Danuna Tillakaratne lashed out at Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, saying that he is trying to confuse the public by making false claims, with the intention of attacking Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.

Speaking to Asian Mirror, Tillakaratne recalled that Rajapakshe had recently made a claim that he had made a request from Rajapakshe to secure the release of an account with a deposit of Rs. 88.7 million. Rajapakshe was using this claim as an excuse to attack his former father-in-law Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Tillakaratne said.

He pointed out that he had made a request regarding only his private accounts which were frozen during the Hi-corp case.  After his acquittal from the case, there was no reason to keep those accounts frozen, he said.

The account Rajapakshe is referring to must be the party fund during the 2010 Presidential Election campaign, Tillakaratne also said, adding that he made no request to release that account.

Rajapakshe is confusing the whole matter, perhaps for his own interest, Tillakaratne said. He also pointed out that he could see no reason why his accounts cannot be released, since he was recently acquitted in the Hi-corp case.

The Court of Appeal today overturned the expulsion of three Provincial Council Members from the Democratic Party led by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka during the 2015 Presidential Election period.

The three PC members, Western Provincial Council Member Ashoka Dayaratne, Southern Provincial Council Member Padmasiri de Silva and North Western Provincial Council Member Malhami Rathnayake, were expelled for supporting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, defying the position taken by the party.

However, the Court of Appeal today determined the expulsion of the three PC members from the party as illegal.

Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka lashed out at former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa for saying that the former Army Commanders were aware of a shelter being built at the President’s House.

Speaking to a news website, Fonseka said that he was not aware if such a bunker was constructed at the President’s House. He said that he offered the support of the army if the construction of a bunker was required. However, the former president continuously refused the request made by him, he said.

Therefore, he had not seen such a bunker or a house, Fonseka elaborated. He also said that this controversial 'luxurious underground palace' was constructed on the sly with collaboration with former Navy Commander.

Fonseka also said that the expenditure for the underground shelter has to be released to the public.

Speaking on the underground shelter, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa recently said that the place is a 'bunker' which was built to hold meetings of the Security Council at a time of an air attack. But contradicting his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa on October 28 described the place as a 'house', not a 'bunker'.

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who commanded the Sri Lankan army during Eelam War IV, says that it was the LTTE which targeted Tamil civilians and not the Lankan armed forces.

"It was the LTTE which fired on civilians trying to flee to the army-controlled lines and killed them.The Lankan armed forces on the other hand had a policy of welcoming them and providing them safe shelter," Fonseka told Express on Monday.

"We were constantly telling the civilians to come out, assuring them that they will be well treated and looked after. With the result, people kept coming out," he said.

According to Fonseka, hailed as a war hero at home and described as the world's best General by India's former National Security Advisor M.K.Narayanan, civilians had begun heeding  the army's call from 2008 onwards.

"In the beginning, they came in trickles.Over time, 50,000 had crossed over. However, the mass exodus started in April 2009.On April 19, 150,000 had crossed over braving LTTE bullets.On May 14, 2009, 85,000 had quit the LTTE controlled zone. And on May 19, the war ended," Fonseka said.

Lanka's only Field Marshal said that the army took a lot of casualties in the process of capturing areas where the LTTE was keeping thousands of civilians hostage to serve as its human shield.Heavy weapons had to be used sparingly.

Asked if earlier in the war, in 2008 and early 2009, serious efforts were made to get the civilians out of the LTTE' s clutches, Fonseka said that efforts were made whenever  civilians were within firing range, but for much of the war, the LTTE had kept the civilians 4 to 5 kilometers away from the forward lines.The LTTE needed the civilians for being used as human shield when the chips are down, he said.

"When the civilians were 4 to 5 kms behind the front line, there was no way we could reach them to rescue them.And the LTTE had put so many obtacles such as 10 ft high earth bunds, pill boxes, ditches and landmines to stop us from advancing," Fonseka recalled.

"The civilians too are not fools.They move away from battle zones as far as possible," Fonseka said.

It was not the army but the LTTE which pushed thousands of civilians into a narrow strip of land abutting the sea at Mullivaikkal to use them as a bargaining chip, the Field Marshal said.

(The New Indian Express)

Sri Lanka will maintain the close relationship with China that provided strong support to help Sri Lanka end its 30-year civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, a leading military officer has said.

"Without China's support we would have not been able to finish the war, basically," Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka told Xinhua in an interview on Friday.

China is one of Sri Lanka's oldest and strongest friends and the nation provided assistance and support to end the civil conflict, said Fonseka, who took the post of army commander in 2005 and led the island nation's forces to conduct victorious campaigns against the Tamil Tiger rebels ending the civil war.

"With China we have had a historic relationship. So I think we must maintain that relationship and we will not forget what China has done for our country," Fonseka said.

Fonseka also made some comments on the military parade China held on Thursday in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

He said that following the end of World War II, China has developed thoroughly and contributed heavily to world peace while strengthening relations with the rest of the world.

"We appreciate the historic achievements of China and the present state of affairs in China. We admire them and appreciate them and wish them good luck."

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his address shortly before the parade, announced the China will cut the military by 300,000 troops while remaining committed to peaceful development.

Fonseka noted that the Chinese military, which has a great history, has been a well recognized and powerful force and has created an important impact in the world.

Fonseka was promoted to the rank of Field Marshall by President Maithripala Sirisena in March this year for his service rendered to the nation for defeating terrorism.

He also called on the new Sri Lankan government which won a parliamentary election last month to strengthen relations with the international community and maintain harmony with countries in the region.

"Sri Lanka has maintained a nonaligned policy in its foreign relations with the rest of the world. But of course we have to ensure that there is regional stability. We have to maintain harmony with the rest of the countries in the region. We have to recognize the ability and status of the countries in the region.

"We are still a small country. We have to go a long way," he said.

(Xinhua)