against any serving president.

In a major relief to the newly sworn-in Sri Lankan president, a court dropped corruption charges and handed him back his passport on Friday. As per the Sri Lankan constitution, no court proceeding can take place against any serving president. However, when a president leaves his office, action can be taken against him. In September 2018, the High Court indicted Rajapaksa on the charge of siphoning off 33 million rupees (nearly $185,000) in state funds to build a memorial for his parents. Gotabaya was also handed over his passport which was impounded, allowing him to visit India next week at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Sri Lankan president had earlier pleaded not guilty when he was tried before a special court established by the former government in a bid to expedite high-profile corruption cases. The court said that the fate of six others who were charged along with Rajapaksa will be decided when the case will go for the next hearing on January 9. Official sources said that Rajapaksa was also entitled to claim foreign sovereign immunity in the two civil cases filed against him in US for causing the death of senior newspaper journalist and torture. In 2009, Gotabaya denied any involvement in the killing of editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and torturing suspects when he headed the defence ministry and his brother Mahinda was president. Wickrematunge was murdered days before his testimony was due in a defamation case filed by Gotabaya after his newspaper accused him of corruption in a deal with Ukraine to buy fighter jets. Last week, Gotabaya was elected president of Sri Lanka and on Thursday his brother was sworn in as the prime minister. (with inputs from AFP)

Sri Lankan court drops charges against new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka`s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday appointed the interim cabinet of the caretaker government that will remain in place till the next general election and gave important portfolios to his two brothers: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/mahinda-rajapaksa-has-been-sworn-in-as-the-prime-minister-of-sri-lanka-263600">Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa </a>and Chamal Rajapaksa.

The new interim 16-member cabinet will be a part of a caretaker government that will remain in place till the next general election scheduled for March 2020. The cabinet was sworn in today before President Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, Ceylon Today reported.

Mahinda, who was sworn in as the prime minister yesterday, will lead the ministries of finance, economic affairs, housing, urban development, water supply and Buddhist affairs.

Mahinda Rajapaksa has served as president from 2005 to 2015. His accession to power has come after Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation from the prime ministerial post, paving a way for a caretaker cabinet.

"I congratulate the new members of the cabinet. Together with the interim cabinet that was just appointed until the #GenElecSL, we look forward to serving all Sri Lankans," tweeted Rajapaksa.

Another Rajapaksa brother, Chamal was sworn in as the minister of agriculture, irrigation, internal trade, and consumer welfare. Meanwhile, Basil, another brother, will continue to play a powerful role behind the scenes as chief strategist.

"The appointments are seen as a concentration of power into the hands of the Rajapaksa family," media reported.

The Rajapaksa brothers are credited with crushing the Tamil Tigers a decade ago to end Sri Lanka`s civil war, with the security services they controlled accused of war crimes and multiple human rights abuses.

The other members of the cabinet are---Nimal Siripala, Arumugam Thondaman, Douglas Devananda, Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi, Bandula Gunawardene, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Dullas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa, Mahinda Amaraweera, SM Chandrasena, Ramesh Pathirana, and Prasanna Ranathunga.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka`s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday appointed the interim cabinet of the caretaker government that will remain in place till the next general election and gave important portfolios to his two brothers: Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chamal Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka`s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday appointed the interim cabinet of the caretaker government that will remain in place till the next general election and gave important portfolios to his two brothers: Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chamal Rajapaksa. The new interim 16-member cabinet will be a part of a caretaker government that will remain in place till the next general election scheduled for March 2020. The cabinet was sworn in today before President Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, Ceylon Today reported. Mahinda, who was sworn in as the prime minister yesterday, will lead the ministries of finance, economic affairs, housing, urban development, water supply and Buddhist affairs. Mahinda Rajapaksa has served as president from 2005 to 2015. His accession to power has come after Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation from the prime ministerial post, paving a way for a caretaker cabinet. "I congratulate the new members of the cabinet. Together with the interim cabinet that was just appointed until the #GenElecSL, we look forward to serving all Sri Lankans," tweeted Rajapaksa. Another Rajapaksa brother, Chamal was sworn in as the minister of agriculture, irrigation, internal trade, and consumer welfare. Meanwhile, Basil, another brother, will continue to play a powerful role behind the scenes as chief strategist. "The appointments are seen as a concentration of power into the hands of the Rajapaksa family," media reported. The Rajapaksa brothers are credited with crushing the Tamil Tigers a decade ago to end Sri Lanka`s civil war, with the security services they controlled accused of war crimes and multiple human rights abuses. The other members of the cabinet are---Nimal Siripala, Arumugam Thondaman, Douglas Devananda, Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi, Bandula Gunawardene, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Dullas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa, Mahinda Amaraweera, SM Chandrasena, Ramesh Pathirana, and Prasanna Ranathunga.

Sri Lanka president appoints 16 member interim cabinet

Sri Lanka's new president named his elder brother&nbsp;Mahinda Rajapaksa for the post of prime ministership, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's new President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gotabaya-rajapaksa-sworn-in-as-sri-lankan-new-president-262851">Gotabaya Rajapaksa </a>will swear in his elder brother and former president Mahinda, Government spokesman Vijayananda Herath said, reports AFP. Herath added that Mahinda will take charge as PM soon after Ranil Wickremesinghe's resignation on Thursday morning.&nbsp;

"Mahinda Rajapaksa will be sworn in at 1.00 pm&nbsp;(0730 GMT) and assume office at 3.00 pm," Keheliya Rambukwella, the spokesman for Mahinda-led Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) told Reuters.

Both brothers are credited for ending Sri Lanka's civil war a decade ago by brutally crushing Tamil Tigers.&nbsp;

Gotabaya, known as the "Terminator" was the defence secretary when his brother Mahinda was the president of Sri Lanka (2005-15). During his tenure as defence secretary, Gotabaya was accused of allowing death squads to kill rivals, journalists and critics.&nbsp;

During the "dark decade" of the Rajapaksas' in office, at least 14 journalists "were murdered in connection with their work", reports press watchdog Reporters Without Borders

The new president is revered by the Sinhalese majority but a section of Tamil minorities also detest the 70-year-old strongman. As per reports, 40,000 civilians from Tamil community were killed during the end of Tamil war.&nbsp;

Gotabaya also faces a civil suit in the US where he has been accused of ordering the torture of a Tamil man and others when he was in power.&nbsp;

The presidential campaign of the Rajapaksas was based on strengthening national security and weeding out corruption.&nbsp;Wickremesinghe's government faced a lot of flak for failing to prevent April Easter bombings in which killed at least 269 people.&nbsp;

The 70-year-old did not have political experience but his elder brother's charismatic campaigning appealed to the Lankans.

During the term of Rajapaksas, Sri Lanka's proximity to China was increased, in which the island borrowed heavily from the Asian giant for infrastructure projects. Many of the infrastructure projects backed by China have turned into white elephants due to corruption allegations.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka was also forced to hand over its Hambantota port for 99 years lease to China in 2017 for failing to repay a loan of $1.4 billion, alarming western countries and traditional ally India.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Sri Lanka's new president named his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa for the post of prime ministership, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Sri Lanka's new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will swear in his elder brother and former president Mahinda, Government spokesman Vijayananda Herath said, reports AFP.

Sri Lanka's new president named his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa for the post of prime ministership, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Sri Lanka's new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will swear in his elder brother and former president Mahinda, Government spokesman Vijayananda Herath said, reports AFP. Herath added that Mahinda will take charge as PM soon after Ranil Wickremesinghe's resignation on Thursday morning. "Mahinda Rajapaksa will be sworn in at 1.00 pm (0730 GMT) and assume office at 3.00 pm," Keheliya Rambukwella, the spokesman for Mahinda-led Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) told Reuters. Both brothers are credited for ending Sri Lanka's civil war a decade ago by brutally crushing Tamil Tigers. Gotabaya, known as the "Terminator" was the defence secretary when his brother Mahinda was the president of Sri Lanka (2005-15). During his tenure as defence secretary, Gotabaya was accused of allowing death squads to kill rivals, journalists and critics. During the "dark decade" of the Rajapaksas' in office, at least 14 journalists "were murdered in connection with their work", reports press watchdog Reporters Without Borders The new president is revered by the Sinhalese majority but a section of Tamil minorities also detest the 70-year-old strongman. As per reports, 40,000 civilians from Tamil community were killed during the end of Tamil war. Gotabaya also faces a civil suit in the US where he has been accused of ordering the torture of a Tamil man and others when he was in power. The presidential campaign of the Rajapaksas was based on strengthening national security and weeding out corruption. Wickremesinghe's government faced a lot of flak for failing to prevent April Easter bombings in which killed at least 269 people. The 70-year-old did not have political experience but his elder brother's charismatic campaigning appealed to the Lankans. During the term of Rajapaksas, Sri Lanka's proximity to China was increased, in which the island borrowed heavily from the Asian giant for infrastructure projects. Many of the infrastructure projects backed by China have turned into white elephants due to corruption allegations. Sri Lanka was also forced to hand over its Hambantota port for 99 years lease to China in 2017 for failing to repay a loan of $1.4 billion, alarming western countries and traditional ally India.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa names brother Mahinda as Sri Lanka PM

Royal Park Murder Case: Sri Lanka President grants pardon to convict on death row. To know more watch the video

Royal Park Murder Case: Sri Lanka President grants pardon to convict on death row

Sri Lanka's president has pardoned a death-row prisoner who murdered a Swedish teenager just a week before he leaves office, officials said Sunday, in a move that sparked national outrage.

