Sri Lankan army (SLA) chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka is not known to mince his opinions; some say the opinions sometimes border on indiscretion. On Sunday, he called Tamil Nadu politicians “jokers’’ and said the Indian government would not listen to their demands for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
Fonseka further alleged the politicians were “bribed’’ by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to make allegations that Tamil civilians were being killed by the SLA.
Fonseka said the LTTE separatist ideology would damage India’s sovereignty.
“If the LTTE is wiped out, those political jokers like Nadumaran, Viko and whoever who is sympathising with the LTTE will most probably lose their income from the LTTE,’’ the Army commander said.
In an interview to the Sunday Observer newspaper Fonseka said that the security forces had taken all efforts to maintain zero casualties in military offensives.
“I am confident that the Indian government is not interested in a ceasefire in Sri Lanka and they listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. They have already accepted Prabhakaran as a criminal and given him the death sentence. They (however) cannot just look the other side when it comes to Tamil sentiments. That is why India is sending food and other relief to make sure that innocent Tamils are not suffering,’’ Fonseka, whose term has been extended for a year, said.
Meanwhile, the military on Sunday claimed that its troops were within “kissing distance” of the outer defence lines of the LTTE’s political and administrative capital, Kilinochchi.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the military on Sunday claimed that its troops were within “kissing distance” of the outer defence lines of the LTTE’s political and administrative capital, Kilinochchi.
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