No early pardon for ‘fool’ Fonseka: Rajapaksa

Fonseka,who led the Sri Lankan army to victory against the LTTE last year,was the joint opposition candidate in the January 26 Presidential polls in which he was defeated by Rajapaksa.

“So I advised him. I told him that politics is not the army. In the army,when you have an order they follow. In politics you give order and they react in a different way… I told him,whatever he might think,I know this game and I am going to win this election. Whoever is my opponent doesn’t matter to me,” Rajapaksa said.

He made the remarks when asked about his feelings towards Fonseka and whether the former army chief could be accommodated under the planned national reconciliation.

Rajapaksa said he could have prevented Fonseka,who is being detained at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo since his arrest on February 8,from contesting the Presidential polls by delaying his retirement.

“I could have stopped him (from) contesting,because he couldn’t retire until I permitted him to. I could have just sat on his retirement request until after the nomination papers were filed… But I let him contest. I didn’t want people to say I was frightened,” he said.

Claiming that Fonseka was on “holiday” in China when the war against the LTTE was in its last days,the President ruled out an early pardon for him.

“But if I pardon him what about army discipline? What about the court martials of other officers? What can I do!

This is the British law. They gave it to India and us,” he said.

“Fonseka himself put thousands of soldiers under court martial. At one time the figure was 8,500. I shouted at him and I had to release them,” Rajapaksa told the paper.

He said Fonseka wanted to increase the size of the army to 450,000 from 200,000 after the war got over as the General treated India as an “external threat.”

“India’s standing army is 1.5 million,its paramilitary forces are about 1 million. So what can 450,000 do against 2.5 million? I told him,let me worry about external forces,” Rajapaksa said.

He also alleged that Fonseka had “placed cash of 700,000 dollars in a bank after the elections.”

Asked about charges that the former army chief was plotting a coup,Rajapaksa said “there was something going on. I cannot discuss all details as inquiries and legal proceedings are on.”

“It is up to the police and security forces to frame the charges. It is not for me to get involved. Let them handle it. Whether he is found guilty or not guilty is not my concern. But the procedure must go on. The law must be enforced irrespective of persons,” he said.

Asked if the LTTE was gone for good,Rajapaksa replied “No”.

“There are sleeping cadres and there are interested parties,especially outside Sri Lanka. That will take time. It has been just nine months since the war ended… Just because the leaders were eliminated,it is not over,” he told the Singaporean paper.

“They (LTTE) were a factory of suicide bombers. They were in Colombo,they are outside in various countries. Interested parties can try and make use of them,although I don’t think it will happen. The suicide killer jacket they designed and made was marketed abroad. That is why we need the international community to help us on this. They are not operating from here.”

About implementation of the 13th Amendment,especially handing over police powers and control over land to Provincial Council governments,Rajapaksa said that “other than the police powers we have given them all the powers (which are given) to the provincial councils.

“We have nothing to do with land. What can I do when there has been no Provincial Council in North? But there must be some (central) control.”

To another question on bringing Tamils into the mainstream,the President said “we have already started that.”

“In the East we have already hired nearly 500 to the Police. In the North,for police we have selected about 450 from Jaffna. I told them,these boys are trained. Just teach them some law. If the army is disciplined and this is why I am keen to discipline the army they will have the national feeling,” he told the paper.

Asked how his Tamil lessons were shaping up,Rajapaksa said: “Progressing. I even try to make speeches in Tamil these days.”