Convicted killer Jude Jayamaha, from a wealthy, high-profile family, walked out of Welikada prison Saturday following the highly unusual amnesty granted by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Sirisena, who is stepping down after Saturday's presidential election at which he is not a candidate, announced last month he was considering a request to grant Jayamaha a pardon.

Victim Yvonne Jonsson, who was holidaying in Sri Lanka, was beaten to death at a high-rise apartment in Colombo in 2005 after she and Jayamaha had an argument.&nbsp;

The court had been told her skull was fractured into 64 pieces.

Jayamaha was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed to a higher court, which rejected his plea and instead sentenced him to death, which was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2014.

Jonsson's sister Caroline wrote in a Facebook post about her concerns over Jayamaha's pardon before the amnesty announcement.

"He showed and continues to show absolutely no remorse for what he has done," she wrote.&nbsp;

"We've worked hard to rebuild our lives and here we are, going into 15 years, still fighting for justice. Unfortunately, we now have to prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome, the pardon of my sister's murderer."

Many Sri Lankans took to social media to condemn Sirisena.

"Monstrous act by a failed president," said a Twitter user identified as Thass.

"This news makes me sick," added Shamila Cooray.

Others speculated Sirisena may have pardoned Jayamaha to test the water ahead of possibly pardoning another high-profile death-row inmate whose family owns radio and television stations that support him.

Sirisena failed to secure support from his own party to contest the November 16 election and must leave soon after results are declared, a day or two after the polls.

Sri Lanka's president has pardoned a death-row prisoner who murdered a Swedish teenager just a week before he leaves office, officials said Sunday, in a move that sparked national outrage.

Sri Lanka's president has pardoned a death-row prisoner who murdered a Swedish teenager just a week before he leaves office, officials said Sunday, in a move that sparked national outrage. Convicted killer Jude Jayamaha, from a wealthy, high-profile family, walked out of Welikada prison Saturday following the highly unusual amnesty granted by President Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena, who is stepping down after Saturday's presidential election at which he is not a candidate, announced last month he was considering a request to grant Jayamaha a pardon. Victim Yvonne Jonsson, who was holidaying in Sri Lanka, was beaten to death at a high-rise apartment in Colombo in 2005 after she and Jayamaha had an argument. The court had been told her skull was fractured into 64 pieces. Jayamaha was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed to a higher court, which rejected his plea and instead sentenced him to death, which was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2014. Jonsson's sister Caroline wrote in a Facebook post about her concerns over Jayamaha's pardon before the amnesty announcement. "He showed and continues to show absolutely no remorse for what he has done," she wrote. "We've worked hard to rebuild our lives and here we are, going into 15 years, still fighting for justice. Unfortunately, we now have to prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome, the pardon of my sister's murderer." Many Sri Lankans took to social media to condemn Sirisena. "Monstrous act by a failed president," said a Twitter user identified as Thass. "This news makes me sick," added Shamila Cooray. Others speculated Sirisena may have pardoned Jayamaha to test the water ahead of possibly pardoning another high-profile death-row inmate whose family owns radio and television stations that support him. Sirisena failed to secure support from his own party to contest the November 16 election and must leave soon after results are declared, a day or two after the polls.

Outrage as Sri Lanka president pardons killer of Swedish teen

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning -09th July 2019

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning -8th July 2019

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-likely-to-miss-full-year-growth-target-after-easter-bombings-junior-minister-220476">Sri Lankan </a>President Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday extended by a month the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/too-early-to-assess-sri-lanka-economic-damage-from-easter-bombings-imf-219527">deadly Easter Sunday bombings</a> that killed nearly 260 people.

The president issued a special gazette notification extending the state of emergency by a month, citing "public security".

The emergency law gives police and the military extensive powers to arrest, detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.

Sri Lanka initially imposed the emergency on April 23 to crack down on the nine suicide bombers who attacked three churches and as many luxury hotels April 21, killing more than 258 people and injuring 500 others.

The ISIS terror group claimed the attacks, but the government blamed the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) for the Easter Sunday bombings.

Following the deadly blasts, anti-Muslim riots broke out in the north of the capital as a backlash against the attacks.

The riots killed one person and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and mosques.

Sri Lanka faced condemnation for the communal violence which was a fresh backlash from the Easter Sunday attack.

Police say they have arrested over 80 suspects in connection with the attack.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday extended by a month the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the deadly Easter Sunday bombings that killed nearly 260 people.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday extended by a month the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the deadly Easter Sunday bombings that killed nearly 260 people. The president issued a special gazette notification extending the state of emergency by a month, citing "public security". The emergency law gives police and the military extensive powers to arrest, detain and interrogate suspects without court orders. Sri Lanka initially imposed the emergency on April 23 to crack down on the nine suicide bombers who attacked three churches and as many luxury hotels April 21, killing more than 258 people and injuring 500 others. The ISIS terror group claimed the attacks, but the government blamed the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) for the Easter Sunday bombings. Following the deadly blasts, anti-Muslim riots broke out in the north of the capital as a backlash against the attacks. The riots killed one person and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and mosques. Sri Lanka faced condemnation for the communal violence which was a fresh backlash from the Easter Sunday attack. Police say they have arrested over 80 suspects in connection with the attack.

Sri Lanka President Sirisena extends emergency by month

Sri Lankan police on Sunday discovered a 10-acre camp in the eastern town of Kattankudy, where Islamist militants are believed to have practiced shooting and bombmaking.

Sri Lanka Police discover suspected terror camp

The National Security Council has decided to reopen all schools in Sri Lanka, but many anxious parents kept their children at home over fears of more attacks by Islamic militants. Watch this video to know more.

Sri Lanka schools reopen to near empty classrooms

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is considering dropping an attempt to dissolve parliament, sources close to the president said, possibly easing weeks of political deadlock.

The country has been in a crisis since Sirisena <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-crisis-rajapaksa-calls-for-fresh-elections-181009">replaced Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with Mahinda Rajapaksa last month</a>, and then issued an order dissolving parliament and called for a general election.

The sources said the president may now rescind the order, effectively pre-empting a court ruling that they expect to overturn his decision anyway.

Sri Lanka's top court stayed the dissolution order pending a hearing on its constitutionality that starts on Tuesday, allowing parliament to resume meeting.

Rajapaksa, a former president, has lost two confidence votes in parliament but has refused to resign.

"There is a possibility of withdrawing the gazette," said a source in regular discussion with Sirisena, referring to the official announcement by which the president dissolved parliament. "I have no doubt that the Supreme Court would say that dissolution was wrong."

A spokesman for Sirisena, Dharmasri Ekanayake, said he was unaware of any such plans.

'DIGNIFIED EXIT'

A second source in Sirisena's party said the president was looking for a "dignified exit" by withdrawing the dissolution order as the court was unlikely to rule in his favour.

The Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision as early as Dec 7.

Foreign countries have yet to recognise the new government. The impasse has also pushed the island's currency to record lows, caused turmoil on its stock and bond markets, and raised fears it may not be able to service debts to finance reconstruction following a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009.

Rajapaksa is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority for ending a bloody war with Tamil rebels in 2009, but has been accused by diplomats and international rights groups of human rights abuses, which he denies.

Sirisena came to power in 2015 on a pledge to uphold democracy and stamp out corruption, but his popularity has been hit by a crisis many say he triggered because of personal differences with former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

The crisis deepened on Friday when parliament voted to halt payment of ministers' salaries - a move to pressure the disputed government of Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa loyalists boycotted the vote saying it was illegal.

