There was no threat to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s life, even during the war, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said, alleging that the LTTE had a special connection to the former President.
“No attempts were made to assassinate or bomb him even during the war. Did he wage the war alone? Did we not fight in the war?” Fonseka questioned.
“In 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s manifesto condemned war and stressed achieving peace through talks with Prabhakaran. The LTTE harboured no anger toward Mahinda. In fact, in 2005, the LTTE was given USD 2 million to purchase suicide attack boats. Mahinda Rajapaksa maintained a significant connection with the LTTE. Just before the war ended, he declared a ceasefire—against our judgment—to allow Prabhakaran and other leaders to escape. For these reasons, the LTTE would never pose a threat to Mahinda Rajapaksa,” he alleged.
“As the Army Commander during the war, my entire security detail was removed in 2010 immediately after the Presidential election results were announced. Were there no security threats to me at that time?” he asked.
Fonseka also said that during his prison sentence, he was housed with inmates who were members of the LTTE and received no special security.
“When I appeared in court while serving my sentence, I sat on the same bench as the terrorist who accompanied the suicide bomber that tried to take my life,” Fonseka said.
When questioned by journalists about reports of a planned drone attack against the former President, Fonseka said he could not imagine anyone wanting to assassinate Rajapaksa.
“Drones are expensive, even costlier than MIG airplanes. There’s no reason to target Mahinda Rajapaksa at such a great expense. Countries like the US or Russia could afford such measures, but who would want to assassinate him?”
Fonseka noted that, as the former Army Commander, his current security detail consists of only 17 police officers. “A 30-member team is sufficient for the former President,” he said. (Newswire)
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