Sarath Fonseka who resigned last week as the chief of defence staff assured armed forces on Friday that he would standby democracy and always fight for their rights.
In a letter to officers, soldiers, their families and all those who fought the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Fonseka said he would work to restore social justice and ethnic unity.
“I explained to them under what circumstances I had to resign (from the army). I wished them well and told them that they deserved all the credit (for the defeat of the LTTE),’’ Fonseka told HT. The letter written in Sinhala was circulated among print media houses on Friday afternoon.
“I also had to apologise to them for suddenly resigning and not being able to meet them. I wrote in the letter that they should not allow the army to get politicised,’’ Fonseka said.
One of the priorities of the government should be the rehabilitation of displaced persons staying in camps in northern Sri Lanka. Fonseka indicated that he would make an announcement about joining politics next week.
The government said on Friday it was investigating claims that Fonseka was under imminent threat.
According to Daily Mirror, minister for disaster management and human rights Mahinda Samarasinghe said government was also looking into the news reports that the general had not been in the country during the final stages of the war.
{{/usCountry}}According to Daily Mirror, minister for disaster management and human rights Mahinda Samarasinghe said government was also looking into the news reports that the general had not been in the country during the final stages of the war.
{{/usCountry}}“These are serious claims and they are being investigatby the CID and the Police,” Samarasinghe said.