Separately on Friday, the country's Appeal Court began a hearing on a petition signed by 122 legislators that challenged Rajapaksa's authority to hold office after he lost the no-confidence votes earlier this month.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is considering dropping an attempt to dissolve parliament, sources close to the president said, possibly easing weeks of political deadlock.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is considering dropping an attempt to dissolve parliament, sources close to the president said, possibly easing weeks of political deadlock. The country has been in a crisis since Sirisena replaced Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with Mahinda Rajapaksa last month, and then issued an order dissolving parliament and called for a general election. The sources said the president may now rescind the order, effectively pre-empting a court ruling that they expect to overturn his decision anyway. Sri Lanka's top court stayed the dissolution order pending a hearing on its constitutionality that starts on Tuesday, allowing parliament to resume meeting. Rajapaksa, a former president, has lost two confidence votes in parliament but has refused to resign. "There is a possibility of withdrawing the gazette," said a source in regular discussion with Sirisena, referring to the official announcement by which the president dissolved parliament. "I have no doubt that the Supreme Court would say that dissolution was wrong." A spokesman for Sirisena, Dharmasri Ekanayake, said he was unaware of any such plans. 'DIGNIFIED EXIT' A second source in Sirisena's party said the president was looking for a "dignified exit" by withdrawing the dissolution order as the court was unlikely to rule in his favour. The Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision as early as Dec 7. Foreign countries have yet to recognise the new government. The impasse has also pushed the island's currency to record lows, caused turmoil on its stock and bond markets, and raised fears it may not be able to service debts to finance reconstruction following a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009. Rajapaksa is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority for ending a bloody war with Tamil rebels in 2009, but has been accused by diplomats and international rights groups of human rights abuses, which he denies. Sirisena came to power in 2015 on a pledge to uphold democracy and stamp out corruption, but his popularity has been hit by a crisis many say he triggered because of personal differences with former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. The crisis deepened on Friday when parliament voted to halt payment of ministers' salaries - a move to pressure the disputed government of Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa loyalists boycotted the vote saying it was illegal. Separately on Friday, the country's Appeal Court began a hearing on a petition signed by 122 legislators that challenged Rajapaksa's authority to hold office after he lost the no-confidence votes earlier this month.

Sri Lanka Supreme court to announce key decision on dissolution order

A top Sri Lankan police official was arrested on Thursday over a suspected plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena, police a spokesman said.

The alleged plot briefly threatened to cause tension between Sri Lanka and India, after an Indian newspaper report that Sirisena had accused India`s intelligence services of involvement - a claim New Delhi and Colombo have both denied.

"The Criminal Investigation Division of police today arrested Nalaka De Silva after five days of questioning him," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said.

Gunasekara said Silva was charged with plotting to kill the president, several senior police officials and a former defence secretary.

Magistrates ordered Silva, a deputy inspector general of police, be detained until November 7.

A police informant made the allegations against Silva in a news conference. Investigators are seeking access to deleted data from the informant`s mobile phone with the help of Huawei after a court granted permission to request the company's help.

Silva's lawyers were not immediately available for comment. 
&nbsp;

A top Sri Lankan police official was arrested on Thursday over a suspected plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena, police a spokesman said. The alleged plot briefly threatened to cause tension between Sri Lanka and India, after an Indian newspaper report that Sirisena had accused India`s intelligence services of involvement - a claim New Delhi and Colombo have both denied.

A top Sri Lankan police official was arrested on Thursday over a suspected plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena, police a spokesman said. The alleged plot briefly threatened to cause tension between Sri Lanka and India, after an Indian newspaper report that Sirisena had accused India`s intelligence services of involvement - a claim New Delhi and Colombo have both denied. "The Criminal Investigation Division of police today arrested Nalaka De Silva after five days of questioning him," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said. Gunasekara said Silva was charged with plotting to kill the president, several senior police officials and a former defence secretary. Magistrates ordered Silva, a deputy inspector general of police, be detained until November 7. A police informant made the allegations against Silva in a news conference. Investigators are seeking access to deleted data from the informant`s mobile phone with the help of Huawei after a court granted permission to request the company's help. Silva's lawyers were not immediately available for comment.

Sri Lanka arrests top policeman over alleged president assassination plot

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who allegedly said Tuesday that India's RAW was trying to kill him, has tightened his security. The announcement was made by his adviser Shiral Lakthilaka.&nbsp;

"The president has taken the threat very seriously," the news agency AFP quoted Lakthilaka as telling reporters in Colombo. "The president's security has been increased."

Sirisena had "told the cabinet of local media reports of an Indian intelligence agency being involved," Lakthilaka said. "He did not name the agency."

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry had on Wednesday rejected the reports — of Sirisena saying the Research and Analysis Wing was trying to kill him — as "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sri-lanka-says-its-president-did-not-allege-indias-raw-was-trying-to-assassinate-him-172021">completely untrue</a>".&nbsp;

The ministry said it was "disappointing that matters of this nature have become the subject of distorted and erroneous media reports taking the President’s remarks out of context."&nbsp;

"The ministry wishes to clarify that the media reports in this connection are baseless and false," it added.&nbsp;

Sirisena and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the phone on Wednesday, with the Sri Lankan leader "categorically" rejecting reports he had accused New Delhi of involvement, Modi's office said.&nbsp;

But AFP quoted Sri Lankan police as saying they were still investigating the alleged plot and had detained an Indian national.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, news reports said Sirisena had accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and former secretary to the ministry of defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.&nbsp;

The reports quoted a ministerial source as saying Sirisena had made his comments at a heated cabinet meeting.

The reports quoted Sirisena as saying RAW was plotting to kill him, but that Prime Minister Modi might not be aware of the plot.&nbsp;

Sirisena's predecessor Mahinda Rajapakse had accused RAW of engineering his defeat in the January 2015 election. New Delhi has repeatedly denied the charge.&nbsp;

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe meawhile arrived in India Thursday on a three-day visit.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who allegedly said Tuesday that India's RAW was trying to kill him, has tightened his security. The announcement was made by his adviser Shiral Lakthilaka.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who allegedly said Tuesday that India's RAW was trying to kill him, has tightened his security. The announcement was made by his adviser Shiral Lakthilaka. "The president has taken the threat very seriously," the news agency AFP quoted Lakthilaka as telling reporters in Colombo. "The president's security has been increased." Sirisena had "told the cabinet of local media reports of an Indian intelligence agency being involved," Lakthilaka said. "He did not name the agency." The Sri Lankan foreign ministry had on Wednesday rejected the reports — of Sirisena saying the Research and Analysis Wing was trying to kill him — as "completely untrue". The ministry said it was "disappointing that matters of this nature have become the subject of distorted and erroneous media reports taking the President’s remarks out of context." "The ministry wishes to clarify that the media reports in this connection are baseless and false," it added. Sirisena and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the phone on Wednesday, with the Sri Lankan leader "categorically" rejecting reports he had accused New Delhi of involvement, Modi's office said. But AFP quoted Sri Lankan police as saying they were still investigating the alleged plot and had detained an Indian national. On Tuesday, news reports said Sirisena had accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and former secretary to the ministry of defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The reports quoted a ministerial source as saying Sirisena had made his comments at a heated cabinet meeting. The reports quoted Sirisena as saying RAW was plotting to kill him, but that Prime Minister Modi might not be aware of the plot. Sirisena's predecessor Mahinda Rajapakse had accused RAW of engineering his defeat in the January 2015 election. New Delhi has repeatedly denied the charge. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe meawhile arrived in India Thursday on a three-day visit. (With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lanka President who said India's RAW is plotting to kill him tightens security

The Sri Lankan government has denied news reports quoting President Maithripala Sirisena as having said India's Research and Analysis Wing was plotting to assassinate him.&nbsp;

The Sri Lankan government said the reports were "completely untrue".&nbsp;

The media reports came ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speed up India-backed projects, including the East Terminal project, in the island nation.

Sirisena accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and former secretary to the ministry of defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the economynext.Com reported quoting a ministerial source after a heated Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The minister, who declined to be named, claimed that the president said that India's external intelligence agency RAW was behind the plot.

On Wednesday, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said it was "disappointing that matters of this nature have become the subject of distorted and erroneous media reports taking the President’s remarks out of context."&nbsp;

"The ministry wishes to clarify that the media reports in this connection are baseless and false," it added.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The ministry further said that "President Sirisena had discussions this morning as well as a meeting with the High Commissioner of India in Colombo."&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

The Sri Lankan government has denied news reports quoting President Maithripala Sirisena as having said India's Research and Analysis Wing was plotting to assassinate him.

The Sri Lankan government has denied news reports quoting President Maithripala Sirisena as having said India's Research and Analysis Wing was plotting to assassinate him. The Sri Lankan government said the reports were "completely untrue". The media reports came ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speed up India-backed projects, including the East Terminal project, in the island nation. Sirisena accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to kill him and former secretary to the ministry of defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the economynext.Com reported quoting a ministerial source after a heated Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The minister, who declined to be named, claimed that the president said that India's external intelligence agency RAW was behind the plot. On Wednesday, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said it was "disappointing that matters of this nature have become the subject of distorted and erroneous media reports taking the President’s remarks out of context." "The ministry wishes to clarify that the media reports in this connection are baseless and false," it added. The ministry further said that "President Sirisena had discussions this morning as well as a meeting with the High Commissioner of India in Colombo." (With inputs from PTI)

Sri Lanka says its President did not allege India's RAW was trying to assassinate him

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today asked all political parties to join hands to work for a better future for the country, amid a deepening power struggle between him and his unity government's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Sirisena's remarks came as he wished the countrymen on the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

Wickremesinghe last week won the motion of no confidence moved by the joint opposition and backed by Sirisena's ministers.

"I expect the support of all political parties to take forward the government's work. I asked all political parties represented in parliament to join hands to work for a better future for the country," a statement quoted him as saying.

Sirisena said his decision to suspend the parliamentary sessions until May 8 has been misinterpreted.

In an apparent reference to the no confidence motion, Sirisena says, "I decided to end the current session in view of the recent conflicting situation prevailed in parliament. It is time to open a new session with a new programme outline by the government."&nbsp 
&nbsp

Sirisena's remarks came as he wished the countrymen on the Sinhala and Tamil New Year

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today asked all political parties to join hands to work for a better future for the country, amid a deepening power struggle between him and his unity government's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sirisena's remarks came as he wished the countrymen on the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Wickremesinghe last week won the motion of no confidence moved by the joint opposition and backed by Sirisena's ministers. "I expect the support of all political parties to take forward the government's work. I asked all political parties represented in parliament to join hands to work for a better future for the country," a statement quoted him as saying. Sirisena said his decision to suspend the parliamentary sessions until May 8 has been misinterpreted. In an apparent reference to the no confidence motion, Sirisena says, "I decided to end the current session in view of the recent conflicting situation prevailed in parliament. It is time to open a new session with a new programme outline by the government."

Sri Lanka: Sirisena asks all parties to work together

Sri Lanka&#39;s visiting President Maithripala Sirisena Friday met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and expressed support for organising SAARC summit in Pakistan, according to an official statement.

Sirisena, who arrived in Pakistan Thursday on a three-day visit, was Guest of Honour at the Pakistan Day military parade held in Islamabad.

He also called on Prime Minister Abbasi for a one-on-one meeting which was followed by delegation level talks.

According to an official statement, issues of mutual importance were discussed during the meeting and the two sides expressed hope that the bilateral ties will continue to grow in the future.

The two sides also agreed to diversify and deepen the bilateral relations, it said.

&quot;The Sri Lankan President extended support for the holding of SAARC Summit in Pakistan,&quot; the statement said.

After the meeting, the two sides signed three MoUs related to youth development and training of civil and diplomatic personnel.

A presentation ceremony of corneas also took place, it said, adding that the corneas were presented by Sirisena to Abbasi for treatment of visually impaired persons in Pakistan.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka's visiting President Maithripala Sirisena Friday met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and expressed support for organising SAARC summit in Pakistan, according to an official statement

Sri Lanka's visiting President Maithripala Sirisena Friday met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and expressed support for organising SAARC summit in Pakistan, according to an official statement. Sirisena, who arrived in Pakistan Thursday on a three-day visit, was Guest of Honour at the Pakistan Day military parade held in Islamabad. He also called on Prime Minister Abbasi for a one-on-one meeting which was followed by delegation level talks. According to an official statement, issues of mutual importance were discussed during the meeting and the two sides expressed hope that the bilateral ties will continue to grow in the future. The two sides also agreed to diversify and deepen the bilateral relations, it said. "The Sri Lankan President extended support for the holding of SAARC Summit in Pakistan," the statement said. After the meeting, the two sides signed three MoUs related to youth development and training of civil and diplomatic personnel. A presentation ceremony of corneas also took place, it said, adding that the corneas were presented by Sirisena to Abbasi for treatment of visually impaired persons in Pakistan.

Sri Lankan President meets Pak PM, supports SAARC summit in Pak

Sri Lanka&#39;s president on Sunday reimposed a four-decade-long ban on women buying liquor, just days after his finance minister had lifted the restriction.

Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to revoke his decision last week to overturn the 1979 law prohibiting the sale of any type of alcohol to women.

&quot;From tomorrow (Monday), the minister&#39;s order will be rescinded,&quot; Sirisena&#39;s office said in a statement, which added that the status quo will be restored but offered no explanation.

The reversal comes after a finance ministry official told AFP Samaraweera had revoked the 39-year-old law in an effort to strike sexist bills from the statute books.

&quot;The idea was to restore gender neutrality,&quot; ministry spokesman Ali Hassen said of the decision Wednesday to roll back the ban. 
 
But last week&#39;s decision to relax laws on alcohol provoked a backlash in some quarters of the majority-Buddhist nation of 21 million people.

The National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection had accused the finance minister of encouraging drinking, and had urged Sirisena to intervene and restore the restrictions.

Under further new measures passed by Samaraweera, bars and pubs can remain open longer, and a ban on women working in bars, distilleries and breweries was lifted.

But Sirisena&#39;s office said he was reducing the time period that bars could be open. It was not clear from Sirisena&#39;s statement Sunday if the decision to allow women to work in the alcohol industry had also been reversed.

The ban on women buying liquor was likely originally imposed in 1979 to appease the conservative Buddhist hierarchy at the time, a finance ministry official told AFP.

Liquor vendors in Sri Lanka are also forbidden to sell spirits to police or members of the armed forces in uniform.

Samaraweera has said that strict curbs on Sri Lanka&#39;s licensed liquor manufacturers only encourage a black market for spirits, and deprive the state of much-needed revenue.

Sri Lanka in its November budget unveiled steep tax rises on hard liquor, but greatly reduced tariffs on wine and beer. 
&nbsp;

Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reimposed a four-decade-long ban on women buying liquor, just days after his finance minister had lifted the restriction

Sri Lanka's president on Sunday reimposed a four-decade-long ban on women buying liquor, just days after his finance minister had lifted the restriction. Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to revoke his decision last week to overturn the 1979 law prohibiting the sale of any type of alcohol to women. "From tomorrow (Monday), the minister's order will be rescinded," Sirisena's office said in a statement, which added that the status quo will be restored but offered no explanation. The reversal comes after a finance ministry official told AFP Samaraweera had revoked the 39-year-old law in an effort to strike sexist bills from the statute books. "The idea was to restore gender neutrality," ministry spokesman Ali Hassen said of the decision Wednesday to roll back the ban. But last week's decision to relax laws on alcohol provoked a backlash in some quarters of the majority-Buddhist nation of 21 million people. The National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection had accused the finance minister of encouraging drinking, and had urged Sirisena to intervene and restore the restrictions. Under further new measures passed by Samaraweera, bars and pubs can remain open longer, and a ban on women working in bars, distilleries and breweries was lifted. But Sirisena's office said he was reducing the time period that bars could be open. It was not clear from Sirisena's statement Sunday if the decision to allow women to work in the alcohol industry had also been reversed. The ban on women buying liquor was likely originally imposed in 1979 to appease the conservative Buddhist hierarchy at the time, a finance ministry official told AFP. Liquor vendors in Sri Lanka are also forbidden to sell spirits to police or members of the armed forces in uniform. Samaraweera has said that strict curbs on Sri Lanka's licensed liquor manufacturers only encourage a black market for spirits, and deprive the state of much-needed revenue. Sri Lanka in its November budget unveiled steep tax rises on hard liquor, but greatly reduced tariffs on wine and beer.

Sri Lanka president restores ban on women buying alcohol

For eight years now, western nations and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva have slammed the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF)&nbsp;and the former Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa for brutal human rights violations&nbsp;during Sri Lanka&rsquo;s three-decade long civil war against the separatist terror group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).&nbsp;Of special focus for the West has been&nbsp;the last phase of the war that took place around the Nanthikadal lagoon in North Eastern Sri Lanka. &nbsp;

Repeated resolutions have been introduced against the past and present governments in Colombo for failing to acknowledge that their armed forces killed 40,000 civilians caught in the cross-fire and continued with a three-pronged assault on the last of the fleeing Tiger leadership, instead of calling a ceasefire.

Colombo,&nbsp;the SLAF and various independent war monitors present on the ground during that last phase of war, have repeatedly argued&nbsp;that the figures didn&rsquo;t match up. It has been pointed out in vain that the small country&#39;s administration and the SLAF have&nbsp;records of all births and deaths, that Colombo has always had administrative control even over Tiger-held areas in the main battlegrounds of North and East Sri Lanka, that the United Nations itself had initially estimated around 7000 deaths and inexplicably upped that figure in later months - and finally,&nbsp;that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - the only outside agency present in the war zone during the last phase - itself had used various statistical evidence&nbsp;and arrived at the conclusion that a total of 7000 people lost their lives.&nbsp;

But all logic fell on deaf ears.&nbsp;A UN body commissioned for the task came out with the so-called Darusman Report claiming the inflated figure of 40,000 as the last word on the matter and all western governments accepted it unquestioningly.&nbsp;

Last week, there was a sensational presentation in the House of Lords in&nbsp;London. Lord Naseby, a UK parliamentarian who heads&nbsp;a British parliamentarian group supportive of Sri Lanka presented damning evidence to his government. UK governments are used to Lord Naseby, the &quot;Old Sri Lanka Hand&quot; springing frequently to the defence of the country he has been involved with for 45 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;But this was a presentation that made them sit up and - cringe. And WION&rsquo;s follow-up interview with Lord Naseby, conducted&nbsp;by correspondent Mandy Clark in London just days after his presentation, is currently making&nbsp;waves in Sri Lanka&nbsp;with leading Colombo commentators calling the WION&nbsp;report a &lsquo;media coup of sorts&rsquo;.

Lord Naseby told WION&rsquo;s Mandy Clark how he went about the onerous task of accessing confidential reports compiled&nbsp;by none other than London&rsquo;s own Defence Attache present in Sri Lanka during the infamous last phase of war in 2009. And came up with some startling discoveries.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve tracked the war carefully because I just couldn&rsquo;t believe these official figures - they didn&rsquo;t stack up to the information I was getting,&rdquo; Lord Naseby told WION. &quot;So I then invoked our freedom of information inquiry&quot;. (Equivalent to India&#39;s RTI).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;I asked for the dispatches sent by our Defence Attache to our foreign office during the last days of the war. The application was refused twice by our foreign office. I then applied directly to the information commissioner - which is my right &ndash; and got 26 pages of redacted dispatches. Missing were the last six weeks of them. &nbsp;So I appealed again. And lo and behold, another 12 arrived. I went through them very carefully.&nbsp;

And in there, there was more than enough evidence that no one in the Sri Lankan government had said anything about killing any civilians at all. That was not the objective of the exercise. And from our Defence attache&rsquo;s dispatches, I thus gleaned that about 7000 were probably killed. And even (the Attache) says that about a quarter of those killed were possibly Tamil Tigers (LTTE), because they&rsquo;d thrown away their uniforms.&rdquo;

Classified documents were not Lord Naseby&rsquo;s only source.&nbsp;He asked university experts who are &quot;traditionally left-wing.&quot; They, too, told him&nbsp;that 7000 casualties was their estimate. There was other evidence too, like&nbsp;what US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, had named a tentative casualty figure:&nbsp;about 5000, a few days before the end of the war.

The reasons for western nations targeting Sri Lankan governments and its armed forces and threatening them with dire - usually economic - consequences - are&nbsp;not hard to understand. Sri Lanka is reeling under external debt and thus has an arm that is particularly easy to twist at this time. About 9,50,000 Sri Lankan Tamils fled their country to settle overseas during the 30 years of war. Many rose to positions powerful enough to dictate to local members of parliament in their overseas constituencies. Add to that the huge attractiveness of the island-nation of Sri Lanka, its bounty of natural resources and its highly strategic location at the crossroads of oil shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.

The LTTE were the inventors of the fidayeen attack - the suicide bomb - and of the horrendous practice of forcibly recruiting child soldiers. And yet, the UK and EU countries gave shelter to many LTTE cadres and some LTTE&nbsp;top brass who fled the last stage of war. The Tamil Tigers are proscribed by most countries including the UK, the US, and the EU. And yet,&nbsp;the UK allows Tamils to celebrate LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran&rsquo;s birthday and hoist the flag of the banned organization in public&nbsp;every year.&nbsp;

Lord Naseby says that he keeps telling the Metropolitan Police of London that it is wrong to allow such demonstrations. But that the police claim that the demonstrators cleverly change tiny details on the flag each year,&nbsp;in order to escape the ban on the original design.

The MP,&nbsp;who has lived and worked in India for many years before he was transferred to Sri Lanka, also reminds Indian readers and viewers of WION that is was the LTTE who killed former PM Rajiv Gandhi. But while he has appealed to&nbsp;the UK government to amend the erroneous casualty count from 40000 down to 7000, he is all for an investigation into some controversial deaths during the last phase of war, such as the killing of three top Tigers despite their attempt to surrender carrying a white flag.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Of course, those really guilty of war crimes must be investigated. But to decry the entire&nbsp;leadership of Sri Lanka as war criminals - it&rsquo;s not done,&rdquo; Lord Naseby told WION.

The British parliamentarian also acknowledges that Sri Lanka&rsquo;s current government under President Maithripala Sirisena is making sincere attempts to resettle and address the concerns of the Tamils of the North and East of Sri Lanka, whose lives were shattered by the war. But Lord Naseby is keen that the world finally sees the Tamil Tigers in the right perspective: as a proscribed organization that systematically killed the most influential and educated Tamil leaders to ensure the solitary supremacy of its own tyrannical chief: Velupillai Prabhakaran.

(With inputs from Mandy Clark, London)

British Lord quotes UK's own classified files to prove 'manipulation' of number of civilian deaths.

For eight years now, western nations and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva have slammed the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF) and the former Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa for brutal human rights violations during Sri Lanka’s three-decade long civil war against the separatist terror group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Of special focus for the West has been the last phase of the war that took place around the Nanthikadal lagoon in North Eastern Sri Lanka. Repeated resolutions have been introduced against the past and present governments in Colombo for failing to acknowledge that their armed forces killed 40,000 civilians caught in the cross-fire and continued with a three-pronged assault on the last of the fleeing Tiger leadership, instead of calling a ceasefire. Colombo, the SLAF and various independent war monitors present on the ground during that last phase of war, have repeatedly argued that the figures didn’t match up. It has been pointed out in vain that the small country's administration and the SLAF have records of all births and deaths, that Colombo has always had administrative control even over Tiger-held areas in the main battlegrounds of North and East Sri Lanka, that the United Nations itself had initially estimated around 7000 deaths and inexplicably upped that figure in later months - and finally, that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - the only outside agency present in the war zone during the last phase - itself had used various statistical evidence and arrived at the conclusion that a total of 7000 people lost their lives. But all logic fell on deaf ears. A UN body commissioned for the task came out with the so-called Darusman Report claiming the inflated figure of 40,000 as the last word on the matter and all western governments accepted it unquestioningly. Last week, there was a sensational presentation in the House of Lords in London. Lord Naseby, a UK parliamentarian who heads a British parliamentarian group supportive of Sri Lanka presented damning evidence to his government. UK governments are used to Lord Naseby, the "Old Sri Lanka Hand" springing frequently to the defence of the country he has been involved with for 45 years. But this was a presentation that made them sit up and - cringe. And WION’s follow-up interview with Lord Naseby, conducted by correspondent Mandy Clark in London just days after his presentation, is currently making waves in Sri Lanka with leading Colombo commentators calling the WION report a ‘media coup of sorts’. Lord Naseby told WION’s Mandy Clark how he went about the onerous task of accessing confidential reports compiled by none other than London’s own Defence Attache present in Sri Lanka during the infamous last phase of war in 2009. And came up with some startling discoveries. “I’ve tracked the war carefully because I just couldn’t believe these official figures - they didn’t stack up to the information I was getting,” Lord Naseby told WION. "So I then invoked our freedom of information inquiry". (Equivalent to India's RTI). “I asked for the dispatches sent by our Defence Attache to our foreign office during the last days of the war. The application was refused twice by our foreign office. I then applied directly to the information commissioner - which is my right – and got 26 pages of redacted dispatches. Missing were the last six weeks of them. So I appealed again. And lo and behold, another 12 arrived. I went through them very carefully. And in there, there was more than enough evidence that no one in the Sri Lankan government had said anything about killing any civilians at all. That was not the objective of the exercise. And from our Defence attache’s dispatches, I thus gleaned that about 7000 were probably killed. And even (the Attache) says that about a quarter of those killed were possibly Tamil Tigers (LTTE), because they’d thrown away their uniforms.” Classified documents were not Lord Naseby’s only source. He asked university experts who are "traditionally left-wing." They, too, told him that 7000 casualties was their estimate. There was other evidence too, like what US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, had named a tentative casualty figure: about 5000, a few days before the end of the war. The reasons for western nations targeting Sri Lankan governments and its armed forces and threatening them with dire - usually economic - consequences - are not hard to understand. Sri Lanka is reeling under external debt and thus has an arm that is particularly easy to twist at this time. About 9,50,000 Sri Lankan Tamils fled their country to settle overseas during the 30 years of war. Many rose to positions powerful enough to dictate to local members of parliament in their overseas constituencies. Add to that the huge attractiveness of the island-nation of Sri Lanka, its bounty of natural resources and its highly strategic location at the crossroads of oil shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. The LTTE were the inventors of the fidayeen attack - the suicide bomb - and of the horrendous practice of forcibly recruiting child soldiers. And yet, the UK and EU countries gave shelter to many LTTE cadres and some LTTE top brass who fled the last stage of war. The Tamil Tigers are proscribed by most countries including the UK, the US, and the EU. And yet, the UK allows Tamils to celebrate LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran’s birthday and hoist the flag of the banned organization in public every year. Lord Naseby says that he keeps telling the Metropolitan Police of London that it is wrong to allow such demonstrations. But that the police claim that the demonstrators cleverly change tiny details on the flag each year, in order to escape the ban on the original design. The MP, who has lived and worked in India for many years before he was transferred to Sri Lanka, also reminds Indian readers and viewers of WION that is was the LTTE who killed former PM Rajiv Gandhi. But while he has appealed to the UK government to amend the erroneous casualty count from 40000 down to 7000, he is all for an investigation into some controversial deaths during the last phase of war, such as the killing of three top Tigers despite their attempt to surrender carrying a white flag. “Of course, those really guilty of war crimes must be investigated. But to decry the entire leadership of Sri Lanka as war criminals - it’s not done,” Lord Naseby told WION. The British parliamentarian also acknowledges that Sri Lanka’s current government under President Maithripala Sirisena is making sincere attempts to resettle and address the concerns of the Tamils of the North and East of Sri Lanka, whose lives were shattered by the war. But Lord Naseby is keen that the world finally sees the Tamil Tigers in the right perspective: as a proscribed organization that systematically killed the most influential and educated Tamil leaders to ensure the solitary supremacy of its own tyrannical chief: Velupillai Prabhakaran. (With inputs from Mandy Clark, London)

UN fudged Sri Lanka war casualty figures, UK Parliamentarian says citing classified files

Mahinda Rajapaksa was President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He is a human rights lawyer by profession, but has been the butt of &nbsp;widespread outrage and criticism for alleged human rights violations by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the final stages of the 30-year long civil war against the armed separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which invented the &quot;suicide bomb&quot;,&nbsp;forcibly recruited child soldiers and used civilians as human shields. In his first global television interview since his election defeat in 2015, Rajapaksa spoke to WION&rsquo;s senior international correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji for the &quot;World Is One: Global Leadership&quot;&nbsp;series at his residence in Colombo. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: President Mahinda Rajapaksa, it&rsquo;s a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for receiving me and WION for this exclusive interview. I&rsquo;ll start with India/China/Pakistan -the region. Sri Lanka is today steeped in external debt to China. The current government under President Maithripala Sirisena is under tremendous pressure. It is slated to give China up to 80% stake&nbsp;in the port of Hambantota and a 99-year lease on 15,000 acres of land nearby. Your critics say that it is your government that began the dependency on China, your supporters blame the present government in Colombo. Either way, India is not happy. Who is more responsible? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: They say we are responsible and we say the present government is responsible. Some even say India is responsible. &nbsp;We had decided to consciously re-orient our countries towards Asia, which, of course, means the two power houses India and China. We did this for more than one reason. Firstly, we identify ourselves as Asians and therefore we identify our destiny as part of that of the continent of Asia. Secondly, Asia is our civilizational and cultural comfort zone. Thirdly, we look to Asia to protect us and help counter-balance pressures on our nation&rsquo;s sovereignty from outside the region. We continue to hope to benefit from the economic rise of Asia propelled by the growth of its two giants, India and China. &nbsp;But there was no dependency on China under my government &mdash;&nbsp;I must tell you that. All projects were income-yielding. Repayment was commercially feasible. &nbsp;Take the Hambantota sea port. First, I went to India,&nbsp;and I requested them&nbsp;I want a harbour port here and asked whether they could please help us. But you know&hellip;the Indian way. You can&#39;t blame them either because the private sector is involved and then there was red tape, etc. All in all, they were not prepared to accept because the (Sri Lankan civil) war was going on, not only the north and east, but even in other parts of the country. Then, I think in 2006, I went to China. There, I negotiated the port. They immediately gave it to me within that year. But it was a loan that we could afford, because we knew from the income we get that we can pay it back. We were not depending on them (China). It was a direct loan, for which we never gave them the port. After that and for the second and third phases, we negotiated with them on a Supply-Operate-Transfer (SOT) basis. But only for the terminal. not the port! And even in the terminal, they had to pay for the land. We never gave them land like this (the current government). &nbsp;Unfortunately with this government, it&rsquo;s their approach. As soon as they came to power, they cancelled all these contracts, all these agreements with China and antagonised Beijing. &nbsp;Thereafter, of course everything changed. Now they are offering 15,000 acres &ndash; we never offered them anything like that. What they are doing now is &mdash;&nbsp;I would say, they are selling the country. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: China is Sri Lanka&#39;s largest trading partner and biggest investor. Even some Sri Lankans say that China is slowly colonising your country. You and the factions supporting you are yourselves protesting the Hambantota deal with China. And yet, your prime minister,&nbsp;Ranil Wickremesinghe&nbsp;is expected to initial the deal when he visits China in May. Colombo&#39;s Port City Project too&nbsp;is steaming ahead. And through the docking of its nuclear submarines, China has already made it clear that it has larger, strategic interests in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean region. &nbsp;Is it too late to revert this process of near colonisation of Sri Lanka by China? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: &nbsp;There was no idea of colonisation in our time. China is a valued friend and a partner in development, that&rsquo;s all. &nbsp;However, there is a significant difference between our approach and that of the present government. The Chinese projects were negotiated by the last government (ours) as per the structures I described. For Hambantota, it was a Supply-Operate-Transfer (SOT) arrangement only for the terminal and the land was leased to them. So there can be no talk of colonisation as such. But this government has changed all those policies. That is why all this is happening now. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: To decimate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), against whom there was a brutal civil war for 30 years, your government received arms, training and even aircraft from China and Pakistan. Did you ask India to help at the time and if so, how did New Delhi react? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: But they helped us! We didn&rsquo;t have to ask! Because I was fighting your war, India&#39;s&nbsp;war, not my war, actually. The LTTE killed your prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi and so many other people in India and on your soil, not ours. So in that way, it was not only my war, it was an Indian war, it was a humanitarian war. India helped us in every possible way. We didn&rsquo;t want to publicise&nbsp;it, tell the press too much. &nbsp;And not only China and Pakistan, even the British and the Americans helped us. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji:&nbsp;Pakistan is a hotbed of Islamist terrorism, mostly targeted at India. The Maldives too, have been home to the maximum number of Islamic State recruits in South Asia and is being rapidly influenced by Saudi Wah&rsquo;abi Islam. Bangladesh has seen IS terror and sleeper cells. Your justice minister recently said that 31 &ldquo;elite Sri Lankan Muslims&rdquo; had joined the IS&nbsp;too. Given all this, it&rsquo;s surely better for Sri Lanka to improve relations with India, than ignore the dangers from Islamist terrorism in the region? &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: We believe in improving relations with all countries in our neighbourhood, this I must tell you. Both India and Pakistan have helped us as best as they can, we have traditionally been friends of both. And that friendship has not been mutually exclusive and contradictory, that is, friendship with one has not been at the expense of the other. We are mindful of the sentiments of our citizens of Islamic faith. You will remember that our former PM, Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike was a close friend of the Islamic world. &nbsp;Of course, we have only one neighbour, India. It&#39;s a subcontinent and where our Tamil citizens have cultural, linguistic and civilizational links. &nbsp;For all those reasons our relationship and friendship with India is quite special. Even unique,&nbsp;I would say. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: Mr Rajapaksa, you had promised to bring about a solution to the demand for Tamil autonomy in your Northern and Eastern Provinces. India insists on the implementation of the so-called 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution which Rajiv Gandhi&rsquo;s government had co-authored and both parties signed in 1987. Thirty years on, is it the best solution? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: I won&rsquo;t say it&rsquo;s the best solution. If it were, the problem would have surely been solved by now. We must remember that all communities must get together to give a solution. You can&rsquo;t come up with one solution only to satisfy one section or community. We have to satisfy all. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: The fishermen&#39;s issue and the Kachaithivu agreement make headlines in both India and Sri Lanka every day. What&rsquo;s at the bottom of both and how can they be resolved once and for all times? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Fishermen only follow the fish, they are not worried about borders. But it is our duty &ndash;&nbsp;that of Delhi and Colombo &ndash; to stop this, we must have the political will to do so. Indian fishermen come here and deplete the entire seabed of fish by using bottom trawlers. So this must stop. And New Delhi must have the political will to stop it. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: You had accused India, specifically its Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of engineering your election defeat in 2015. How so? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa&nbsp;(laughs): You know, I don&rsquo;t want to go into the past. What&rsquo;s done is done. It&rsquo;s a new page now. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: If you were to return to power - either with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction that supports you or some other new party, would you want to recalibrate your relationship to India which was very tense during your years in office? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Frankly, I think both my government and this government and may I say even earlier governments like that of President JR Jayawardene have learned lessons in geopolitics and economics! No Sri Lankan government can fail to recognise that Sri Lanka cannot afford to antagonise the two Asian giants &ndash; China and India. We have learned our lessons by now. So it&rsquo;s in our national interest to very carefully balance and maintain equilibrium between the two. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: A report in The Hindu suggests that you and your brother, former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa have fallen out and that Ram Madhav, Indian PM Narendra Modi&#39;s special man for Sri Lanka, is involved in engineering some sort of a political arrangement which will include your brother and suit Indian interests. Can you comment on that report? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: I didn&rsquo;t see the report, only heard about it. &nbsp;But there has been no falling out between Gotabhaya and me in the past, in the present and there will not be one in the future either. Our relationship is based on love, mutual respect, shared patriotic values but also the dangerous shared experience during the war. Why, he had dropped in only yesterday. I really &nbsp;don&rsquo;t know why they make stories up like this. It&rsquo;s not good for their paper, or even for the writer&hellip; 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: What is your personal equation with PM Modi? You have met him several times, including at his own inauguration. Would you have any anecdotes to narrate? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: I &nbsp;regard myself a friend of your PM Modi. I admire what he has done for your country, India. And his international prestige. I really like the way he has harnessed the support of the Indian diaspora in a way I couldn&rsquo;t! I admire his patriotism and his drive at modernising India. Yes we admire him, there&rsquo;s no question. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: Earlier this year, several former &quot;rehabilitated&quot;&nbsp;LTTE cadres were arrested for being part of a diaspora-hatched conspiracy to kill moderate Tamil leader MA&nbsp;Sumanthiran. Two years ago, three former Tigers including one &ldquo;Gobi&rdquo; were chased and gunned down and caches of weapons found in Sri Lanka&rsquo;s Northern Province. The Liberation Tigers have regrouped outside Sri Lanka. Does all this mean that the rehabilitation program started by your government has proved to be a failure? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Not at all. Our rehabilitation effort was successful and humane. What has been a disaster is the weakening of our security forces and our safety network in the former conflict areas. Weakening them has been a deliberate policy of the present government. I fear that disaster is looming. When we released them &ndash; about 12000 people &ndash; some were rehabilitated fully, then underwent the entire course. Then there were those who had taken only half of it. Finally there were others who somehow managed to escape that rehabilitation program. The LTTE diaspora is collecting money and they are powerful. So it is essential to have a good security network. Our intelligence networks must be strengthened. Instead, they have weakened it, because they are listening to the LTTE diaspora. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: But if the rehabilitation program was successful, then these stories of an LTTE resurgence are surely just politically-motivated rumors ? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: No, they are not. They&rsquo;re probably the tip of the iceberg. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: So you feel the problem is much larger? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Yes, much larger. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: Former Tiger Karuna has formed the Tamil Freedom Party in Batticaloa, another former Tiger the &ldquo;Rehabilitated Liberation Tigers Party in Trincomalee. &nbsp;&quot;Tamil freedom&quot;, &quot;Liberation Tigers&quot; - surely no Election Commission in united, post-war Sri Lanka can and should accept such party names? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: &nbsp;Well, I support and encourage Karuna. He took a personal risk by coming into the mainstream and that cost him his brother Reggie&rsquo;s life &ndash; he was killed by the Tigers. Now if Karuna&rsquo;s forming a political party, I wish him luck. I don&rsquo;t know enough about the other party you mention. But rehabilitees must be able, free to start political parties. We must encourage them to come into peaceful, democratic, non-separatist politics. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: But surely with better names? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Yes, I suppose so&hellip;.I think the election commissioner will advise them.. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: You are widely credited &ndash; even by your detractors - as the first Sri Lankan president to bring the 30-year civil war to an end. Corruption charges against your family persist now. And yet, your popularity seems on a phenomenal upswing. A new party has been formed, it is asking you to leave the SLFP and lead it instead. Either way, will the next election see the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa into the fray? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Mahinda Rajapaksa never left the fray. As long as my country, my nation, my people are in danger and need me, I remain in the fray. 
&nbsp; 
Padma Rao Sundarji: So whether as PM or President, you will come back, in whichever role? 
&nbsp; 
Mahinda Rajapaksa: &nbsp;I must tell you that patriotic politics is not a job. It is my life&rsquo;s vocation.

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In this edition of WION&#39;s Global Leadership series, Padma Rao speaks to former president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa (WION)
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(WION)

Rajapaksa spoke to WION?s senior international correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji for the 'World Is One: Global Leadership' series

Mahinda Rajapaksa was President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He is a human rights lawyer by profession, but has been the butt of widespread outrage and criticism for alleged human rights violations by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the final stages of the 30-year long civil war against the armed separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which invented the "suicide bomb", forcibly recruited child soldiers and used civilians as human shields. In his first global television interview since his election defeat in 2015, Rajapaksa spoke to WION’s senior international correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji for the "World Is One: Global Leadership" series at his residence in Colombo. Padma Rao Sundarji: President Mahinda Rajapaksa, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for receiving me and WION for this exclusive interview. I’ll start with India/China/Pakistan -the region. Sri Lanka is today steeped in external debt to China. The current government under President Maithripala Sirisena is under tremendous pressure. It is slated to give China up to 80% stake in the port of Hambantota and a 99-year lease on 15,000 acres of land nearby. Your critics say that it is your government that began the dependency on China, your supporters blame the present government in Colombo. Either way, India is not happy. Who is more responsible? Mahinda Rajapaksa: They say we are responsible and we say the present government is responsible. Some even say India is responsible. We had decided to consciously re-orient our countries towards Asia, which, of course, means the two power houses India and China. We did this for more than one reason. Firstly, we identify ourselves as Asians and therefore we identify our destiny as part of that of the continent of Asia. Secondly, Asia is our civilizational and cultural comfort zone. Thirdly, we look to Asia to protect us and help counter-balance pressures on our nation’s sovereignty from outside the region. We continue to hope to benefit from the economic rise of Asia propelled by the growth of its two giants, India and China. But there was no dependency on China under my government — I must tell you that. All projects were income-yielding. Repayment was commercially feasible. Take the Hambantota sea port. First, I went to India, and I requested them I want a harbour port here and asked whether they could please help us. But you know…the Indian way. You can't blame them either because the private sector is involved and then there was red tape, etc. All in all, they were not prepared to accept because the (Sri Lankan civil) war was going on, not only the north and east, but even in other parts of the country. Then, I think in 2006, I went to China. There, I negotiated the port. They immediately gave it to me within that year. But it was a loan that we could afford, because we knew from the income we get that we can pay it back. We were not depending on them (China). It was a direct loan, for which we never gave them the port. After that and for the second and third phases, we negotiated with them on a Supply-Operate-Transfer (SOT) basis. But only for the terminal. not the port! And even in the terminal, they had to pay for the land. We never gave them land like this (the current government). Unfortunately with this government, it’s their approach. As soon as they came to power, they cancelled all these contracts, all these agreements with China and antagonised Beijing. Thereafter, of course everything changed. Now they are offering 15,000 acres – we never offered them anything like that. What they are doing now is — I would say, they are selling the country. Padma Rao Sundarji: China is Sri Lanka's largest trading partner and biggest investor. Even some Sri Lankans say that China is slowly colonising your country. You and the factions supporting you are yourselves protesting the Hambantota deal with China. And yet, your prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to initial the deal when he visits China in May. Colombo's Port City Project too is steaming ahead. And through the docking of its nuclear submarines, China has already made it clear that it has larger, strategic interests in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean region. Is it too late to revert this process of near colonisation of Sri Lanka by China? Mahinda Rajapaksa: There was no idea of colonisation in our time. China is a valued friend and a partner in development, that’s all. However, there is a significant difference between our approach and that of the present government. The Chinese projects were negotiated by the last government (ours) as per the structures I described. For Hambantota, it was a Supply-Operate-Transfer (SOT) arrangement only for the terminal and the land was leased to them. So there can be no talk of colonisation as such. But this government has changed all those policies. That is why all this is happening now. Padma Rao Sundarji: To decimate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), against whom there was a brutal civil war for 30 years, your government received arms, training and even aircraft from China and Pakistan. Did you ask India to help at the time and if so, how did New Delhi react? Mahinda Rajapaksa: But they helped us! We didn’t have to ask! Because I was fighting your war, India's war, not my war, actually. The LTTE killed your prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi and so many other people in India and on your soil, not ours. So in that way, it was not only my war, it was an Indian war, it was a humanitarian war. India helped us in every possible way. We didn’t want to publicise it, tell the press too much. And not only China and Pakistan, even the British and the Americans helped us. Padma Rao Sundarji: Pakistan is a hotbed of Islamist terrorism, mostly targeted at India. The Maldives too, have been home to the maximum number of Islamic State recruits in South Asia and is being rapidly influenced by Saudi Wah’abi Islam. Bangladesh has seen IS terror and sleeper cells. Your justice minister recently said that 31 “elite Sri Lankan Muslims” had joined the IS too. Given all this, it’s surely better for Sri Lanka to improve relations with India, than ignore the dangers from Islamist terrorism in the region? Mahinda Rajapaksa: We believe in improving relations with all countries in our neighbourhood, this I must tell you. Both India and Pakistan have helped us as best as they can, we have traditionally been friends of both. And that friendship has not been mutually exclusive and contradictory, that is, friendship with one has not been at the expense of the other. We are mindful of the sentiments of our citizens of Islamic faith. You will remember that our former PM, Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike was a close friend of the Islamic world. Of course, we have only one neighbour, India. It's a subcontinent and where our Tamil citizens have cultural, linguistic and civilizational links. For all those reasons our relationship and friendship with India is quite special. Even unique, I would say. Padma Rao Sundarji: Mr Rajapaksa, you had promised to bring about a solution to the demand for Tamil autonomy in your Northern and Eastern Provinces. India insists on the implementation of the so-called 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution which Rajiv Gandhi’s government had co-authored and both parties signed in 1987. Thirty years on, is it the best solution? Mahinda Rajapaksa: I won’t say it’s the best solution. If it were, the problem would have surely been solved by now. We must remember that all communities must get together to give a solution. You can’t come up with one solution only to satisfy one section or community. We have to satisfy all. Padma Rao Sundarji: The fishermen's issue and the Kachaithivu agreement make headlines in both India and Sri Lanka every day. What’s at the bottom of both and how can they be resolved once and for all times? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Fishermen only follow the fish, they are not worried about borders. But it is our duty – that of Delhi and Colombo – to stop this, we must have the political will to do so. Indian fishermen come here and deplete the entire seabed of fish by using bottom trawlers. So this must stop. And New Delhi must have the political will to stop it. Padma Rao Sundarji: You had accused India, specifically its Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of engineering your election defeat in 2015. How so? Mahinda Rajapaksa (laughs): You know, I don’t want to go into the past. What’s done is done. It’s a new page now. Padma Rao Sundarji: If you were to return to power - either with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction that supports you or some other new party, would you want to recalibrate your relationship to India which was very tense during your years in office? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Frankly, I think both my government and this government and may I say even earlier governments like that of President JR Jayawardene have learned lessons in geopolitics and economics! No Sri Lankan government can fail to recognise that Sri Lanka cannot afford to antagonise the two Asian giants – China and India. We have learned our lessons by now. So it’s in our national interest to very carefully balance and maintain equilibrium between the two. Padma Rao Sundarji: A report in The Hindu suggests that you and your brother, former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa have fallen out and that Ram Madhav, Indian PM Narendra Modi's special man for Sri Lanka, is involved in engineering some sort of a political arrangement which will include your brother and suit Indian interests. Can you comment on that report? Mahinda Rajapaksa: I didn’t see the report, only heard about it. But there has been no falling out between Gotabhaya and me in the past, in the present and there will not be one in the future either. Our relationship is based on love, mutual respect, shared patriotic values but also the dangerous shared experience during the war. Why, he had dropped in only yesterday. I really don’t know why they make stories up like this. It’s not good for their paper, or even for the writer… Padma Rao Sundarji: What is your personal equation with PM Modi? You have met him several times, including at his own inauguration. Would you have any anecdotes to narrate? Mahinda Rajapaksa: I regard myself a friend of your PM Modi. I admire what he has done for your country, India. And his international prestige. I really like the way he has harnessed the support of the Indian diaspora in a way I couldn’t! I admire his patriotism and his drive at modernising India. Yes we admire him, there’s no question. Padma Rao Sundarji: Earlier this year, several former "rehabilitated" LTTE cadres were arrested for being part of a diaspora-hatched conspiracy to kill moderate Tamil leader MA Sumanthiran. Two years ago, three former Tigers including one “Gobi” were chased and gunned down and caches of weapons found in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The Liberation Tigers have regrouped outside Sri Lanka. Does all this mean that the rehabilitation program started by your government has proved to be a failure? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Not at all. Our rehabilitation effort was successful and humane. What has been a disaster is the weakening of our security forces and our safety network in the former conflict areas. Weakening them has been a deliberate policy of the present government. I fear that disaster is looming. When we released them – about 12000 people – some were rehabilitated fully, then underwent the entire course. Then there were those who had taken only half of it. Finally there were others who somehow managed to escape that rehabilitation program. The LTTE diaspora is collecting money and they are powerful. So it is essential to have a good security network. Our intelligence networks must be strengthened. Instead, they have weakened it, because they are listening to the LTTE diaspora. Padma Rao Sundarji: But if the rehabilitation program was successful, then these stories of an LTTE resurgence are surely just politically-motivated rumors ? Mahinda Rajapaksa: No, they are not. They’re probably the tip of the iceberg. Padma Rao Sundarji: So you feel the problem is much larger? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Yes, much larger. Padma Rao Sundarji: Former Tiger Karuna has formed the Tamil Freedom Party in Batticaloa, another former Tiger the “Rehabilitated Liberation Tigers Party in Trincomalee. "Tamil freedom", "Liberation Tigers" - surely no Election Commission in united, post-war Sri Lanka can and should accept such party names? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Well, I support and encourage Karuna. He took a personal risk by coming into the mainstream and that cost him his brother Reggie’s life – he was killed by the Tigers. Now if Karuna’s forming a political party, I wish him luck. I don’t know enough about the other party you mention. But rehabilitees must be able, free to start political parties. We must encourage them to come into peaceful, democratic, non-separatist politics. Padma Rao Sundarji: But surely with better names? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Yes, I suppose so….I think the election commissioner will advise them.. Padma Rao Sundarji: You are widely credited – even by your detractors - as the first Sri Lankan president to bring the 30-year civil war to an end. Corruption charges against your family persist now. And yet, your popularity seems on a phenomenal upswing. A new party has been formed, it is asking you to leave the SLFP and lead it instead. Either way, will the next election see the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa into the fray? Mahinda Rajapaksa: Mahinda Rajapaksa never left the fray. As long as my country, my nation, my people are in danger and need me, I remain in the fray. Padma Rao Sundarji: So whether as PM or President, you will come back, in whichever role? Mahinda Rajapaksa: I must tell you that patriotic politics is not a job. It is my life’s vocation. Watch In this edition of WION's Global Leadership series, Padma Rao speaks to former president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa (WION) × (WION)

Exclusive: Sri Lankan government selling the country, says ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa

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